Welcome to Cake Picnic, Sydney Edition
Cake Picnic, the viral event that has sold out in cities like San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles, has now arrived in Australia. Earlier this month, Melbourne hosted an event featuring 1,600 cakes enjoyed in a single sitting.
"I had no idea that I could ever go on tour for cake,"laughs Elisa Sunga, the founder of Cake Picnic, who balances her role as a part-time hobby baker with her full-time job at Google specializing in AI.
"People go on tour for music and whatnot, but for cake,"Sunga adds.
"It just seems so whimsical and delightful to be able to do that."
Two years ago, Sunga, who moved from Baguio City in the Philippines to San Francisco at age 12, posted an online invitation for a small gathering with one condition: everyone must bring a cake. Expecting about a dozen attendees, she prepared seven cakes to ensure everyone could sample some.
To her surprise, nearly 200 people attended, consuming over 180 cakes. This simple, sugar-filled invitation has since sparked widespread enthusiasm in the culinary community.
"It feels unreal,"Sunga told the BBC.
"I had no idea that thousands of people all over the world would be as excited as I am."
Excitement Builds at Sydney's Botanic Gardens
On Saturday, over 500 people gathered at Sydney's Botanic Gardens for the event. Attendees lined up to have their cakes inspected, which must meet the criteria of being at least 20cm (8 inches) wide and 7.5cm (3 inches) high. Many participants showed signs of late-night baking efforts.
"Me and my daughter, we made ours last night,"said Hilary Lindgren, 54, dressed in a striking outfit and carrying a carrot cake.
"It was crazy - a big mess, flour and sugar everywhere, but lots of fun.
There's just so many negative things happening in the world at the moment that it's nice to do something like this."
The event attracted a diverse group, from home bakers to professionals, influencers to those new to baking. Cakes were displayed on tables across a grassy knoll, with Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge providing a scenic backdrop.
However, the main attractions were the cakes themselves, drawing admiration for their impressive designs. Highlights included a life-sized swan cake standing one metre (3 feet) tall and a bouquet of cupcakes crafted to resemble flowers. The colourful presentation rivaled any professional cake shop window.
Flavours ranged from coffee pecan torte and spiced pear sponge with miso caramel to Persian baklava adorned with golden filo pastry shards. Fillings included almond crunch, toasted pecan praline, and candied lemon, while jackfruit and palm sugar introduced distinctive South-East Asian tastes.
One savoury creation, a focaccia cake topped with roasted tomato, pesto, and feta icing, delighted Sunga.
"When you're surrounded by thousands of sweet cakes, all you really want is salt,"she remarked.
Origins and Personal Connection to Cake
Growing up in the Philippines, Sunga described her household as "very savoury," with desserts limited to sticky rice and fruit.
"I didn't really know what a cake or a doughnut or a brownie was until I started having after-school parties in California,"she explained.
"A lot of the maximalism of cake picnic is potentially rooted in my desire to catch up."
Working in AI during the week, Sunga finds baking a refreshing creative outlet.
"It's almost meditative doing something creative with my hands."
She emphasized that the picnic encourages social connection and real-life interaction.
"AI every day can do an increasingly terrifying amount of things, but to this day it can't bake a cake - yet. Cake Picnic forces people to not only come outside, but spend a day on the grass."
Sharing and Enjoying the Cakes
After the cakes are arranged and photographed, participants share recipes and compliments before small groups take turns sampling the offerings. Each group has five minutes to cut, carve, and pack as many cake pieces as possible into large pizza boxes.
Some attendees eagerly dive into popular flavours like matcha-strawberry or tres leche.
Eunice Lim, a Sydney-based influencer originally from Singapore, took a selfie with Sunga while balancing a pizza box piled high with desserts.
"It's so vibrant and inclusive,"Eunice said.
"There's no judgment here – just people and cakes of all shapes and sizes."
Under a nearby fig tree, Marcus Ehrlich, 42, one of the few men present, enjoyed cake with his wife Kelly Ehrlich, 48, a keen baker who contributed a blueberry and blood orange cake.
"In a big city, this is the type of thing we should be doing,"Marcus said, sampling pandan and ube cakes.
Tanya Mouchawrab, 37, and her daughters Lily, 13, and Ivy, 11, stayed up late preparing three cakes: lemon, red velvet, and rainbow.
"We just love cake,"Ivy said, adding that baking with her family is fun.
One of the youngest attendees, six-year-old Matilda, helped her mother Jasmin Gelsana, 36, decorate a store-bought cake and admitted:
"I'm a good eater, not a baker."
The variety of cakes ranged from light chiffon to rich buttery types. Australian-themed cakes were also popular, including a towering koala cake by Reg Leones, 40, which combined Filipino flavours of ube and leche flan and took three days to complete.
"I was up until midnight,"said Leones, a lawyer who bakes as a creative outlet.
Nearby, a three-tiered honey cake sat beside a wholemeal plum cake with spiced icing, while a Swedish princess cake drew admiration for its dome of sponge, jam, custard, and marzipan.
Expert Insight on Cake Sharing
Associate Professor Lindsay Kelley, who studies food and technology, explained the appeal of cake picnics.
"Unlike muffins, cupcakes, or biscuits, cakes are designed to be sliced and shared,"she said.
"When we see a whole cake at parties and events, we understand that everyone around the table gets a slice and we share that experience."
A Community United by Cake
This shared experience motivates Sunga as she continues to grow Cake Picnic.
"When you go to a concert, it's pretty much the same age group,"she noted.
"But when you're at cake picnic, it's so varied."
Sunga highlighted the diversity of attendees, including families, older women baking together, Gen Z friends reconnecting outside digital spaces, college students, and young women exploring creative activities.
"It's just fun to see everyone coming together,"she said.
Balancing a full-time career and her baking passion, Sunga described her motivation.
"I am very curious about tech and AI, but at the same time, I love being creative and expressing myself and eating cake,"she said.
"I want to have my cake and eat it, too."
