Connecticut Cake Competition Part 2

The 2013 Connecticut Cake Competition was two jammed packed days of cake fun.  Seriously.

Since the competition is open to the public (as well as experts in the cake world) there were loads of vendors at the competition with the latest and greatest cake products, tools, gadgets and services.  One of the tables that attracted a lot of attention was the Lincoln Culinary Institute.  Their table displayed the most beautiful chocolate sculpture created by their program manager.

Native American Indian with Wolf Headdress

by Francine Bove CEPC

Isn't the detail unreal?  I think displaying Chef Francine's work at the Connecticut Cake Competition was the most brilliant thing the Lincoln Culinary Institute could have done to attract potential students.

Sugarpaste, also had an impression booth.  Sugarpaste has an online store specializing in anything a cake decorator could dream of.  They even have their own brand of "crystal" colors (petal dusts aka food coloring in a powder form used to create life-like color on flowers and 3D forms).  Their table made me feel like a kid in a candy store!  I absolutely go crazy for anything having to do with color!  Maybe that's why my husband refuses to go to the paint store with me... or the pen/marker aisle for that matter...  I could spend hours looking at this stuff :)

Sugarpaste's table at the Connecticut Cake Competition

Another vendor at the show was One Bite Sweet along with Fondarific.  One Bite Sweet facilitates classes with some of the greatest experts and masters in the industry.

*Updated 3/19/2013: 

One Bite Sweet's display table featured a modeling chocolate sculpture from one of Kaysie Lackey's students, Alev.  

Alev 's sculpture titled, "Blown Away Betty" was actually created at Mother of Cakes Sugar & Cake Academy in Lehigh Valley Pennsylvania under the instruction of Kaysie Lackey and sponsored by Fondx Fondant.  

Chocolate Sculpture created by Alev under the instruction of Kaysie Lackey

I love the expression on her face, the details in her jacket and the delicateness of her dress.

Kaysie's creates her work using an armature which creates a gravity defying effect.  I really love the whimsical feel of her work.  So fun :)

Want a chance to learn from the great Kaysie Lackey?  Visit Mother of Cakes for more information on Kaysie's gravity defying classes starting October 2013. 

Amidst all of the fun tables to visit and interesting people to cake experts to talk to the show also offered a variety of different classes and demos you could take advantage of.  They offered classes geared to every age group and skill level.

We ran across the information for an angry birds cookie decorating class for kids :)  I know the kids in my family would have loved that (right Ben and Jacob?)!

The class Chris and I attended (did I mention my wonderful husband spent the entire weekend doing the cake thing with me?  He is an angel!) was the Chocolate Sculpting demo by Vanessa Greeley.

Gotta have my Starbucks for the demo!

My wonderful husband, Chris and I enjoying the show :)

Chef Greeley's demo consisted of her sharing her insight on creating her chocolate sculpture, 

"Lady Chocolat"

Lady Chocolat by Vanessa Greeley

The demonstration was informative (although there was slight technical difficulties with the computer/projector) and I picked up a few tricks which is always great!

The main thing to remember when working with chocolate is that it is extremely heavy!  Chef Greeley walked us through her design and construction process.  She estimated that the bust of the chocolate alone was close to 20 pounds.

Chef Greeley doing her chocolate thing...

I love when you meet people in the industry that are willing to show you their secrets... why should everyone have to reinvent the wheel!?  Right?!  Chef Greeley has been around the block when it comes to the chocolate world and even showed us how to make our own chocolate molds using acetate.  Where was she when I was in culinary school creating my giant chocolate sculpture?  It would have been so helpful back then :)

Chef Greeley explained how she used this type of a mold to create another one of her awe inspiring designs.

Here's a better quality image of that design...

Chocolate is such an interesting medium to work with because despite it being rather heavy and capable of being very strong, it can also be extremely delicate and fragile.  I think this contrast of characteristics is demonstrated really beautifully by Chef Greeley's piece.

Overall, it was a great cake-filled weekend!  

