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It all started with a 70-year-old recipe for a delicious, dark moist chocolate cake.
Sharon Johnson knew when she first baked one, while managing a cake business for a friend, that this was something special.
It eventually formed the basis for her Dial-a-Chocolate Cake business, which she set up in Whangaparaoa back in May.
Sharon had been a courier for many years, specialising in delivering flowers and cakes. It was through running her friend’s business that she discovered her love of creating beautiful cakes. Food has always been a big part of her life – she is married to a Scottish chef who is currently doing the catering for Whangaparaoa Golf Club.
They moved to the Coast three years ago, and Sharon, who was used to a six-day-a -week working life, says although she loves playing bowls, she was not ready for retirement, and looking for something more.
With the moist chocolate cake recipe in her head, she decided to open a business making the cakes to order – and Dial-a-Chocolate Cake was underway.
Sharon has made hundreds of the cakes and, while the recipe is strictly under wraps, she says one of the secrets is the high quality Belgian and French chocolate and cocoa that she uses. The pure chocolate, when spread on the top, creates the perfect finish. The cakes, which come in a range of sizes, are decorated with a message and delicate chocolate ‘feathers’.
A cake ordered for a 21st birthday party that was made up of four 30cm cakes put together is the biggest she’s ever done. “The family was thrilled, so it was worth all that work,” she says.
At one stage she trialled a gluten-free version, but says the texture wasn’t to her liking.
“I don’t like to compromise on the quality of the cake,” she says.
The cake has a very good shelf life, although Sharon says most people say they don’t last long once people have their first slice.
She delivers the cakes to her customers, who, she says, have been mainly local.
Word is spreading – there are often bulk orders for clubs and functions and recently Sharon was interviewed by a group of students from Orewa North School for their school newspaper.
Along the way, the business has helped Sharon settle into the Coast community, and put a huge smile on her face. “It’s a pleasure to make these cakes and see the enjoyment that they bring.”
