Grandma’s Cakes 2026 in Pregrada: Zagorje desserts, inherited recipes, and a day marked by tradition
The eighteenth edition of the
Grandma’s Cakes event will take place on Saturday,
11 April 2026, in the
Sports Hall of Pregrada Secondary School, at Stjepana Škreblina 2, starting at
3 PM. It is one of the most recognizable events in Krapina-Zagorje County, an occasion that for years has successfully combined gastronomy, family heritage, local identity, and a public celebration of local tradition. This year’s edition is especially significant because it is being held in Pregrada, the town from which last year’s winner
Slavica Krklec comes, who won over the audience and judges with the cake
Teacher Wolf’s Lard Pastry. In this way, Pregrada has been given the hosting of an event that has long since outgrown the local framework and become an important symbol of preserving Zagorje’s culinary heritage.
The event is organized by
Krapina-Zagorje County and the
Krapina-Zagorje County Tourist Board in cooperation with the
Town of Pregrada, and its basic idea has remained the same since the very beginning: to preserve recipes passed down through families for generations, to highlight the value of women’s work and knowledge in the kitchen, and to show that tradition is not a museum object, but a living practice that continues to be nurtured. That is precisely why Grandma’s Cakes are not merely a dessert-making competition, but also a public confirmation that old recipes, local ingredients, and handmade skill still hold a strong place in the contemporary identity of Hrvatsko Zagorje. For visitors coming from other regions, this is also a good opportunity to check
accommodation in Pregrada in advance and stay in the town for the rest of the weekend filled with town programs.
More than a competition: a meeting of gastronomy, family memory, and public heritage
For years, Grandma’s Cakes have held a special place among events in continental Croatia because they place at the center what is often neglected in tourism and gastronomic programs: home cooking, the family table, and the recipe as a form of heritage. In this case, these are desserts that Zagorje grandmothers inherited from their mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers, and that are still prepared according to old rules, often without precise measurements, but with much experience and feeling. It is precisely this practice that makes the difference between an ordinary culinary presentation and an event carrying a strong cultural message. At a time when eating habits are becoming increasingly faster, simpler, and more uniform, Grandma’s Cakes return attention to regional diversity, seasonality, homemade preparation, and the symbolic value of food.
For Pregrada, a town that already strongly nurtures its own identity through cultural, historical, and social programs, hosting such an event also means additional visibility. The arrival of competitors from various parts of the county, visitors, jury members, and lovers of traditional gastronomy turns Saturday, 11 April, into a day when the town presents itself not only as the venue of the event, but also as a destination. Because of this, increased interest is expected in
accommodation for visitors in Pregrada, especially among those who want to combine a visit to the event with a tour of the town’s landmarks, museums, and content related to the marking of Town Day.
Who is competing and by what criteria the winner is chosen
According to the event announcement and available information about this year’s program,
33 grandmas from different parts of Krapina-Zagorje County will compete for the winner’s sash. The number itself shows how strong the interest in participation remains, but also how deeply rooted the event is in local communities. The participants do not come only to show a cake, but to present a part of a family and local story, so the tables often feature recipes that have been passed down orally for decades, with small household adaptations, but without giving up the basic original logic of the dish.
The winner is chosen according to several criteria, and they go beyond mere confectionery execution. What is evaluated are
the authenticity of the recipe and ingredients,
taste,
the appearance of the cake, and
inventiveness in presentation. This means it is not enough to prepare a tasty dessert; fidelity to tradition, the relationship to local ingredients, and the way the contestant presents her cake and its story are also important. This approach makes the competition a special kind of public evaluation of gastronomic heritage. At the center are not only technique and aesthetics, but also the question of how much a particular dessert is an authentic reflection of Zagorje cuisine and family continuity.
That is precisely why year after year Grandma’s Cakes attract an audience that does not come only to taste desserts, but also to observe differences among recipes, serving methods, cake names, and the family stories that accompany them. Some desserts are connected to holidays, others to weddings, family gatherings, harvests, or church celebrations, and many also contain local linguistic characteristics. Such diversity contributes to the event not being a one-off fair event, but also a kind of field map of Zagorje tradition. Anyone coming to Pregrada from more distant parts of Croatia might want to search in advance for
accommodation near the event venue in order to follow the entire program without rushing.
