out in my headstraights by appointment only

It’s just gone 9am as I type this blog post, but I’m still reeling from last night’s #BakefestDXB. I think it’s the sugar that slowly easing out of my system, but this time I really am lost for words.

 

The calm before the storm...

 

#BakeFestDXB is an initiative to encourage community bakers – it started first as a murmur on Twitter, and then gained momentum until we invaded Wild Peeta for the first official BakeFestDXB last year. This is the third time that #BakefestDXB is being held, and as always it had an amazing lineup of bakers on show. Now much like a running cricket commentary, I’m going to blitz through the talented lineup we had this time around:

• Archana Patwardhan – this adorable duo were behind “Khana Mama“, and their delicate cheesecakes were snatched up without hesitation. They also had on show some delightful looking corn muffins (or was it cornbread?) and chocolate macaroons. Loved chatting with them through the day and I now need to bite into one of their macaroons – brb.
• Chirag Desai – certainly a table with a twist, Chirag opted to bring our sugar levels down to normal with ‘Dhokla’, a savory cake that he described with great gusto when I went to pick one up. Did I mention that he has a ridiculous and slightly romantic passion for food?
• Hayah Taimur – the fabulous Hayah chose #BakefestDXB to launch her own little venture, Honey & Ginger bakery. I immediately swooped down on her table and snatched up two of her Honey Spice cakes which left a wonderful nutty aftertaste as I hid in the corner and stuffed my face.
• Sidiqa – with this being her third time at #BakefestDXB, Sidiqa was out to impress again with delightful treats from Spontaneous Euphoria, which aptly describes the feeling after biting into some of her glorious treats.
• Layal Takieddine – when I first met Layal the week before #BakefestDXB, she had a million questions to ask me. And on the day of #BakefestDXB, she decided to scare the crap out of me by being fashionably late. She then proceeded to pull two purple cabbages and a chef’s knife out of her box – clearly this lady had some tricks up her sleeve. And with an Oreo Cake, mini cupcakes, and a secret slice of brownie topped with..(er…I forgot what it was topped with), she certainly made an impression on the crowd. So much so, that she SOLD OUT! I saw someone bite into one of Layal’s cupcakes and then break out into a slow grin – too bad I didn’t catch a photo!
• Kinjal Shah – the fashionable Kinjal from Delphi’s Delights had some glorious cake pops on display – her red velvet cake pop got me a little giddy with happy thoughts. Oh and did I mention that she sold out too?
• Fatma Bin Saifan – the elegant Fatma was proudly displaying her wares from Vanilla Sukkar, and gave me a chocolate heart-attack when she unveiled her ‘Dark chocolate ganache cake with mini chocolate bars and chocolate macaroons’. So while I wasn’t brave enough to slip into a self-induce chocolate coma, I did try her macaroon pops which were out of this world (and heard some delicious feedback about the cake as well!)
• Shifana Anver – opting to pull out all the stops. Shifana from Melting Moments had a GIGANTIC chocolate cake on her table, complete with chocolate leaves and looking almost too good to eat. Her chocolate cookies were also a great hit, and she was another baker that sold out of everything at #BakefestDXB – woohoo!
• Yasmin Mebar – I have to give Yasmin props for taking part in #BakefestDXB despite her left arm being in a cast (a pink cast, so complete approval from me). Red Panda Bakes was out in full force with some of her much loved cookies, tarts, and caaaaake.
• Suz McDonald – another veteran to the #BakefestDXB scene, Toffee Princess was out selling her signature toffee to the masses, while Prince Ethan was trying to exchange my laptop for his fudgy chocolate brownies (which were awesome by the way).
• Naila Naiyyar – When I first met Naila she had no idea what she was getting herself into for #BakefestDXB, which made it all the more fun. Oven Wonderz made its appearance at #BakefestDXB, armed with chocolate cake, carrot cupcakes, cookies, and other incredibly tempting treats.
• Meris Cherian – Meris and I had one thing in common at #BakefestDXB…we both had on fabulous T-shirts. The self-dubbed “Mistress of Cheesecake” had a fine selection of cheesecakes on show, and tucking into them was pure cheesecake bliss. Check her blog out if you dare – this woman is seriously crazy about cheesecake
• Sahar Latheef Raheem – I’m happy to report that I managed to grab the last piece of Sahar’s blueberry cheesecake, which my sister and I both agree was one of the highlights of the evening. She also had on show some gorgeous red velvet cupcakes, chocolate slices, and Homer-topped cupcakes.

So there you have it folks – another #BakefestDXB comes to a close, but people are already asking about when the next one is! Until then, you can like BakefestDXB on Facebook, and check out some of the photos I took.

A massive thanks to Wild Peeta for opening their doors to us again and hosting #BakefestDXB, and of course a huge thank you to the talented bakers and the amazing community that came to support everyone. If you have blogged about #BakefestDXB, do let me know and I’ll update this post with your links!

 

Coverage from the blogsphere:

hayahelwa
Nomad NRI in Dubai
FooDee