123 Cake - Melbourne's first cake-decorating cafe!

Leaving things up to your kids' imagination can backfire badly.  Once, waiting at the international terminal to pick up their dad from a long trip away, I asked my oldest who she thought we were waiting for.  "A dinosaur?"  No.  "A herd of dinosaurs?"  No.  "Santa!"  No!  Smooth move, Mum, I thought - she is going to be so disappointed when her boring old dad walks through the doors.

So, deep in the school holidays, when I said, "Where do you think we are going?  PS:  It's somewhere AWESOME!", I did consider that the eager anticipation might surpass the end result.  But despite the kids' valiant and creative guesses, they were still screeching with delight when we walked into 123 Cake.

123 Cake is a cafe where you don't just eat your cake - you make it too!  In fact, you could say it's the Korean BBQ of cake.

Choose your base cupcake (flavours include red velvet and chocolate mud, plus gluten-free choices like vanilla spice) then power up with flavoured icing, ready to go in piping bags, and sprinkles galore!

SQUEEEEEEEEE!!!

All the decorations have different price points, from 50 cents to $2, and there are deals for three or more of the same colour.

Bare cupcakes are $3.50 and icing bags $2.  It might seem dear at first but if you have a few people and can share, it works out quite well and is more fun - for five fully customised cupcakes and two coffees, we paid around $28 which I think is quite reasonable for such a fun outing.

And boy, did we have fun.  I thought the kids would just knock back the pots of decorations like whiskey shots, but they were actually very careful and methodical.

You can reach for the sky...

...or be a smooth operator.  Spatulas are provided, as well as tweezers to get everything just so.  123 Cake also offer larger cakes to decorate which would be perfect for a birthday party.

Jing Jing and Natalie are the fresh faces behind 123 Cake.  They are high school mates and modelled the idea on South Korea's themed cafes.  (Other favourites in Seoul include cafes where you can get kitted up in full bridal regalia, and cafes full of cats which you go to be ignored, I mean, pat!)

123 Cake is open from 11 am till 6 pm Mon-Wed and until 9 pm Thurs-Sun evenings for good clean fun.  Well, until you try to lever your magnificent creation between your jaws!

123 Cake (Facebook)

472 Victoria Street, North Melbourne

Phone:  9329 6450