Amateur cake and cupcake decorators dazzled the judges at this year’s Wilton Decorated Cake and Cupcake contest at the Washington State Fair with edible artistry.
Lydia Extein of Maple Valley, walked away with first place honors in both contests.
Extein was awarded first place and a prize of $100 in the cake division. Second place and $50 went to Kristen Orth of Tacoma, while third place and $25 was awarded to Dee Dee Fraga of Puyallup.
Extein also took first place in the cupcake division and was awarded $50. Mary Glaze of Auburn earned second place and $30, and Dena McLauchlin of Snoqualmie was awarded third place and $20.
The same recipe was used for both the cake and cupcakes by Extein. The recipe is as follows.
White Cake with Buttercream Frosting
Lydia Extein, Maple Valley
Cake
Cake ingredients:
1 1/3 cups water
3 eggs
½ cup butter
1 cup sour cream
1 package of Pillsbury or Betty Crocker White Cake Mix
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup and 2 Tbsp. cake flour
1/8 tsp. salt
Cake directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a mixing bowl, blend together water, eggs, butter, and sour cream.
3. Stir in cake mix, sugar, flour, and salt.
4. Pour mixture into prepared cake pan.
5. Follow directions on the box for the time to bake the cake, or until toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool on wire rack.
Buttercream Frosting
Buttercream frosting ingredients:
3 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup Crisco
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. almond extract
4 to 6 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup whole milk
Frosting directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, blend together butter, Crisco, vanilla, and almond extract until smooth.
2. Gradually blend in 3 cups of powdered sugar.
3. Add milk and mix well. Add remaining powdered sugar until consistency desired.
Cake Fondant
Fondant:
10 oz. marshmallow
3 Tbsp. water
4 to 6 cups powdered sugar
Directions:
1. In a saucepan, melt marshmallows in water.
2. Gradually add powdered sugar then knead until combined to right consistency.
Three cake entries stood out amongst all other competitors and earned the additional honor of the Special Best Cake Award. Judges made their final decisions based on taste, texture, appearance as well as originality. The winning recipes must have been unpublished and independently created by the contestants.
First place and $100 was awarded to Jami Gima of Maple Valley for her “Fallen Soufflé Chocolate Torte” recipe. Second place and $50 was awarded to BriAnne Waite of Shelton, and Aurolyn Lee of Seattle earned third and $25.
The winning recipe is as follows.
Fallen Soufflé Chocolate Torte
Ingredients:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter
8 egg whites
1/8 tsp. salt
3/4 cup sugar, divided
6 egg yolks
Powdered sugar for dusting
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325º.
2. Line bottom of springform pan with parchment paper and grease with cooking spray.
3. In double boiler, melt chocolate and butter. Set aside to cool.
4. In medium-sized bowl, whisk egg whites and salt until foamy. Mix on high while dusting
in 1/4 cup sugar until mixture becomes fluffy and stiff.
5. In separate bowl, whisk in egg yolks and remaining ½ cup sugar until pale in color. Fold
in chocolate mixture and egg whites. Mix well until light in color.
6. Spoon batter into prepared springform pan.
7. Bake for 35-45 minutes. Cake should be barely set with a low-slung, soft, and crusty top.
8. Cool for 15 minutes and dust with powdered sugar.
