Tarts and a piece of Maxi
To say the downstairs of the Midnight Shift last Sunday was filled with tarts would have been an understatement. It was the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation’s annual Bake-Off and as usual the day/ night was huge. Ovens were preheated as early as a week prior to the event and practice cakes were eaten over coffee as bakers tried for the coveted first prize gong.
As in previous years we had jams, chutneys, decorated cakes, cup cakes, tarts and even a giant lamington. With jelly shots to add to the spirit, the crowd was suitably prepared for the auction that started just after 4pm.
Masters of ceremonies were the Queen of Camp, Mitzi Macintosh, and the star of Priscilla: The Musical, Cleopatra Coupé. Punters were treated to shows by Sydney’s finest showgirls, but the main event was the auction.
This year, to my delight, there was an entrant who immortalised me in the form of a fabulous jewel-encrusted cake, with my hair flowing, boobies covered by heart-shaped pasties. I was amazed and delighted to find out it sold for a staggering $1,200, all for charity – so much money to sink your teeth into a piece of Maxi. I later found out that the Maxi Cake also got third place, but to be honest I was just happy to be nominated. Thank you, Stu and Joe.
The ultimate winner of the day was no surprise, a topical piece depicting Paris Hilton being educated by one of her cellmates whilst her pet puppy watched with a huge smile. The creator was showgirl legend and cake master, Miss 3-D, taking out the first prize for the fifth year in a row and proving to everyone that when it comes to cakes she is going to be very hard to beat. To top off her fabulous win, 3-D’s cake sold at auction for a whopping $7,000. Throughout the auction the audience could hear Mitzi say, “This is fucking crazy, but I love it,” as the tally kept creeping up and up.
The Bake-Off is one of BGF’s major fundraisers and it was great to see how many of the community members showed their support. As you can imagine the buying of cakes sometimes gets a little crazy, but donations to the showgirls selling cookies and jelly shots were amazing.
My Italian friend Kurt to experience the Bake-Off for the first time. He spent most of the day with his mouth open in awe. There is nothing like the Bake-Off at home, so it was hard for him to comprehend cakes going for such crazy prices at a charity event.
The Bake-Off raised more than $50,000 from the day and I’m sure, like me, many punters are nursing huge hangovers from the proceedings. Congratulations to all the volunteers and organisers who put on another great day.
