By Hannah Mahon
Featured in Capital #90 with original content for Capital online.
Head here to get the real thing.
Some only dream of big cakes…
others bake it happen.
It’s our birthday – and what’s the best part of any birthday? Cake.
To celebrate we were lucky enough to have seven clever bakers each whip up an exciting cakey creation, using their own distinctive style – and boy, did they impress!
So blow out the candles, make a wish, and find out how some of region’s best bakers got into their delicious line of work.
Babycakes
For Billie, Babycakes embodies everything she adores: sparkles, vibrant colours, and bling. Inspired by her mother’s one-time cake decorating job, Billie found herself surrounded by a collection of vintage cake decorating supplies at home. Notably, all of Billie’s cakes are gluten-free and vegan, and her favourite flavour is Earl Grey.
Aesthetic: Sweet, sparkly, cute, and naughty.
Em & Skye Cake co.
Procrasti-baking brought Breanne’s cake business Em & Skye to life in 2018. Operating from her parent’s kitchen in Karori, Breanne swears by her Agbay cake leveller and buttercream. While her signature style emphasises florals and minimalist design, she also likes to focus on flavour.
Aesthetic: Floral, minimalist, flawless, contemporary, and romantic.
Cake Wellington
Mother and daughter duo Natalie and Cate took over Cake Wellington after moving here from the UK. The first cake Natalie made was vanilla with rainbow layers for her daughter’s first birthday. Although she said it “didn’t look great,” it was lots of fun to make and sparked a passion that hasn’t stopped since.
Aesthetic: Decadent, bright, unique, and joyful.
Caleb Cakes
Caleb had a growing interest in foraging, when his girlfriend requested a cake for her birthday decorated with foraged flowers. After a glowing review, he decided to start Caleb’s Cakes, a side hustle to his full-time job as a chef. He mainly makes layered cakes and cheesecakes.
Aesthetic: Bright, fresh, painterly, joyous, and playful.
Cream Cake Studio
With eight years of experience under her apron, Angel embarked on a cake-making journey driven by her love for Asian sweet treats. At Cream Cake Studio on Tory Street, Angel whips up fresh-cream chiffon cakes and Asian desserts. She hopes that her customers love her cakes as much as she enjoys making them.
Aesthetic: Light, fluffy, fresh, and (fairly) healthy.
Cake It Forward
After getting hooked on cake decorating, Bridget found herself with cake to spare. She decided start donating them to children who have a parent in prison, through the Prison Fellowship Trust.
Bridget says, “Everyone can make a difference,” and that the donated cakes mean that more people can get the chance of excitement on their birthday regardless of circumstances.
Cake it Forward also serves up sweet treats from their pink caravan which travels around Pōneke.
Aesthetic: Fun, modern, and creative.
Cake Haven
Erin and Wendy combined their backgrounds in floristry and hospitality with their love of sweet treats to create Cake Haven. Baking from scratch in their Silverstream studio, they enjoy the thrill of bringing their customers’ visions to life – whether it’s for a birthday, wedding, or for the English Women’s Rugby World Cup team, who requested one of their cakes in 2022.
Aesthetic: Classic, fun, and elegant.
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