In honour of its 5th year of existence, my church had a "hoe-down" tonight. A "hoe-down" is an American Southwest thing... typically it's a massive gathering of friends and family in an outdoor setting, complete with food (usually grilled items and chili, as well as pot-luck style items), games, dancing, and music. Like a barbecue or picnic. One of the events of this hoe-down was a pie and cake bake-off, essentially a pastry competition.

Last week I asked if there are any rules to the bake-off. The reply was that there are no rules. Bake to impress. Naturally, I was hesitant to enter, having a significant advantage over any competitor in the presentation judging. But eventually I got talked into it. I entered this:



The type of cake should be self-evident. And yes, that's a lady bug hanging out on the one stem.

It turned out I had a meeting to go to (mandatory for all coffee shop employees -- "Espresso 101"), so I didn't make it to the hoe-down till about halfway through. I had a friend be my proxy, and present the cake for judging on my behalf. By the time I was able to get there, the cake had been completely annihilated. All that was left was the cake board, some "soil" (pulverized "creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies" -- I had a lot of fun pounding them with a solid maple rolling pin), and the pot itself.

I'd done this type of carrot cake presentation before, but not to this level of sophistication. I suppose this is now my signature "fancy-pants" carrot cake presentation. This iteration features a fondant covering for the "carrot" part, and flower paste for the stems and lady bug. Internal structural supports of 18-gauge floral wire allowed the stems to stand straight up. The cake is 99% edible, with the other 1% being the structural supports. In a way, this was a melding of engineering and culinary arts.



Oh yeah, I took 1st Place. The prize was a silicone spatula and an apron from William-Sonoma (both very nice items), though unfortunately I wasn't there to accept them. It was all a lot of fun. :-)


UPDATE: 29 Aug 2005, 10:47: Also, apparently there was some debate as to whether I should be allowed to enter. I bet I get banned as a competitor next year, and be relegated to judging. That's no fun. ;-)

¶ 9:37 PM