Anyone who arrives at a bach with a layer cake tends to carry it in like a sleeping baby, having narrated every corner of the drive, while the person who turns up with a bundt cake simply walks in and puts it down on the bench.
That difference is why we call our bundt cake and loaf range in Christchurch our travel cakes: there's no delicate frosting to protect, no cream to sweat in a warm car and no need for a fridge at the other end. We make eleven flavours from scratch at The Welder, each one built to be carried somewhere and shared with the people waiting for it, and you can see them all in our Tea Cakes & Loaves collection.
Two sizes, and a count of heads
Every flavour comes as a 20cm loaf for $35, which serves 8, or a 25cm bundt for $55, which serves 16. Those numbers are usually bigger than people expect, and a single bundt can feed a full house over a long weekend with slices left over for breakfast, so it's worth counting heads before you choose a size.
Matching the cake to where it's going
- A weekend away: the Cuca Banana Cake is banana and chocolate chip sponge on a buttery streusel base, made the Southern Brazilian way.
- A brunch the morning after: the Apple Crumble Cake has apple and cinnamon sponge with walnuts and raisins, and the crumble sits underneath. It's still good cold on day two.
- A barbecue: the Lemon Blueberry Cake is topped with tres leches ganache and meringue batons that crunch against the soft lemon crumb.
- The first table set outside: the Pineapple Coconut Cake is moist and bright, finished with tres leches and coconut.
- Someone you don't know well: the Gianduia (Nutella) Cake, chocolate and roasted hazelnut under a Nutella glaze.
- A house full of children: the Marble Chocolate Cake, with dark and milk chocolate swirled through each other.
- A visitor, or a Kiwi home for the weekend: the Jaffa Orange Chocolate Cake, where tangy orange cuts through the dark ganache.
The Brazilian ones people ask about
The Brazilian Carrot Cake surprises people because it has no spice at all. The sponge is golden and tender, and the chocolate brigadeiro on top sets soft, like fudge that never quite firmed up. The Anthill Coconut Cake has chocolate sprinkles folded into the batter, and they melt into dark flecks through the coconut crumb as it bakes. For the backstory, read about the Brazilian anthill cake and Southern Brazil's streusel cuca.
The last two need very little explaining. The Peanut Butter Cake has crunchy peanut butter in the sponge and peanut butter ganache on top, so each bite goes from soft crumb to glossy top to crunch. It contains peanuts, so check with your host first. The Black Forest Chocolate Cherry Cake hides sweet cherries under dark ganache and chocolate shavings.
Choose it together, over a slice
Choosing a cake for a group is easier with one of them beside you, so bring them along. Take a table among the plants and order a Brazilian Carrot Cake slice with two forks and a couple of C4 coffees. The brigadeiro drags a little on the fork, and one of you will take the last corner. By the time the cups are empty, you've usually settled on a bundt for the weekend.
If someone is avoiding dairy
Three travel cakes can be made with no added dairy, chosen at checkout: Brazilian Carrot, Apple Crumble and Pineapple Coconut. Under NZ labelling rules we can only say that no dairy-containing ingredients were added. Our kitchen is small and without exclusive production areas for all of our different recipes, so traces may occur. None of them suits a severe allergy.
Labour Weekend, and the drive there
Labour Weekend runs from 24 to 26 October. We're closed Sundays and Mondays as a rule, Labour Day included, so plan to collect on the Saturday between 10am and 3pm, or before 6pm on the Friday if you're heading off early.
These cakes keep in our packaging for one to three days with no change in taste or texture. Store them at room temperature and out of the sun. Carry the box from the bottom, keep it level and keep the car cool; our guide on how to transport a cake has more. Once you're at the bach, dip the knife in hot water and dry it between slices.
Before you set off
Travel cakes need two days' notice, and the date picker at checkout only shows dates the kitchen can meet. You collect from our patisserie inside The Welder, 20–26 Welles Street, Christchurch Central. We don't deliver, and these cakes were made for exactly that trip. Parking is across the road, behind the building or along the side.
We're open 10am to 6pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am to 3pm on Saturday. Cancel more than three days before pickup for a full refund; our FAQ covers the rest. If there's a birthday that weekend as well, tuck a pack of Hōhepa beeswax birthday candles in the box. And if you can't make the trip yourself, our gift card comes in a 20cm Loaf or 25cm Bundt value, so the people you'd have visited can choose their own.