Expert jury and the importance of evaluation from multiple perspectives
This year’s competition will be accompanied by an evaluation committee composed of people coming from the world of gastronomy and traditional culinary practice. According to the announcement, the members of the expert jury are
Branko Čukelj, vice-president of the Croatian Chefs Association and president of this year’s evaluation committee,
Štefica Gulija, owner of the pastry shop and cake craft business “Tri užitka” from Bedekovčina, and
Dražen Đurišević, promoter of Podravka’s cuisine. Such a jury composition shows that desserts are not viewed only as folkloric exhibits, but as a serious gastronomic product that can be evaluated through professional criteria of taste, texture, craftsmanship, and overall impression.
It is also important that in a competition like this, different experiences are brought together: professional culinary knowledge, pastry-making practice, and broad familiarity with home cooking. This achieves a balance between preserving the original recipe and understanding how a particular dessert functions as a concrete culinary product. In that sense, Grandma’s Cakes are not enclosed in nostalgia, but tradition is evaluated seriously and publicly, in front of an audience that expects quality. It is precisely this combination of emotion, expertise, and local pride that is one of the main strengths of the event.
The “Original Zagorje” award: when clothing, table, and atmosphere become part of the story
In addition to competing for one of the three main winning places, the contestants also compete for a special recognition for visual impression under the name
“Original Zagorje”. In this category, the overall impression is evaluated, that is, how much the participants, through their performance, clothing, and arrangement of the exhibition space, succeeded in approaching the traditional Zagorje spirit. This part of the competition is particularly interesting because it clearly shows that heritage is transmitted not only through the recipe, but also through the way of presenting it, the attitude toward customs, details, and the atmosphere the contestants create around their cake.
According to available information, in this part of the judging
Senka Jurina, a folklorist from Zabok, will participate as president of the jury for visual impression, followed by
Anita Paun-Gadža, head of the “Staro selo” Kumrovec Museum, and
Vlatka Filipčić Maligec, head of the Peasants’ Revolts Museum. Such a composition further emphasizes that this is an event at the intersection of gastronomy, traditional culture, and the public interpretation of heritage. Therefore, what is observed on the tables is not only the cake, but also the tablecloth, the dishes, the manner of display, the choice of folk elements, and the overall credibility of the depiction of an old-fashioned Zagorje ambience.
For the audience, this segment is often one of the most attractive. Visitors do not only follow who will win, but also enjoy the details that evoke the past: the names of cakes, old-fashioned plates, handicrafts, folk costumes, and decorations that recall Zagorje houses, festive tables, and family customs. In this way, the event also gains an important educational dimension, especially for younger generations who most often get to know traditional patterns only indirectly.
Teacher Wolf’s Lard Pastry and the symbolism of hosting in the town of last year’s winner
This year’s edition is given special weight by the fact that it is being held precisely in the town from which last year’s winner comes. Last year, Slavica Krklec won with the cake
Teacher Wolf’s Lard Pastry, a dessert whose very name evokes local speech, a family story, and a recipe that survived thanks to household practice rather than a standardized cookbook. Such names and recipes are important because they carry traces of everyday life, regional language, and the social history of a place. That is exactly the essence of Grandma’s Cakes: the winning cake is not only the most successful dessert of that day, but also the messenger of a broader story about Zagorje identity.
Hosting in Pregrada therefore also has a symbolic dimension. It confirms the old rule of the event that the next edition goes to the community from which the winner comes, whereby the recognition does not stop at an individual prize, but also becomes recognition for the local community from which the winning tradition arrived. This creates additional motivation among the contestants, but also further involves towns and municipalities across Zagorje. For Pregrada, this is an opportunity to present itself as a place that nurtures cultural and gastronomic continuity, but also as a town that can attract visitors through authentic content. For many, that is precisely why a multi-day stay and exploration of offers such as
accommodation offers in Pregrada and the surrounding area could be interesting.
A recipe book as a lasting record and a valuable document of local gastronomy
One of the values of the event is also the fact that after the competition there is traditionally a
recipe book of all contestants. This information is more important than it may seem at first glance. At a time when many recipes are passed down orally, copied into family notebooks, or preserved only within one house, any systematic recording of such heritage has documentary value. The recipe book does not serve only as a memory of one event, but also as an archive of local gastronomy, a source for future research, and an encouragement for younger generations to try preparing old desserts in their own homes as well.
Such publications do not preserve only a list of ingredients and procedures. They preserve cake names, linguistic particularities, local variants, different proportions, and small household secrets that distinguish one place from another, and even one family from another. In the case of Grandma’s Cakes, the recipe is often also a short family biography, a trace of a time when desserts were prepared for holidays, church feasts, weddings, or work in the fields. That is precisely why this event has a value that far exceeds a one-day event.
