Bay Area News Group
After growing up in Baguio City in the Philippines, where dessert often meant treats like fresh mangoes, sticky rice or coconut candy, Elisa Sunga became entranced with baked desserts like cakes when her family moved to Antioch, in the East Bay area, in 2001.
But it wasn’t until the pandemic hit that Sunga decided to make up for lost time and dove into the world of baking herself. With YouTube and Christina Tosi’s cookbooks as her guides, Sunga worked her way through new recipes and connected with a community on social media in the process. She also co-founded the Bucket List Bake Club, a virtual community for baking.
In March 2024, she posted on Instagram an invitation to her first Cake Picnic at Potrero del Sol Park in San Francisco. By the end of the free April 2024 event, 183 people had shown up, each with their own cake and story to share.
“Cake Picnic: Recipes for the Love of Cake & Friends” by Elisa Sunga, out May 19, offers recipes and guidance for how readers can throw their own cake picnics. (Photo courtesy of Chronicle Books)
Since then, the event series’ popularity has grown significantly, and with that has come the need for things like event permits and ticketing fees. Today, Sunga says, she receives daily requests asking to bring an official Cake Picnic event to new cities around the world.
“As a part of growing Cake Picnic and the event to welcome as many cake lovers and friends, the event itself has also grown from venue size, infrastructure, operations and processes that make this possible,” the former UX program manager at Google says. “It’s been such a wild adventure of learning how to do all of this!”
By the time she brought the event to the Legion of Honor in San Francisco in March 2025 — as part of a thematic celebration of a Wayne Thiebaud exhibition at the museum — the event, with $15 tickets, was reported to have sold out in under a minute. It had 1,387 attendees, each of whom brought their own cake to share, per the event’s “no cake, no entry” rule. Then, in October, she brought the picnic back to San Francisco again, this event yielding 2,068 cakes.
Elisa Sunga hosted her first cake picnic in 2024 in the Bay Area, bringing together nearly 200 bakers to swap cake. After taking her tour around the world, the following year her Bay Area event brought together more than 1,300 bakers and their cakes. (Courtesy Matt Viscomi)
San Francisco was just the start. Sunga took the show on the road, bringing Cake Picnics to cities like Los Angeles, New York City, San Diego, Minneapolis and London. In 2026, her route so far has included international stops in Mexico and Australia, with a much longer selection of cities to come.
Now, Sunga’s put her ideas into a book, “Cake Picnic: Recipes for the Love of Cake and Friends” (Chronicle Books, $30) — in part a guide on how to throw a cake picnic, in part a recipe collection — which comes out May 19.
“I’ve learned that happiness often comes frosted, shared and cut into generous pieces. It’s about choosing joy, one cake at a time, and surrounding yourself with people who understand that life is sweeter when we celebrate together,” she writes in the introduction.
Sunga answered our interview questions over email.
Q: Why build this event series around cake in particular, rather than another dish or dessert?
A: Cake is meant for sharing, to be sliced and shared with those around. Also, cakes, typically, are quite involved and have multiple layers and flavors. It’s a dessert that takes time, planning and lots of love. With so much work that goes into each cake, there is joy in sharing that with others and seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces.
Q: Tell me more about your Bay Area connections. Were there any local spots in particular that inspired your love for cakes?
An official Cake Picnic was held March 29, 2025, at the Legion of Honor, as part of a celebration of the Wayne Thiebaud exhibit at the museum at the time. Nearly 1,400 people brought cakes to the event. (Photo courtesy of Gary Sexton)
A: I was born and raised in the Philippines, so my initial concept of desserts was actually fruits and sticky rice. When my family and I moved to the Bay Area in 2001, my first introductions to cakes, brownies, doughnuts and desserts were from classroom treats brought in by my teachers.
Q: You did a world Cake Picnic tour. You wrote a cookbook. What’s next for you and Cake Picnic?
A: I’d love to continue to bring Cake Picnic to as many cities and countries as I can! That has been one of the most delightful parts of going on a world tour for cake: learning about the regional varieties and types of cake. Each country has its own unique cake culture and story that I want to learn more about and experience! In London, I saw a lot of Earl Grey and lavender cakes, in Mexico City, flavors like passion fruit, coconut and mango were strong, and in Australia, I was introduced to the very traditional duck cake!
Q: What’s your go-to favorite cake to bake and why?
A: Triple chocolate cake! I swoon for anything chocolate cake. At each Cake Picnic, most of my cake box ends up being chocolate cake slices! I love the flavor and how moist chocolate cakes are!
Cakes line a table at the “Cotton x Cake Picnic” event at the Flower Fields in Carlsbad on April 13, 2025. (Ariana Drehsler for The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Q: You share tips on how to throw a cake picnic in the book. Why do you think people should throw cake picnics?
A: To me, Cake Picnic is bringing magic into a world that needs it. It is my hope that smaller towns and areas that might not get a Cake Picnic tour stop can come together in small ways to make their own magic. I also think that life is too short to not be eating more cake! I think that cakes are too special to only enjoy during birthdays or weddings. More cake, more magic.
