Local bakery creates 40th birthday cake for country star Luke Bryan at his Sunday concert in Bangor

Cake Concoctions staff and others, pictured with Bryan (center, with baseball cap) and the cake they made for him.

Cake Concoctions staff and others, pictured with Bryan (center, with baseball cap) and the cake they made for him.

Basant Paradis, owner of Cake Concoctions at 6 Water St. in downtown Bangor, has had some wacky, creative requests for special cakes — from a scale model of a Star Wars droid, to an aquarium cake filled with Swedish fish. But her most high-profile cake request came this week, as country star Luke Bryan’s wife, Caroline, asked Paradis to create a custom birthday cake for his 40th birthday; the same day as his concert Sunday night in Bangor.

The cake was brought out on stage during the concert, and the entire audience sang happy birthday to the multi-platinum country star — which Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion staff managed to catch on Facebook live.

“[It was] such a surreal experience for the staff,” said Paradis, in a Facebook post. “Our staff was amazing and absolutely worked as a team to bring this cake together.”

Bryan’s cake featured the singer’s head photoshopped onto a Chippendale dancer’s body, printed on heavy paper, that appeared to be bursting out of a four-tier cake decorated in flames — which he later signed and gave to Paradis and the Cake Concoctions staff, who now have it displayed in the store window. The cake was a Guinness chocolate cake with Bailey’s Irish Cream frosting and a Jameson ganache. The cake read “Happy 40th Shelbo,” which is the nickname Bryan’s band gave to him early on in his career. Paradis said she collaborated with Print: Bangor (formerly Northeast Reprographics) to create the graphic, and Staples in Bangor to print it.

Bryan’s team offered free tickets to the Cake Concoctions staff, and brought them all backstage to meet the star and take a photo. Paradis realized at this point that she, a Georgia native, actually went to college with Bryan at Georgia Southern University — thought she did not know him then.

“It’s such a crazy coincidence that we went to school together,” said Paradis. “I’d never been to a big country concert like that, and it’s really such an incredible show. We had an amazing time.”

Basant Paradis (top left) and her staff created a 40th birthday cake for country star Luke Bryan.  Photo courtesy Cake Concoctions.

Basant Paradis (top left) and her staff created a 40th birthday cake for country star Luke Bryan. Photo courtesy Cake Concoctions.

Bryan performed Sunday night in Bangor as part of his “Kill the Lights” tour, with opening acts Little Big Town and Dustin Lynch. The concert was very nearly sold out, and was the third in three Waterfront Concerts schedule last week, along with Hall & Oates and Tedeschi Trucks Band.

Emily Burnham

About Emily Burnham

Emily Burnham is a Maine native, UMaine graduate, proud Bangorian and a writer for the Bangor Daily News, where she's worked since 2004. She reports on everything from local bands to local food to all the cool things going on in the Greater Bangor area. In her quest for stories, she's seen countless concerts and plays, been lobster fishing, interviewed celebrities, hung out with water buffalo and played in a ukulele orchestra. She's interested in everything that happens in Maine.