Slice of heaven - Durban's first cake picnic a sweet success
picnic
Naseema Limalia (centre) is the inaugural winner of the Independent on Saturday's Cake in the Garden picnic. Her vintage style pistachio cake was a runaway success at the event held in the Durban Botanic Gardens where she was accompanied by her daughters, Humairah, left, and Ayesha.
Image: Sibonelo Ngcobo
The Independent on Saturday cake for the Cake in the Garden picnic event which saw bakers from Durban displaying their best creations.
Image: Sibonelo Ngcobo
CAKE picnics are all the rage.
They’re doing it in LA, they’re doing it in London, and now Durban has had its delicious moment.
Last week, the Independent on Saturday hosted its readers, along with their family and friends, for the city's first Cake in the Garden Picnic; a charming afternoon filled with sunshine, sugar, and serious baking talent.
One of the entries in the The Independent on Saturday's Cake in the Garden picnic event.
Image: Sibonelo Ngcobo
Another finalist in the The Independent on Saturday's Cake in the Garden picnic event.
Image: Sibonelo Ngcobo
Naseema Limalia's multi-layered vintage inspired pistachio cake made her the winner of the first Cake in the Garden event in Durban.
Image: Sibonelo Ngcobo
The tasty hat shaped cake that was a finalist in the The Independent on Saturday's Cake in the Garden picnic event.
Image: Sibonelo Ngcobo
Have a fun days at the Independent on Saturday's Cake in the Garden picnic event. Everyone ate cake.
Image: Sibonelo Ngcobo
Durbanites donned their floral and pastel coloured outfits to attend the Cake in the Garden picnic.
Image: Sibonelo Ngcobo
The judges who had the dificult task of tasting and deciding who was the best baker on the day. From left, Wesley Retief from Snowflake, sisters and co-owners of Chilli Chocolate Chefs, Zainab and Faatimah Paruk and Sibahle Khumalo, the owner of The Sweet Slice Luxe Cakery.
Image: Sibonelo Ngcobo
Durban Botanic Gardens was the ideal venue, where beautifully draped picnic tables and blankets provided a comfortable seating area for a few hours of bliss.
Home bakers arrived with showstopping creations; chocolate cake, caramel cake, sponge cake, lemon cake, bee sting cake, a few tarts, halal, vegan, nut free, there was something for the most discerning palates.
The bakers had to prove that, not only could they make a good looking cake, but one that tasted just as good.
Let them eat cake - judges deliberating before announcing who will be crowned the best baker at the Cake in the Garden picnic competition.
Image: Sibonelo Ngcobo
Dressed in florals and pastels, they came with mouthwatering cakes looking more delectable than the next, each hoping to impress the judges and take home the title of top baker.
The heavyweight judging panel had a hard time, but a clear winner emerged. Bluff home baker Naseema Limalia (@home_baked_s.a) took the cake with her winning vintage-style pistachio cake. Her daughter Ayesha also earned a spot among the five finalists, making it a proud family affair.
“It took a lot of thought before I decided what flavour I wanted for the pistachio. But I managed to co-ordinate all the Dubai-inspired flavours into a proper vintage-style cake.”
Limalia said her multilayered cake took several hours to perfect and given the layers and the ingredients it could easily sell for R1000 or more.
“So there was a pistachio sponge as the base. Then I put in the Knafeh which is crunchy. Then I added the pistachio cream. That was followed by the chocolate ganache. Another sponge went on top and so it was three layers of sponge and two layers of ganache. And I did put a bit of pistachio paste in the buttercream just to add flavor, but I didn't want to overkill it,” said Limalia. Knafeh is a crispy shredded phyllo pastry with roots in the Middle East, similar to Greek kataifi.
Wesley Retief, from Snowflake, one of the main sponsors, said that they were looking for clean finishes with a state to match the look. Limalia’s pistachio was a clear winner. “The overall taste was nice, the texture of the sponge was very moist and there was just overall creativity. It was well presented.”
Another judge, Sibahle Khumalo, the owner of The Sweet Slice Luxe Cakery said she had been waiting for an event like this to reach Durban. A science graduate, Khumalo had been studying genetics and microbiology, when the baking bug hit her and after graduating it was baking not the lab that called to her. She was impressed with the overall standard at the Independent on Saturday’s Cake in the Garden event.
“There were some beautifully designed cakes using sugar art and all of that. It was fun and I look forward to the next one.”
Khumalo said the cake had to look good.
“You taste with your eyes, so we were looking at the design for a nice, clean, polished look. And, of course, going with the theme of a garden. And then once we got to tasting as well, it was the flavour profile.”
Anticipation is already building for next year’s event which promises to be even bigger.