The Denver Gazette’s Nicholas Fogleman reports that hundreds of bakers gathered at Denver City Park for a Cake Exchange, which is exactly what it sounds like: people bring full cakes, sample slices from hundreds of creations, and leave with boxes full of assorted sugar-based optimism. The flavors ranged from red velvet and chocolate to pistachio walnut and citrus, because apparently cake has now become a full-contact personality test.
The event was organized by Morgan Bennett, a professional baker who said it started as a way for local bakers and creatives to meet each other, then grew into a bigger community gathering. Last year’s event drew more than 700 people over a weekend, and this year more than 550 people RSVP’d for the largest single-day version so far. So yes, people need people. People love cake. Community matters. Also, I have questions.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Participants had to bring a full cake, then during a timed window, everybody circulated among long tables sampling slices and filling boxes. It is basically a potluck with better frosting and more emotional risk.
- The cakes ranged from classic flavors to inventive creations like pistachio walnut and citrus. Somewhere in that room, a person absolutely brought “deconstructed lavender cardamom espresso cloud cake,” because Denver cannot help itself.
- Bennett said the idea came after volunteering at a similar cake picnic in San Francisco. That tracks. San Francisco exporting cake socialism to Denver feels exactly on brand.
- The exchange has no vendors or sales. Everybody brings cake. Everybody trades cake. Everybody leaves happy. Or at least everybody leaves with enough buttercream to reconsider their life choices.
- More than 550 people RSVP’d this year. That is impressive. It is also 550 opportunities for me to wonder who owns cats, who lets those cats on the counter, and who considers “just brushing the fur off” a food-safety protocol.
My Bottom Line
Look, this is all well and fine and good. People need community. People need hobbies. People need to get out of the house and remember that society is not just angry emails, tax notices, and someone arguing about parking on Nextdoor. And who does not love a good cake?
But am I the only one just OCD enough to be skittish about eating a stranger’s food? I struggled at church potlucks, and those people at least had the implied accountability of seeing you again next Sunday. Even then, there was always one casserole on the folding table that looked like it had been assembled during a power outage.
A cake exchange sounds lovely until your brain starts asking unhelpful questions. Was the kitchen clean? Were the eggs handled properly? Did anyone sneeze near the cream cheese frosting? Did the baker taste-test with the mixing spoon like a civilized person or like a raccoon in an apron?
And bottom line, you know what I wonder? How many of these amateur bakers have cats? Cats who may or may not jump on counters. Cats who look you directly in the eye while standing where the cooling rack goes. Cats with the moral structure of a lobbyist and the spatial entitlement of a planning department.
Still, I will give them this: a community built around cake beats a community built around grievance. If Denver wants to gather over frosting instead of another protest sign, that is progress. Just label the lemon cake, keep the cats out of the kitchen, and understand that some of us will admire your baked goods from a respectful, food-safety-compliant distance.
Source: The Denver Gazette
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