Skip to main content
Life

‘Cakechella’: Photos show the delicious 180-cake picnic you wish you hadn’t missed

An array of desserts on a sunny table with a fruit tart, a blue swirl-topped cake, and a blueberry cake.
Cakes on display at the Cake Picnic at Portero del Sol on Saturday. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard

An Alice in Wonderland-themed picnic in Potrero Hill on Saturday invited participants to bring their cake and eat it, too.

Anyone who showed up with a cake was welcome to slap on a name tag, grab a slice and share some love for the sweet treat at Potrero del Sol Park.

A potluck with various dishes on tables, and people sitting on grass enjoying the sunny park setting.
Picnickers eagerly await their chance to sample the myriad desserts. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
A hand holds a small cake with white frosting, decorated with figs, flowers, and a shadow on a sunlit wall.
A fig-themed cake is shown off at the Cake Picnic at Portero del Sol on Saturday. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
A matcha cake with a vibrant orange rose on top sits on a wooden stand, surrounded by other pastries.
A matcha yuzu curd chiffon cake stands alone. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard

Tables were crammed with 180 cakes of all shapes and varieties, including vegan mushroom cake, apricot Swiss roll with buttercream, tres leches, blueberry cheesecake and classic chocolate out of a box.

The event was hosted by wedding planning company Earth and Events along with Elisa Sunga, a UX program manager for Google who took up baking in the early days of the Covid pandemic.

A group of happy people at an outdoor cake buffet, laughing and celebrating together.
Attendees share a laugh looking over cakes at the Cake Picnic. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
A purple cake adorned with blackberries, chamomile flowers, next to bright yellow blooms on a sunny table.
A blackberry-yuzu cake was one of the 180 varieties at the Potrero Hill picnic party. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard

She began posting about her newfound hobby on Instagram under the handle @saltedrye, where she cultivated a following and connected with fellow gourmands.

“I was inspired to host a cake picnic because I wanted to eat a lot of cake and I love community building,” Sunga told The Standard.

A few hundred people RSVP’d for the picnic, but 180 showed up—far more than the 15 or 20 Sunga expected.

An assortment of colorful cakes on plates, one with a smooth, teal-glazed top.
A "Jean Jello" cake is on display for the Cake Picnic at Portero del Sol on Saturday. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
A woman holding a dish stands in front of a table laden with food at an outdoor event.
Julia Glasser shows off her basil-strawberry-lemon-olive oil cake. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
A cake with yellow and purple frosting on a checkered tablecloth next to a "Lemon Fig" sign.
A "Lemon Fog" cake is on display for the Cake Picnic at Portero del Sol on Saturday. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard

Julia Glasser, 25, said she made the trek from Oakland after seeing Sunga post about it on Instagram.

While many food events tend to be small private pop-ups or exclusive tastings, Glasser said she liked how this one was open to anyone who brought a cake of their own.

“I’m a sucker for weird-sounding things and eclectic things I haven’t heard of before,” Glasser said, “so I wanted to try what was unique on the tables.”

A table with decorated cakes adorned with vibrant orange flowers and citrus slices.
An olive olive, cardamom, and orange cake on display at the Cake Picnic at Portero del Sol on Saturday. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
Outdoor cake contest with people inspecting and photographing various cakes on tables. Sunny park setting.
Bakers and attendees photograph some of the colorful cakes on display. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
An assortment of cakes on a checkered cloth, one with a humorous gym-related message.
Cakes on display at the Cake Picnic at Portero del Sol on Saturday. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard

In the spirit of all things eclectic, her contribution to the picnic was a lemon-strawberry-basil cake topped with whipped cream.

The sizable turnout has Sanger already cooking up plans for more cake picnics, including one in Los Angeles in June and another in New York in August.

A table filled with various decorated cakes, some topped with flowers, displayed outdoors.
From vegan mushroom to classic chocolate, cakes came in a plethora of flavors and shapes. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
A table with various half-eaten cakes and pies, adorned with flowers and a "Yum" sign, in bright daylight.
The leftovers of cakes are seen at the Cake Picnic. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard

Correction: This story was updated with the proper job title for Google UX Program Manager Elisa Sunga.