Dashain and Tihar in Sydney: Eggless Cakes for Nepal's Biggest Festivals

Dashain and Tihar are the two biggest festivals on the Nepali calendar, and Sydney now has one of the largest Nepali communities outside Nepal itself to celebrate them. If you're planning a tika ceremony, a Tihar lights gathering or a family reunion this festival season and need a cake that everyone in the room can eat, Num Num's Bakery is 100% eggless across all 15 flavours — from Harris Park and Riverstone, serving families right across Greater Sydney.

Australia's Nepalese-born population quadrupled from 14,870 in 2011 to 59,055 in 2021, making it the country's fastest-growing migrant community, according to SBS News. Around 48% of that community lives in Sydney, concentrated in suburbs like Auburn, Granville and Parramatta — all within easy reach of our Harris Park bakery.

What Are Dashain and Tihar?

Dashain is Nepal's longest and most important festival — a 15-day celebration honouring the goddess Durga's victory over evil, according to ABC News. Families reunite, elders bless younger relatives with tika (a mixture of rice, yoghurt and vermillion) on the forehead, and kite-flying fills the sky over Kathmandu. Tihar follows about two weeks later — a five-day festival of lights that honours crows, dogs, cows and, on its final day, the bond between brothers and sisters.

Tihar is Nepal's second-biggest festival and is often compared to Diwali, since both fall in the same October–November window and both centre on light, prosperity and family blessing rituals. In Sydney, Nepali community halls across the Canterbury-Bankstown and Blacktown areas now host dedicated Dashain events each year, a sign of just how established the community has become.

Dashain is a 15-day celebration of the victory of good over evil, honouring the goddess Durga and celebrated across South Asia but held with particular importance by Nepali Hindu communities (ABC News, October 2024). Tihar, Nepal's second-biggest festival, follows with five days of lights and family blessing rituals.

Why Has Sydney's Nepali Community Grown So Fast?

Sydney is home to roughly 48% of Australia's Nepalese community, according to SBS News, with Auburn, Granville and Parramatta among the most popular suburbs. In Granville alone, 2,215 residents identify as Nepalese — 1.7% of the suburb's total population — while the neighbouring Canterbury-Bankstown council area recorded close to 5,000 Nepal-born residents in 2021, up from fewer than 200 a decade earlier.

Growth this fast means growing demand for services that understand specific cultural and dietary needs — not just Indian festivals, which get most of the attention in Sydney's food scene, but Nepali ones too. Dashain and Tihar deserve the same recognition as Diwali or Eid when it comes to catering and celebration planning.

Much of that growth has landed in suburbs already well known to Num Num's Bakery. Auburn, Granville and Harris Park itself all sit within a short drive of one another, and all three appear repeatedly in community reporting on where Sydney's Nepali families have settled. That overlap is why a Harris Park bakery makes sense as a first stop for Dashain and Tihar orders, even for families who technically live a little further out in Blacktown or Cumberland council areas.

How Do Nepali Families in Sydney Celebrate Dashain and Tihar?

Community halls across Blacktown and Canterbury-Bankstown now host dedicated Dashain festivals each year, complete with tika ceremonies, traditional food stalls and cultural performances, according to Canterbury-Bankstown City Council. At home, families gather for the tika and jamara blessing, share festive meals, and — increasingly — mark the occasion with a cake alongside traditional Nepali sweets.

What Cakes Are Popular for Dashain and Tihar Celebrations?

From our order history during the Dashain and Tihar season, Rasmalai, Butterscotch and Ferrero Rocher are the most requested flavours — each one reads as festive and a little indulgent without straying from familiar South Asian dessert flavours. The full menu runs to 15 flavours, all 100% eggless as standard, and most customers narrow their choice down to two or three options before messaging us for a final decision.

Flavours Popular for Festival Season.

• Rasmalai — fragrant and South Asian-inspired, our top pick for Dashain and Tihar orders.
• Butterscotch — warm and caramel-forward, a nostalgic favourite for family gatherings.
• Ferrero Rocher — premium and indulgent, popular for the more formal tika-day celebrations.
• Chocolate — our most-ordered flavour across every festival and occasion.
• Red Velvet — visually striking, a favourite for photos shared with extended family overseas.
• Mango, Lychee, Tiramisu, Cookies & Cream — the remaining favourites for mixed multi-generational guest lists.

See the full Our Cakes page for photos of every flavour and size option. Every cake on that page is eggless — there's no separate "eggless section" because the entire range qualifies.

Where Can I Order an Eggless Cake for Dashain or Tihar in Sydney?

Num Num's Bakery serves Greater Sydney from two pick-up locations: Harris Park, in the heart of Sydney's Nepali and Indian community corridor, and Riverstone, serving the growing north-west. Wherever you're based across Sydney, one of our two locations is a reasonable drive for a festival cake order.

Not sure which location is closer? Check the Locations page for maps and directions to both shops, including opening hours and parking notes for each, so you can plan your pick-up around the rest of your celebration day.

How Do I Order a Dashain or Tihar Cake?

From our experience taking festival orders, the process takes most customers under five minutes on WhatsApp, and we confirm everything in writing before pick-up at either location.

1. Browse the flavours. Check the Our Cakes page for the full menu with photos. Rasmalai and Ferrero Rocher are our most popular festival picks.
2. Message us on WhatsApp. Send your order to +61 425 697 725 with your chosen flavour, cake size, design brief and preferred pick-up location.
3. Give at least 48 hours notice. During Dashain and Tihar season, which overlaps with Diwali and school holidays, 4–5 days notice is strongly recommended.
4. Confirm and collect. We'll confirm by WhatsApp. Collect from either Harris Park or Riverstone, whichever suits your celebration.

Are Eggless Cakes Suitable for Nepali Hindu Dietary Practices?

Egg-free baking aligns closely with Hindu vegetarian dietary traditions common among Nepali families, particularly during Dashain and Tihar when many households observe stricter vegetarian practices. According to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), eggs are one of the eight priority food allergens in Australia, and cross-contamination in a kitchen that also handles eggs is a genuine risk for allergic guests.

At Num Num's Bakery, eggs are never used in any product, preparation area or piece of equipment on-site — the whole kitchen environment is egg-free, not just the recipe. That distinction matters well beyond any single festival: allergic disease among Australians has nearly doubled in under two decades, rising from 4.1 million people (19.6%) in 2007 to 8.2 million (30%) in 2025, according to the National Allergy Centre of Excellence's "Costly Reactions" report.

That distinction matters for:

• Nepali Hindu vegetarian households — many observe lacto-vegetarian practice year-round, more strictly during Dashain and Tihar.
• Jain households — Jain dietary practices exclude eggs entirely; the whole menu is Jain-compatible on the egg axis.
• Buddhist Nepali families — a significant minority of Nepal's population follows Buddhism, and some observe vegetarian practices during religious periods.
• Vegan or plant-based guests — note our cakes contain dairy (milk powder, butter); we're not a vegan bakery, but we are fully egg-free.

We are not a certified kosher, halal or vegan kitchen — "100% eggless" describes exactly one thing, the absence of eggs, and nothing beyond it. If you have specific allergen questions beyond eggs, contact us directly on WhatsApp before ordering and we'll give you a full ingredient breakdown for your chosen flavour.

Frequently Asked Questions