Yesterday I went to an amazing little pop up event called Baketopia! The event was in aid for National Baking Week. Yes I am a fan of Great British Bake Off and it seems that baking has hit the UK by storm. But the pop up exhibition I went to yesterday wasn’t just a bakery, or a little display. Oh No, this was a real life Willy Wonker experience!
The amazing Miss Cakehead (Please check out her website as she is truly amazing) along with The Tattooed Bakers, Nevie Pie Cakes, Caking It and Conjurer’s Kitchen are among the sweet baking magicians who created Baketopia. The pop up was also supported by John Whaite, National Baking Week’s ambassador and winner of the Great British Bake Off 2012.
The 100% edible pop-up display was based in Kingly Court just off Carnaby Street in Londons West End. It was completely free apart from a minimum donation of £2.00 which went to Great Ormond Street Hospital. (An amazing thought as they are raising money for a new kitchen). When we got there a queue was already forming .Although the pop-up was free, because of the popularity you needed to book tickets before hand. Thankfully I did the night before!
It opened at 12pm, we got there just after one and there was a queue and some damage had already been done to the 3000 portions of cake that was available! I was given a little box and some wooden tongs and told to enjoy! (We were allowed 3 items which was more than enough although it was so hard to choose!).
I literally felt like a kid in a sweet shop. The first thing that caught my eye was a massive rainbow tepee made from meringues filled with cream. There were magical cupcakes, real marshmallow that looked like little blocks of butter, cabbages that were made out of cake, harvest mushrooms which were NOT mushrooms, frosted trees with cookies as leaves, an entirely edible wreath, Pastry butterflies and frogged shaped cookies which you could dip into a milk fountain!
The star of the show had to be the edible Unicorn. With a belly of rainbow cake and edible gold leaf embossed hooves and horn. I don’t know how the bakers could watch it all get demolished!
It was truly amazing and inspiring. It makes you want to go home and get your bowls and whisks out! It was a fab way to celebrate national baking week and I hope it’s even bigger and better next year. (If that’s possible!)
Oh and before I forget, YES it all tasted scrumptious!
Here is what me and the other half chose and obviously I made him share.
Did you go to Baketopia? what did you try? Whats the most interesting thing you’ve baked?
