A sweet taste for better vision

Inspired by Vasconcelos' incredible sculpture Valkyrie Octopus, Ma says he wanted "to create a pastry that had texture and depth and was glazed in such a way that each layer was slightly different from the next".

Such flights of fancy are nothing new for Ma, who in January was selected along with two other expert chefs to represent the China national team at the prestigious La Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie, widely regarded as the "Olympics of baking".

His team will keep making the abstract vision of rainbow hues and marble lines－using layers of rich hazelnut creme and crisps coated with a white-chocolate glaze－through the show's end in October.

The resort hotel will double all proceeds from the sale of this pastry as a donation to Orbis, a charity that aims to prevent and treat blindness around the world. The Valkyrie pastry costs MOP68 ($8.50) for a slice and MOP258 for a whole cake.

Pastry Bar and Grande Pra?a Cafe at MGM Macao, Avenida Dr. Sun Yat Sen, Nape, Macao; 853-8802-8888.