She was in the kitchen on Friday baking a replica of the iconic Shine Dome as part of the PANDSI Mini-Bake Off fundraisers for Perinatal Depression and Anxiety Awareness Week, which ends on Saturday.

PANDSI - Post and Ante Natal Depression Support and Information Inc - has been encouraging workplaces and groups to host their own mini cake-offs for the week. Perinatal refers to pregnancy and the year following birth.

PANDSI held a wildly successful fundraising day earlier this year with participants baking cakes from the Australian Women's Weekly birthday cake recipe book. The Canberra-based group now plans to publish its own cookbook later in the year.

Brodtmann said she wanted to be part of the mini bake-off because she had friends who had suffered post-natal depression. Her coffee cake will be donated to a silent auction to raise funds for PANDSI, with the event at its Weston Creek HQ between 10am and noon on Saturday.

"Too many Canberrans are suffering with perinatal depression and anxiety in silence, fearing their symptoms mean they're bad parents," she said.

Brodtmann chose the Shine Dome because she loved the Australian Academy of Science and the building's architect, Sir Roy Grounds. And it was, kind of, cake-shaped.

"No, I haven't done anything this ambitious before and it has been challenging," she said, with a laugh.

PANDSI supports more than 300 local families a year, through telephone support, group support, exercise sessions, on-site child care, playgroups, dad's info sessions and community education.