Cake. That sweet treat loved by us all. But different climates, available ingredients – and tastebuds – results in a huge variety of cake types throughout the world. Where fruit rules in some places, chocolate dominates in others. A dream for all sweet-toothed travellers, who simply have to try it all (and photograph it for Instagram!) It may appear that PackThePJs are determined to visit every café on earth (we are trying), but for this series of posts we have asked our travel blogging friends to show, and tell us, about their favourite slices of cake. On our world-wide quest to tempt everyone’s taste buds, today we will visit the UK, Thailand, New Zealand, Hungary and Gibraltar. Enjoy!
Ashburton, Devon, UK: Taylors
If you’ve watched the hit TV show ‘Great British Bake Off’ during the past couple of years, then no doubt you’ll have heard of the ‘Victoria Sponge Cake’, a two-layered cake filled with cream and jam. Considered a sweet staple for any English-themed teatime event, one of the very best cakes I’ve ever tasted can be found at Taylors in Ashburton, Devon.
Ashburton is an ancient town on the fringes of the Dartmoor National Park. Characterised by its winding alleyways and countless antique shops, it’s well worth a visit on any trip to South West England. Taylors coffee shop itself is quintessentially British in decor (think mismatched porcelain tea sets, lots of reflective services, and oodles of desserts displayed on cake stands in the window).
Submitted by, and thanks to, Solo Sophie
Bangkok, Thailand: Unicorn Café
The Unicorn Café in Bangkok is the place of your childhood dreams. Here you can enjoy unicorn cupcakes, rainbow cake, pastel coloured waffles, galaxy star drinks and even rainbow pasta. My personal favourites were the galaxy star drink and the rainbow/unicorn cake, since they both were so delicious and pretty.
This café not only has unicorn-themed food, but also unicorns hanging from the ceiling, stuffed unicorn animals, and pastel-coloured furniture.
If that’s not enough to get you excited for this café, you can even dress up as a unicorn yourself in one of their rental onesies!
Submitted by, and thanks to, Christine Abroad
Wellington, New Zealand: Louis Sergeant
One of the best places to go for cake in Wellington is Louis Sergeant. This French-inspired patisserie offers a large selection of cakes, all in individual servings.
The cakes are so impressive and like little pieces of artwork almost too good to eat but believe me they taste even better than they look!
I love to take visitors here as it is a nice treat after a day of exploring. It is also something tasty to tide you over until dinner. And with all of these specialty desserts as well it’s worth the splurge! It’s also a great place to celebrate a birthday and invite friends and dress up and wear hats while eating. They have everything from eclairs and macarons to coconut cake and decadent mousses.
Submitted by, and thanks to, Travelgal Nicole
Budapest, Hungary: Central Café
If you’re looking to taste a cake that is sweet, creamy, and delicious while also sampling a bit of history, the Esterhazy Cake is for you.
Made up of spiced buttercream layered together with meringue, an exact recipe of the Esterhazy Cake isn’t agreed on between the Austrians and Hungarians, who both claim it. There are a few things that are certain, though: the cake is layered, and there is no flour in it.
In some ways, Esterhazy Cake’s smooth texture causes it to almost resemble more of a thick pudding than a modern cake – but whatever you call it, Esterhazy Cake is delicious and is a must-eat while in Budapest!
… And if you’re looking for a beautiful location with a story behind it to enjoy your Esterhazy Cake in, you can’t go better than the Central Cafe: not only is the late-19th Century café exquisitely decorated and opulent enough to make you feel like you’ve stepped into a movie set, Central Café is the former haunt of some of Budapest’s most celebrated writers and poets.
Today, this Central Café is perfect for curling up on a rainy afternoon with a good book, a steaming cup of coffee, and a thick slice of Esterhazy Cake.
Submitted by, and thanks to, Our Escape Clause
Gibraltar: Embers Restaurant
Last year we flew to Gibraltar – a British colony on the very tip of Europe, surrounded by Spain and facing Africa. It is somewhere we’ve always wanted to go, to explore and see the monkeys in the Upper Rock Nature Reserve. Gibraltar can be divided into three regions – the reclaimed coastal part with lots of new-build apartment blocks; the Old Town; and the Upper Rock Nature Reserve.
One day, while walking through the Old Town, on our way to the marina to go on a dolphin-spotting cruise the children spotted churros. Our children love churros and there was no hope of passing the Embers Restaurant without them having some! Located just outside the Old Town wall Embers Restaurant has outdoor seating, and is a lovely space to sit and relax in. We ordered churros and hot chocolate all round. Usually churros are long sticks of sugary doughnuts, but here they came in huge swirls – thank goodness we were sharing! Dipped into hot chocolate, they were amazing!
Submitted by, and thanks to, PackThePJs
Thank you to all our amazing contributors. Gosh, we have gained weight just looking at the photos! What a fantastic range of delectable sweet delights. Please come back tomorrow to see the next part in our Series – or check out yesterday’s post here. We’d love for you to comment below and tell us about your favourite café, and why it’s so memorable to you x
