On Saturday November 18, 2023, history unfolded as we witnessed the first Busoga royal wedding in over 50 years. Kyabazinga Nadiope and Inebantu Jovia Mutesi tied the knot in a grand ceremony that took place at Christ’s Cathedral, Bugembe, in Jinja City, followed by a sumptuous reception at Igenge Palace. Amidst the remarkable details of the day, the focal point was undeniably the magnificent wedding cake that graced the reception at Igenge Palace.
Every couple’s wedding cake is special, but the show-stopping fruit cake presented at the Busoga royal wedding could be one of the most incredible cake designs in Uganda to date. Baked and designed by celebrated baker Brenda Ssekabembe Mulema of Bake 4 Me, the cake boasted an astonishing height of 2.5 meter and weighed about 200kg. Flavors were sourced from South Africa, while some intricate details came from Dubai and China.
“We wanted a cake that was an ode to Busoga as a kingdom. Initially, it was supposed to be designed like the main palace in Igenge, but that wasn’t possible,” Mulema explains. “Instead, we created an impression of the entrance of the palace with curtains at the top and added a recreation of the Kyabazinga’s crown.”
To ensure every detail aligned with the royal theme, Mulema and her team collaborated with ICandy, the event decorators, on color schemes, ensuring the cake matched the reception’s décor. The result was a meticulously designed cake adorned with gold highlights symbolizing excellence, alongside subtle yet elegant peach, pink, and off-white hues. The palace-chosen flavors reflected a blend of tradition and sophistication, from traditional fruit to exotic peach, raspberry, blueberry, coconut, and marble.
The grandeur of the cake matched its size, boasting an astonishing weight of about 200 kgs, standing 2.5 meters tall, with a base stretching 5 feet wide. However, for Mulema, the challenge was not just in crafting a masterpiece but in the logistics of transporting it to Jinja and ensuring it sat still during the event without any spills or breaks.
“We did the baking and most of the designs in Kampala. We have done big cakes, but this was special – the biggest, tallest, and widest we have done so far. We also surprised ourselves that we could transport it in one piece from Kampala to Jinja,” she reflects.
As she witnessed the cake-cutting ceremony, Mulema felt a mix of emotions. “The processes of baking, transporting, and putting it together, plus the cake-cutting moment, cause you to worry. The thought of it falling cannot be fazed. But we managed to do it flawlessly, and everyone at the event got cake, including all the service providers.”
Being part of history – the first Busoga royal wedding in over 50 years – Mulema expresses her gratitude. “It’s a great honor and a privilege because there are so many other people who could have baked that cake. It’s also overwhelming, but it’s a blessing, and I pray it takes us places.”
Mulema’s journey as a baker began in 2005 as a side hustle, baking a cake a day with a couple of orders per week. The spirit of “Never give up” from her alma mater, Gayaza High School, fueled her persistence, leading her to transform plain cakes into artful masterpieces.
“I kept asking people to buy my cakes. By then, I didn’t know how to decorate, but slowly by slowly I broke out of the norm of doing plain cakes, and I started decorating. I also went for training in South Africa & Australia to hone my skills,” she shares.
Her evolution from baking one cake a day to crafting intricate designs caught the attention of not just the locals but also royalty. Having baked for the Kabaka three times before, it’s no surprise that the Busoga kingdom chose her to create the monumental cake for the royal Busoga wedding.
Brenda Ssekabembe Mulema holds a Bachelor’s degree in Food Science and Technology from Makerere University and a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Pretoria, SA.
SatisfashionUg@gmail.com
