I love to bake. A lot. It’s been one of my favourite pastimes since I was a girl and used to nag mum to let me loose in the kitchen. Oh, and I love to eat. A lot.

My reputation as someone who likes food (a lot) must have preceded me, because late last year, lovely local food blogger, Rachi Perera from Le Bon Vivant, tweeted me to ask if I’d be interested in joining the inaugural ‘Cakeup’ of the newly formed Canberra Cake Club…a group that aims to bring like-minded people together to share cakes and recipes in a friendly atmosphere.

There’s no judging and it’s not a competition. It’s a club formed with two basic goals: eating cake and meeting new people; and since they happen to be two of my favourite things, it took me all of…ooh…two seconds, to say ‘yes’, and start planning my creation. So, just quietly, I have a tendency to go completely overboard…and this was no exception. Just look at my Peanut Butter and Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream Cake with Peanut Brittle extravaganza (below) to see what I mean.

The first Cakeup was a raging success, and I ate more cake than any human being should in one sitting… The pics I posted on social media from the Cakeup drew a lot of interest from people who were keen to be involved, so I decided to go straight to the source, and ask the ladies behind the Canberra Cake Club – Lauren from My Canberra Table, Giulia from Love at Every Bite and Rachi (pictured below) – what it’s all about!

Where did the idea for the Canberra Cake Club come from?

A small group of Canberra food bloggers met up for a foodie catch up late last year and a blogger from Perth who happened to be in town that week, also joined us. She told us about Secret Cake Club Perth, which sounded like a great idea, and we decided we had to make a Canberra version of that happen. Within a week of that Canberra Cake Club was born and a month after that we had our first “Cakeup” which was a huge success.

How does it work?

We will be holding a Cakeup once a month in various locations around Canberra and you can come along as a baker or as a guest. To come along to a Cakeup all you have to do is follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Canberra Cake Club blog and keep an eye out for announcements of when registrations open for the next Cakeup. Plenty of notice of the exact date and time when registrations open will be given so mark it in your diaries. Then jump on the website as soon as registrations open because places are limited and it is first come first served!

Each Cakeup will have a theme which will be announced at the time registrations open, along with the venue and time details. Cakeups will generally be held on Sunday afternoons. The venue will generally be a place of business such as a café, restaurant or a bar. While we will organise an intimate and comfortable atmosphere for each of the Cakeups, the only contribution we expect from bakers and guests is that each person purchases a tea/coffee/drink on the day as a thank you gesture to our host venue. Other than that Cakeupss are completely free to attend and the only rules are you must eat as much cake as possible and make sure you bring tupperware to take home left overs.

What were some of the highlights from the first Cakeup?

It would have to be the amount of creativity we saw from everyone. The theme was ice cream so the bakers were free to interpret it literally or in an abstract manner. Every single creation looked and tasted amazing. Head on over to our blog and you’ll see all the photo evidence.

What’s in store for the next one?

Our February Cakeup is coming up in a few weeks and we’ve been overwhelmed by the response we’ve got for it – so much so, that we’re actually full! It seems there’s been a desperate need for a Cake Club in Canberra! But keep an eye on our Twitter and Facebook accounts because if we get any cancellations we will announce it there so you can jump in and grab a spot.

This month, we will be hosting a ‘virtual’ Cakeup – a blog linkup for anyone who wishes to participate. The only rules are: you have to post between Monday 24 February and Friday 7 March and you have to let us know you have posted either via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or on the Canberra Cake Club blog.

This month’s theme is A Secret Ingredient…so get your thinking caps on!

Why do you think people get so excited about cake?

Cake is a special occasion treat. For many adults, the last time they had a fancy cake was as a child so it evokes memories of celebration and fun. Baking is also seen as difficult, so the act of creating something that is a bit special can be daunting, therefore increasing the excitement when it works out well.

How do people get involved? 

To get involved just follow Canberra Cake Club on Twitter and Facebook and keep an eye out for our announcements of when registrations open for the monthly Cakeups!

the essentials

What: Canberra Cake Club
When: Monthly, dates TBC
Where: Venues around Canberra
Follow: Canberra Cake Club on Twitter and Facebook