That weekend Pregrada also offers additional cultural content
This year’s program does not end in the sports hall. On Saturday,
11 April 2026, on the occasion of holding the 18th edition of Grandma’s Cakes, the
Pregrada Town Museum will be open for visits from
1 PM to 5 PM. In this way, guests and visitors are offered additional content before and during the event day, which is especially important for those arriving in Pregrada earlier or wanting to combine the gastronomic event with a cultural tour of the town. A museum visit also gives additional context to the entire event because it reminds that Pregrada is not only the host of one competition, but a town with a strong historical, cultural, and identity story.
Visitors will also have a discount on tickets for the Museum’s permanent exhibition that day. According to the announced program, the price of an adult ticket is reduced from 5 to 4 euros, for groups of adults of 30 or more persons from 4 to 3 euros, for pensioners, students, pupils, and children from 4 to 3 euros, while groups from those categories of 30 or more persons pay 2 euros instead of 3. The family ticket for parents with minor children is reduced from 10 to 8 euros. It is also particularly important that
the visit to the temporary exhibition in the Gallery is free of charge, which further opens the possibility for a Saturday arrival in Pregrada to become a complete excursion, and not just a short stop at one location.
The Pregrada Town Museum is in general an important part of the town’s identity because through its permanent exhibition it presents a numismatic collection, a mining and geology collection, and the Thierry pharmacy collection, thereby introducing visitors to the multilayered history of the place. In the context of Grandma’s Cakes, this content naturally continues the main theme of the event: preserving heritage. While one event preserves gastronomic memory, the museum preserves the town’s material and historical memory. For visitors planning to stay until Sunday, it is useful to take a look in advance at
weekend accommodation in Pregrada in order to visit the town’s cultural points without rushing.
Sunday marked by Town Day: free museum admission and continuation of the town rhythm
The day after the event, on Sunday
12 April 2026, Pregrada marks
Town Day, and the Pregrada Town Museum will be open from
9 AM to 1 PM. On that day, admission to the museum will be
free for all visitors. This decision fits well into the broader rhythm of the town because Pregrada Town Day is traditionally linked to White Sunday, the first Sunday after Easter, when, along with the ceremonial session of the Town Council and other programs, the town presents itself through cultural, social, and protocol events.
For guests coming because of Grandma’s Cakes, this means that the weekend in Pregrada can turn into a two-day stay in which gastronomy, local history, the town celebration, and a tour of cultural content are combined. Such a schedule also increases the tourist potential of the entire event because it offers visitors a reason to stay longer, and not only to come and leave after the end of the competition. In this context, it is especially practical to check in time
accommodation near the center of Pregrada, especially for families and visitors who want to follow both the Saturday and Sunday program.
Why Grandma’s Cakes go beyond the local framework
Although this is an event strongly rooted in Krapina-Zagorje County, its message is much broader. At a time of ever faster forgetting of local cuisines, ever greater reliance on industrial products, and ever rarer transfer of knowledge between generations, Grandma’s Cakes remind us that tradition can be contemporary precisely when it is lived, prepared, tasted, and publicly shared. The strength of such events is not only that they preserve “old recipes”, but that they restore social visibility to those recipes. Grandmothers here are not a decorative addition to a folklore program, but the main bearers of knowledge, skill, and culinary authority.
That is why this event can also be read as a social story about the visibility of women’s work, family transfers of knowledge, and the importance of everyday culture that often remains outside major institutions. In that sense, the cake becomes much more than a dessert: it is a document of household economy, memory, ingenuity, and adaptation to available ingredients. When such recipes are brought before the audience and the expert jury, they gain a new public meaning. Pregrada will therefore on 11 April be the place where not only taste is evaluated, but also the cultural density of one region, its memory, and its ability to pass heritage on into the future without losing authenticity.
For visitors, this is an opportunity to get to know Zagorje through its sweetest and most personal stories in one place. For the contestants, it is confirmation that knowledge passed down for decades in family kitchens has public value. And for Pregrada, hosting the 18th Grandma’s Cakes means a weekend in which tradition is preserved not only with words, but with the table, the recipe, the town, and the people who still consider them a living part of everyday life.
Sources:- Grandma’s Cakes – official event announcement – date, time and venue of the event, as well as a description of the event and competition categories.- Krapina-Zagorje County – public call for participation in the 18th edition of the event.- Town of Pregrada – confirmation that the 18th Grandma’s Cakes are being held in Pregrada, the town of last year’s winner Slavica Krklec.- Town of Pregrada – Town Day of Pregrada – official description of the marking of Town Day and its traditional date.- Pregrada Town Museum – official information about the museum, its permanent exhibition, and the cultural role of the museum institution in the town.- Pregrada Town Museum – ticket prices – basic price list and information about visiting the museum.
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