An infusion of coffee and chocolate in Maitland’s heart this weekend is set to leave the taste buds sizzling.
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From making extreme cupcakes and creating customised Rocky Road, for free, to watching enticing cake demonstrations and browsing through 80 stalls – Maitland Aroma Festival has something for everyone.
Maitland council events curator Jess Hartigan said The Workshop – a stand to help the crowd delve into icing and other edible accessories - will offer three extreme cupcake lessons on Saturday and Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Rocky Road Laboratory will take chocolate lovers on a journey to make their own version of the popular treat with all of their favourite ingredients.
”Both of those are free, and there are limited spaces for the cupcake workshop – registration is available at the event,” Ms Hartigan said.
“The lab will run all day until it runs out.”
The festival is also moving into the artistic realm with painting classes using coffee on the riverside.
“We’re trying to emphasise the hands on and interactive element of the event this year to give people the opportunity to try things first hand,” Ms Hartigan said.
“Part of the popularity of this event is the fact that it’s about coffee and chocolate, which is a popular thing in its own right.
“It’s very local; we feature local producers, local baristas and chocolatiers and the location along the Hunter river is a really nice place.
“It’s a nice way to get people outside and enjoying the vistas of the Hunter river and warming up a little bit.”
The Flavour Stage will showcase a variety of ways to enjoy chocolate and coffee through several demonstrations.
The Whistler will run an Espresso Martini and Cocktail Masterclass and The Cunning Culinarian will demonstrate making a Peruvian chocolate espresso mousse with chili and lime on Saturday.
Hunter Beer Co. will take to the stage for a chocolate beer demonstration on Sunday and there will be a range of other offerings including tips on making a coffee and cream semi-naked floral cake.
Ms Hartigan said between 15,000 and 18,000 people were expected to attend the event.
She said the stalls offered some familiar favourites as well as a few new ones including Myrtle and Pepper Fine Chocolate, Cupcake Espresso and Doughheads.
“We’ll have a specially selected range of street food, coffee and chocolate and different products that are related to coffee and chocolate,” Ms Hartigan said.
The festival is held on August 12 and 13 between 10am and 4pm in the Riverside car park.