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Charley’s Bakery, an icon of Cape Town, is the city’s top custom cake maker – by far. Though they offer so, so much more than cakes, their cakes are bold, sexy, fun and delicious. The story of Charly’s is fabulous, and reached back to Namibia where Charly himself learned the baking ways perfected by Germans who resided in the country. But, this was not the end of the dream as it was evident that Charly and his wife wanted to expand and bring their ethos and talents to South Africa.
Since 1989, this bakery has been beloved by Cape Town residents and international visitors. Their zest for life, passion for what they do and true innovation has made them a treasure in the community. We contacted them when traveling to Cape Town over my birthday to see if they’d be willing to share their delectable talents with me and my team, and that’s exactly what happened.
Working with Charly’s was fun. Immediately, they began talking to us about how they could create a cake that would integrate Inspired Citizen as well as my love of travel. Daniella began drawing and conceptualized a cake that integrated the brand, my passion and our current location – Cape Town with fun elements like a gold silhouette of Table Mountain and a green South African passport with my initials. We chose their well-known Wicked Chocolate cake iced with black chocolate ganache.
Charly’s executed the cake beautifully and they weren’t afraid to take risks – which we love. Being a family-run operation, you can feel the love and heart put into everything they produce. The cake was delivered safely to the home we stayed-in and was ready to be lit.
The details of the cake were stunning, with gold drippings, cold candles and even a little gold airplane perched atop.
When the cake was cut, I cannot even begin to tell you, how the smell and flavor instantly took over. This was probably one of the most delicious, if not the most delicious cake we’ve ever tasted. The rich chocolate layers, not too sweet, the density and the icing were all gloriously perfect and blew everyone out of the water – truly. The cake was enjoyed by many and even eaten for breakfast with coffee the next morning.
Charly’s Bakery is special, you can feel this immediately when communicating with them. They are cheeky, fun and not afraid to be who they are. I am so very happy we discovered them and can’t wait to work with them again on future trips to South Africa.
