Illinois bakery creates cicada cakes ahead of cicada season

HIGHWOOD, Ill. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Cicadas will soon be emerging and a bakery in Highwood, Illinois is looking to cash in on the buzz surrounding them as The Bent Fork Bakery is bringing back its cicada cakes from their 17 year hiatus.

"17 years ago...when the cicadas came out, we did a little homage to them in the form of a cake," said Mike and Liz Bearwald, owners of Bent Fork Bakery.

They decided to keep the baking pan, just in case they were still in business when the cicadas came back.

"We found the pan. It was tucked away in storage we dusted it off, and here we are, making cicadas," Mike and Liz shared.

The little bunt cakes are dipped in chocolate. They use red coated chocolate candy for the eyes, and the wings are covered in dyed chocolate, but who knew that some people actually eat the actual cicada bugs.

"People have recipes [on] how they prepare them...chocolate covered cicadas, that sort of thing. These have no cicadas added to them. No cicadas were harmed in the making of our cicadas.

I did read though they said that theres something in the cicada that isnt great for you and will call digestive problems. Especially for dogs but for humans too. If you do indulge dont go overboard kinda tap the breaks at one or two."

Mike and Liz Bearwald, owners, Bent Fork Bakery

The cakes will go on sale starting Wednesday.