Cake Picnic by Elisa Sunga
I first heard about Cake Picnic a few months ago while listening to an episode of Cherry Bombe featuring its founder Elisa Sunga. I was on my way to work on a dreary weekday morning, and the first thought I had was: where has this been all my life?
The concept of Cake Picnic, described as “a gathering for the love of cake,” struck me as something so perfectly designed for the times we find ourselves in. With the doom and gloom news cycle and the fact that so many of us are living our lives online these days, the idea of this kind of gathering feels like a genuine balm for the soul.
Hundreds of strangers, together in a park, eating cake. No agenda. Just cake. As Eater so perfectly put it, “Cake Picnic is the sweet event you’ve always dreamt of.”
The good news for anyone who has never been to one of Sunga’s events, is that she has now bottled all of their magic into her debut cookbook, which is part hosting guide, part recipe collection. Sunga, who grew up in the Philippines before her family moved to America, reflects fondly on her own relationship with baking, from discovering Betty Crocker box mixes and grocery store sheet cakes as a kid, to diving deep into baking during COVID as “an escape, a comfort, a way of making sense of an uncertain world.”
Sunga lays out everything you need to throw your own event, from choosing a location and designing invitations to the logistics of transporting a whole cake (an underrated challenge). There's even a section on conversation starters, because if there’s one thing Sunga cares about, it’s making sure guests feel welcome. You don't need a sprawling outdoor space, either. A living room, an office, a small park will do. The bar for entry is basically: do you have cake? Then you're ready.
For those of us who'd rather attend than host (no judgment), there's guidance for that too. “Your cake is the star of the picnic,” Sunga writes, “and baking it should be just as fun as sharing it.” Think of the theme as your jumping-off point, and let that inspire your flavours, textures, and decorations. Which brings us to Part Two: 50 recipes.
The recipes are organized by theme (Autumn Harvest, Afternoon Tea, Beach, Salty-Sweet) and they are some of the most inventive cakes I’ve come across. We're talking a Champagne Confetti & Cranberry Curd Cake (a cake made with champagne and decorated with champagne buttercream, I kid you not), a Torched Rosemary Caramel Cake, and an Orange Aperol Spritz Sheet Cake. I made this one and let me tell you, I had never tasted anything quite like it. I subbed the regular flour for gluten-free all purpose since I keep a gluten-free kitchen. It turned out beautifully, especially the buttercream which was silky smooth.
Orange Aperol Spritz Sheet Cake
One section I particularly loved is the ‘Ingredient Cake Picnics,’ where a single ingredient becomes the theme and friends gather to explore all its possibilities. Chocolate, Citrus, Corn, and Salty-Sweet (my personal favourite). Something that stands out in Cake Picnic is how un-intimidating it is. The hosting guide is practical and clear, and never overwhelming. The recipes are there to be used as written or as inspiration for your own ideas. There’s a wide range of recipes from beginner-friendly to more involved multi-step projects, so there really is something for every skill level.
The photography throughout is gorgeous, and this would make a wonderful gift for any baker in your life, or, let's be honest, for yourself. Because if reading this doesn't make you want to bake an Aperol Spritz sheet cake and invite all your friends over, I don't know what to tell you.
As Sunga writes, cake is “a canvas for our creativity, a challenge for our imagination, and most importantly, a way to create memories that will have us smiling long after the last crumb is gone.” That sentiment is woven throughout the book, giving it a kind of infectious joy that's genuinely hard to put down. So go get yourself (and your friends) a copy and start baking.
Elisa’s publisher kindly shared the recipe for the Aperol Spritz Sheet Cake - find it here!
About the Author
Elisa Sunga is the founder of Cake Picnic, a joyful, diverse, and community-driven series of gatherings where every attendee brings a whole cake. She has hosted Cake Picnic tours all over the world. When not dreaming up new ways to bring people together through cake, she can be found in her San Francisco Bay Area kitchen, testing recipes, tending to her flower garden, lounging with her family, and playing with her dog, Ginger. Cake Picnic is her debut cookbook. Follow her on Instagram at @saltedrye.
Cake Picnic by Elisa Sunga is available for purchase now. Check Bookshop.org to support an indie near you.
