(Almost) Too Pretty To Slice: The Grove Mall Cake-Off

I’ve recently begun consulting the event calendar on www.pretoria.co.za for entertaining ideas to get me out of the house. It’s a great website that suggests places to go, things to see, and events worth attending. Even if you’ve lived in Pretoria all your life, as I have, I highly recommend paying the website a visit for a bit of social inspiration.

Cakes on display at The Grove Mall

What I like about consulting local event calendars is that it allows you to find something to do that’s fun but not necessarily pricey. (And because this one is specific to Pretoria, it means that there isn’t too much travel required, either.) One of the events listed for this weekend was The Grove Mall Cake-Off, which sounded yummy, so I went to check it out.

Perfect cake for a tea lover like me

Situated near the Wilgers Hospital, it’s pretty close to where I work, and it was a little odd heading towards the office on a Saturday. The Grove derives its name from the pretty olive trees decorating the outside court where most of the restaurants are situated. It was in this area, just outside Woolworths, that all the cakes were on display.

(Almost) too pretty to slice

The event, in honour of the mall’s third birthday, boasted 34 cakes on display. Some were cute, others were amusing, and some were plain gorgeous! Each was unique. The cakes were supplied by local businesses, and were competing for the title of  the first ever winner of The Grove Mall Cake-Off.

The judges sampling the cakes

Once the judging panel, made up of Alida Ryder (Masterchef and Woolworths blogger), Marius Pretorius (Head of Pick n Pay Bakeries - Northern Region), and Hanna Grobler (local actress), had sampled a tiny portion of each cake, the public was allowed to purchase a slice of whichever cake appealed most. A slice cost only R10, and the proceeds were intended for The Hanna Charity and Empowerment Foundation.

Decor display for a little girl's tea party

Afterwards, a celebrity cake decorating challenge was hosted with celebrities from "Getroud met Rugby, which I missed, along with the announcement of the Cake-Off winner. I was distracted by the other delights on offer between the stores, including various party and décor businesses that had set up demos. There were also stalls selling crafts and books or offering tasting samples of delicacies for sale. This excited me because I love nibbling on artisan products and discovering new treats.

It was a pretty unique and interesting way to spend my Saturday, and only set me back R10 for a delicious slice of cake! I’m looking forward to any other events hosted by The Grove. If you are looking for an inexpensive and entertaining distraction for your weekend, you might find that a quick glance at Pretoria.co.za might provide you with some interesting options you wouldn’t otherwise have considered.