By Annabelle Minnis, First Year, Philosophy and Theology
Sometimes, the best nights out don’t involve queuing for drinks or shouting over loud music… they involve baking cakes with your friends!
Just a 20-minute walk from Harbourside, Bake it! Bristol is the city’s first competitive baking experience. Run by sisters Kalisha and Aleena, the concept launched less than a year ago but has already become a hot spot in Bedminster. Whether you’re after some wholesome flatmate bonding, a fun date night, or simply fancy doing something different with your friends, it is a refreshing alternative.
The concept is simple, there are 12 fully equipped baking stations, 90 minutes on the clock, and all the ingredients laid out to prepare your cake. No prep, no washing up, just a fun space to bake and decorate a cake with full artistic licence!
When you arrive, there is a garden themed bar area, and you can grab a cocktail while you wait. As a novice baker, I was worried that I would be returning to my flat with a questionable looking cake, but I was soon reassured. The Bake it! Bristol team had laid out each station with every ingredient, pre weighed, and drawers full of all the equipment we would need. As someone who hates the faff of baking at home, the experience promises a stress-free baking experience, and they do all the washing up for you!
Each month, they have a specific theme of cakes for you to bake, ours was ‘Whimsical Woodlands.’ We received a detailed recipe card to follow, with staff members wandering around to make sure nobody overwhipped the buttercream or left their cake in the oven. You could pick whichever flavours you wanted for both the cake and the buttercream, as well as whatever food colouring you’d like. We decided on a chocolate cake with marshmallow flavoured buttercream! The recipe was genuinely foolproof, my friend who has literally burnt pasta before, brought home a three-tiered cake with fondant flowers on top!
The theme is just a starting point though, each pair gets to design their cake however they like, putting their own spin on the theme. By the end of the session there were a range of cakes, one had a full family of fondant woodland animals, and ours had a ‘Lorax’ inspired collection of trees on top. No two cakes looked the same, and that’s the point, everyone had the chance to have fun and get creative.
After we had taken our cakes out of the oven, it was time to decorate at the ‘Creation station.’ They provided sprinkles and different colours of fondant, honestly, I think the hardest part of the whole experience was trying to figure out how to design our cake so we would win the competition. We decided on a ‘Lorax’ theme, although our attempt at ‘whimsical’ shrubbery turned into abstract blobs of fondant. After 90 minutes was up, everyone headed to the Head Baker station to display our cakes and wait for the judge. Each pair talked through their creative process, concept and flavours, and after tasting each one the judge decided the winner and awarded them with a golden cake slice. Despite our premonitions going into the experience, we managed to pull it together at the end and came out with third place. We’re still not sure if it was a pity vote or not but it is one of our proudest moments…
Accessibility-wise, the main baking area is wheelchair accessible with an accessible toilet. They welcome guide dogs and service animals, just give them a heads up when booking so they can reserve a suitable station. For dietary requirements, the default cakes are vegetarian and halal. Vegan and gluten-free options are available with at least a week’s notice.
Kate Gaskill
So, if your usual night out is starting to feel a bit predictable, head to 127 East Street in Bedminster to try out Bake it! Bristol. Whether you win the golden cake slice or not, you’ll be leaving with a huge cake, and a newfound respect for anyone who bakes for a living.
Featured Image: Epigram / Annabelle Minnis
