It seems keen bakers can have their cake and eat it too, with 1600 baked delights on show at a viral cake swap event.
Cakes were laid out on rows of long tables at Cake Picnic King’s Domain in Melbourne on Saturday, with participants handed boxes to fill with slices of the most tasty-looking creations.
The mass picnic was the brainchild of amateur baker Elisa Sunga and started as a 15-person cake swap in San Francisco in 2024.
Since then, it has toured to cities including London, New York and Mexico City, with the Melbourne event its Australian debut.
The sold-out picnic, part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, featured one rule: no cake, no entry.
A cake shaped like anchovies in a tin, complete with a rolled-back lid, was crowned Queen of Cakes and quickly sliced up by the crowd.
It definitely did not taste like anchovies, with the winning piece constructed from a spiced chocolate cake with passionfruit curd and tahini cream cheese.
There were rows and rows of other inventive creations, from a Tang Dynasty cake made with citrus topping to a layered sponge that spelled out the word CAKE.
The notoriously difficult duck cake from the classic Women’s Weekly birthday cake cookbook also made an appearance, with the title Mother Ducker.
“Imagine how many calories are here, about 100 million,” one participant said.
“Everyone’s been really friendly, and it’s so nice to come to events like this, where people just want to have fun,” another said.
Angela Hill travelled from Darwin to attend the event with her daughter Olive.
Angela brought a hazelnut-and-fig chocolate cake, and Olive, who has studied patisserie, made a chocolate-and-almond meal cake.
Even though the crowd of 1600 people were all looking for the most delicious slices, the mood was, well, just like a picnic.
“Everyone’s been very chatty, so lovely and helpful, even though it’s intense,” Olive said.
Picnicker Sou Peou made a black forest cake, and her friend Alex Heng made a banana cake with cream cheese frosting.
Alex, who usually makes cookies and cupcakes, did a trial run of her creation so it would be perfect on the day.
“We just wanted to see how it went. I didn’t want to bring an undercooked cake, just in case,” she said.
Cake Picnic had strict guidelines for acceptable cakes, with cupcakes, slices, pies, babkas and tarts definitely not allowed.
Organisers even checked each entry was above the minimum size of 20cm wide and 7.5cm high.
Participants also had to bring a two-page, signed waiver absolving organisers of liability for any allergic reactions or food poisoning.
Last January, a smaller-scale cake swap in Brisbane run by a different group reportedly attracted scrutiny from the city council.
Participants complained about food safety and claimed cakes had been left uncovered in the summer heat for an extended period.
Other cake swaps organised by the same group in Sydney and Canberra appear to have been cancelled, attracting online complaints from ticketholders.
The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival runs until March 29.
https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/hit-cake-swap-event-plates-up-for-australian-debut-c-22023044
