Torre del Mar serves up a slice of local culture to celebrate annual tourist day

Thousands of people flocked to Torre del Mar's promenade on Friday 11 August to get a free slice of the giant cake which was shared among residents and visitors to celebrate the town's annual Tourist Day.

The cake, made by local chef Roberto Soler, was big enough for more than 4,000 people to get a slice. It featured local landmarks including the town's iconic lighthouse and other buildings and monuments in both Torre del Mar and Vélez-Málaga.

There was a nod to the area's fishing industry with a sweet reconstruction of the traditional 'jábega' fishing boat and the Costa del Sol's famous 'espeto' sardine skewers being cooked in the special boats.

It was all placed on a bed of demerara sugar to represent sand and made using a traditional sponge cake recipe, then decorated with icing.

Soler explained that his cake was more than more than eight metres long, and represented "culture and tourism" mixed with "our customs and traditions of Vélez-Málaga and Torre del Mar".

Soler explained that the ingredients included "50 litres of cinnamon and aniseed syrup, 250 litres of special vegetable cream for the high temperatures and 80 kilos of hazelnut cream" and pointed out that those with allergies needed to know that it contained "gluten, lactose, eggs, nuts and soya".

A queue of people eager to get a glimpse and of course a slice of Soler's giant creation formed in the area near the town's blue and white lighthouse ahead of the cutting of the cake.

Deputy mayor of Torre del Mar, Jesús Pérez Atencia, described the cake as "a unique work to give colour and also flavour to Friday afternoon."