When Mashal Butler first tried a raw, vegan cake, she wasn't impressed ... but she was intrigued by their potential.
Now Mashal and her husband Kurt run the Auckland dessert company Raw Glory.
The couple make seven raw cakes named after Mashal and her six sisters – each with flavours matched to their personalities.
Back in 2015, when a friend introduced Mashal to her first raw cake, she wasn't a fan of either the taste or texture.
"I drove away thinking 'I didn't really like that very much but I felt really good … and I wanted more of it."
Mashal started playing around with other raw recipes and she hasn't stopped since.
One of her first hits was a cacao and caramel slice which looked like a slice Mashal's sister Vanna made when they were kids. This became the Vanna bar.
"Vanna has always worked up here for Millers Coffee so I had to add Millers Coffee to her cake. Now it's just got that subtle hint of coffee in it."
Why the apricot and cashew bar is named after her sister Dinah, Mashal can't disclose: "I just used to tease her a lot about a certain attribute of her body growing up."
Kyria was the sister who hated wearing dull colours as a child and even now wears fluorescent nail polish and bright makeup, Mashal says.
Her cake is Raw Glory's brightest, pinkest and most attractive-looking: "It's just absolutely everything she represents to me."
Their sister Susanna has blue eyes and was called 'Susie blue' growing up so her namesake cake is a blueberry one, while Onycha is small, blonde and cute so her cake is macadamia (and lime).
Mashal's own cake – which is also her favourite – is chai-flavoured with Earl Gray-soaked figs. It's plain-looking but spicy, she says.
The final sister Salome's cake – which had to be red, so is cherry-flavoured – is coming out soon in its own box.
All Raw Glory products are made without dairy, cane sugar or gluten. You can find them at Commonsense Organics, Moore Wilson's and selected New World supermarkets.
