Priyanka wins top prize

RADIATION therapist Priyanka Govender, pictured, took a mere two hours to create an award-winning cake in a mystery bake-off final – winning an all-inclusive full-time diploma in patisserie bursary from Capsicum Culinary Studio worth R98 000.

The 27-year-old former Durbanite beat two others in the tightly contested final, the Winter Wonderland Cake Competition.

She made a five-layer velvet cake, covered in a cream cheese icing, finished off with a dark chocolate ganache drip, edible flowers, toasted almonds, blueberries and strawberries.

Govender, of Johannesburg, said: “I was pleasantly surprised. Producing a cake in two hours was stressful, but I enjoyed every moment of the bake-off.”

She said her mother taught her to bake when she was 16 and her love for the hobby had flourished.

Govender said she aspired to own her own patisserie. “Once I have completed my studies with Capsicum Culinary Studio, I will be working towards that dream.”

The principal of KZN’s Capsicum Culinary Studio campus and one of the judges, Julia Greenaway, said: “Priyanka’s cake was delicious and her own recipe. The taste combinations were balanced and the overall aesthetics were appealing and had obvious talent applied. She had good time management and a clean approach to her styling and the way she operated in the kitchen.”