Q: Cake Picnic has obviously grown into a big thing — did you know it would be like this going in? Or what has been most surprising about its success and your journey with the concept so far?
A: I had no idea that Cake Picnic would become so huge, viral or a global phenomenon! I think back a lot to how I started this because I wanted to eat a lot of cake with my friends. I didn’t realize that this was a universal desire and need, too.
Labels on the cakes at the “Cotton x Cake Picnic” event at the Flower Fields in Carlsbad on April 13, 2025, describe the cakes’ flavors and, in some cases, the allergens they contain. (Ariana Drehsler for The San Diego Union-Tribune)
It’s been wonderful to meet so many new friends along the tour – friends that I have Cake Picnic-bonded with and have become my best friends. I also love hearing about everyone’s stories of what brought them to Cake Picnic and how so many travel across state and country borders just to join! Anyone that is willing to travel for cake is a friend of my heart. Through Cake Picnic, I’ve found my people!
Q: I actually got to see and participate in last year’s Legion of Honor Cake Picnic for myself — and the turnout was amazing! Why do you think so many people baked elaborate cakes, dressed up and showed up from around the region well ahead of noon to share their cakes with a bunch of strangers?
A: I think that in our day and age of AI, there is a widespread calling for nostalgia, for analog, and for moments to touch grass. As much as we rot, doomscroll and get lost in the frenzy of AI, we crave moments that make us feel alive.
With how whimsical and delightful Cake Picnic is, it’s a strong contrast to our daily lives. With Cake Picnic, we are forced to bake a cake for a random weekend (no cake, no entry), pack a picnic basket and head to the park to spend a day outside. Once there, Cake Picnic is for all of the senses: hundreds of cakes, creativity and self-expression on full display, and the magic of a wholesome day with our friends and loved ones.
Pair a lemon poppy seed cake with a refreshing, floral lavender buttercream frosting in this recipe from Elisa Sunga’s forthcoming cookbook, “Cake Picnic.” (Photo courtesy of Andria Lo)
Lavender & Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Level up your lemon poppy seed cake by pairing it with a floral lavender frosting in this creative recipe. Baker and founder of the Cake Picnic event series Elisa Sunga says this recipe was inspired by her visit to a lavender field outside of London. “Whenever I bake with lavender, I revisit that field in my mind,” she writes in her cookbook, “Cake Picnic: Recipes for the Love of Cake & Friends” (Chronicle Books, $30). “For this cake, I highly recommend using food-grade lavender extract for both ease and true lavender flavor.”
Makes one two-layer 9-inch cake
INGREDIENTS
For the lemon poppy seed yogurt cake:
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoon lemon zest
1 1/2 cups vanilla yogurt, at room temperature
2/3 cup neutral oil
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
For the lavender Swiss meringue buttercream:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
6 egg whites
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 to 2 teaspoons lavender extract, to taste
1 or 2 drops purple food coloring (optional)
Decorations: Candied lavender, fresh lavender sprigs, lemon slices, candied lemons, piped buttercream swirls, flower petals or sprinkles (optional)
DIRECTIONS
1: Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
2: In a large bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub the lemon zest into the sugar to release the oils. Add in the yogurt, oil, eggs and salt. Whisk until smooth.
3: Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and baking soda over the mixture. Add the poppy seeds. Using a spatula, gently fold the ingredients together for a few turns. Do not overmix; some streaks of flour are fine.
4: Divide the batter evenly between the prepared baking pans and use an offset spatula to smooth the tops. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack. Let the cakes cool in the pans to room temperature before running a butter knife inside the rim of the pans and inverting the cakes onto the rack.
5: Make the frosting: Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a simmer. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar and egg whites. Place the bowl over the simmering water, ensuring the bottom does not touch the water, and whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture reaches 160 degrees. To test, rub a small amount between your fingers — it should feel completely smooth.
6: Remove the bowl from the heat and attach it to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 10 minutes. With the mixer on low, gradually add the butter, one piece at a time. The mixture may look curdled at first, but it will come together. Once all the butter is incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl, increase the speed to high and whip for another 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment, add the table salt, lavender extract and food coloring (if using), and beat on medium for another 10 minutes. The buttercream should be light, airy and doubled in volume.
7: To assemble and decorate: Place the first cake layer on a cake board or serving plate, securing it with a small dab of lavender Swiss meringue buttercream directly on the board. Using an offset spatula, spread about 1/2 cup of the buttercream over the surface. If a thicker layer of frosting is desired, add more.
8: Place the second cake layer on top, aligning it carefully, flat side up for a smooth surface. Apply a thin crumb coat of buttercream over the entire cake to seal in crumbs, using an offset spatula to smooth it evenly. Chill the cake for 20 minutes to set the crumb coat.
9: Once set, use the remaining buttercream to frost the top and sides of the cake, smoothing it evenly or creating textured patterns with a spatula. Decorate as desired. Remove non-edible decorations before serving.
Recipe excerpted from “Cake Picnic: Recipes for the Love of Cake & Friends” by Elisa Sunga. Published by Chronicle Books. Copyright © 2026 by Elisa Sunga.