Story Eve Jeffery
If delicious traditional style cakes with a modern awareness of good quality nutrient rich ingredients, unrefined sugars, organic flours and nuts are your thing, then the Hunnytoast Cake Shop & Catering is the place you need.
Hunna Ovcar runs her own baking business from home. ‘I have been catering locally for events and retreats for the last 10 years,’ says Hunna. ‘In 2019 I was cooking at The Nook – Fermentary and the Broth Bar, in Mullum. This year I launched hunnytoast.com and my online cake shop’.
Hunna says cooking from home was born from the lockdown. ‘I needed to work from home and saw the need for people to have sweet treats delivered to their homes. My business has steadily grown with many return customers and plenty of recommendations. I have been really supported by my customers’ wonderful feedback and raving testimonials after eating my cakes, I’m encouraged to continue exploring new flavours and styles.’
Hunna says what she is most inspired by is finding a wholesome balance of flavours in her cakes, so you are left feeling satisfied and delighted, not weighed down by an over emphasis on sugary sweetness. ‘I am passionate about good quality sweeteners, and I only ever use organic raw, coconut, rapadura or maple syrup. My go to “secret” ingredient is more than a pinch of a salt in every cake.’
Hunna says an example of her popular salty sweetness is her pecan pie – sweetened with maple syrup and coconut sugar ‘When it comes out of the oven I sprinkle it with Maldon Sea Salt flakes. For me the sweet and salty contrast is sublime. I add orange zest and a capfull of brandy also to diversify the flavour profile.’
Hunna loves the alchemy of cooking – she pours love and care into each and every cake or dish she makes. ‘I have a strong vision for nourishing people and for offering an experience that touches their heart through their taste buds.’
Hunna says she is currently nurturing the sweet side of her business, adding new cakes to her website regularly. ‘I’m also developing a gallery of images for my special event cakes. My decoration is fun, elegant, simple, earthy and honest. Edible flowers are a favourite, as well as fruit and nuts.’
Hunna says one of her favourite cakes is a black sesame cake, topped with chocolate ganache. ‘It embodies my wholefood approach, complete with lashings of decadence. My joy is in catering for retreats where I have an intuitive sense of how best to nourish participant’s to match their retreat process. Specialty three course dinners and degustation events are the way I see my cooking career going forward.’
Coming up, Hunna will be serving dinner as part of the River of Peace tea ceremony and sound meditation event at the Temple Garden Teahouse in Mullum. More information is available on the www.atantriclife.org/services/private-tea-party.
If you would like to order a whole cake for your pre Christmas gathering or staff party, head online to www.hunnytoast.com and check out the great selection of cakes.