The Connecticut Cake Show treated us well and I'm happy to have been a part of the 2013 show :)

CAKE MECHANIC

Connecticut Cake Competition Part 1

This past weekend I entered and attended the Connecticut Cake Competition in Hartford, Connecticut.  My husband and I frequently venture out to Connecticut (as my husband grew up there and has family in Rowayton) but I never had an excuse opportunity to travel all the way out to Hartford… until now.

We decided to make a weekend of it since it is just over a two-hour drive from NYC to Hartford.  We rented a massive SUV and loaded up the cake and we were on the road.  Unfortunately, we got somewhat of a late start and hit traffic (Murphy’s Law) so we didn’t make it to Hartford until the middle of the night.  When we finally made it to the hotel and it was really cold.  Like really reaaaaallllly cold.  I knew we were getting up in just a few hours to take my dummy cake to the convention center but I (being the worrier that I am) couldn’t stand the thought of leaving my poor little gigantic cake in the car.  So we ended up checking in, dropping our bags and finally asked the front desk clerk if we could borrow their cart to get something out of the car.  Long story short, I guess there was a dog show across the street that weekend as well… and they thought we were bringing our dog in from the car… in a cardboard box.  Really?!  Ay yi yi…  We didn’t realize the miscommunication until check out when we noticed the “pet fee” and we put two and two together.   

I digress.

This marks the 6th annual Connecticut Cake Competition.  The competition took place at the Hartford  Marriott Downtown.  It was a great hotel... spacious, new, and even had a Starbucks in the lobby (me= in heaven).  

Me and my awesome "Exhibitor" badge.
Chris was jealous.  All he got was a paper bracelet :)

The Competition was organized so that Saturday was the judging day and no names were displayed on any cakes.  On Sunday the winners were announced and prizes were awarded.  Both days vendors were sampling and selling the latest and greatest stuff pertaining to the cake world and classes/demos were offered on different skills and techniques (more on that later). 

My cake in all its "anonymity" glory

"in progress" detail shot of piping and brush embroidery 

"stand by your cake" shot

The show theme was SUGAR FIESTA!  Since this was my first show, I assumed (a bit naively I admit) that I thought the other wedding cakes would be well, wedding-y.

I was wrong...

Grand Prize: Wedding Cake Division

Bryson Perkins

Can't you just hear the Mariachi music playing in your head?  These "Sugar Fiesta" cakes definitely made me miss my hometown of Tucson, Arizona.  I grew up 30 minutes from the Mexico border and I know folks back home would have gone bonkers over these cakes!

First Place: Wedding Cake Division

Kim Simons

how cool is using a barrel cactus as the support between tiers?

In the wedding cake division, you had somewhat of a choice of how you could decorate your cake.  Every entry had to display 3 of the following characteristics:

                                             A minimum of two (2) Bright Festive Colors

                                                            Two types of flowers

                                             “Extension” designs in any sugar medium

                                                            Lace designs

                                             Brush Embroidery technique a pattern design

                                                            An accompanying Groom’s Cake

To decorate my cake, I used 2 bright festive colors, 2 types of flowers and brush embroidery.  Hats off to my other competitors who made accompanying groom's cakes.

by Jennifer Ramos 

I just love the terra cotta fruit bowl Groom's cake.  So clever!

Groom's Cake by Jennifer Ramos

  Unfortunately, this person left Sunday before I could catch her name, but I loved her Groom's Cake.  Sombrero and Maracas!?  Nailed it!  It was a sugar fiesta, indeed!

The Connecticut Cake Competition also had other divisions ranging from a youth division (and let me tell you that as a former Art Teacher some of those cakes were questionable if the kid made the whole thing themselves... I'm just saying...) to foreign techniques to a chocolate division.  There were quite a collection of amazing cakes and creative designs!

One of personal favorites was the Piñata cake.  I wish I would have thought of it!  Notice the cake is actually hanging from the tree :)

Isn't it soo cute?!  Don't you just want to cuddle the cute little piñata...
is that weird to think about a cake that way? 

 Although the little Piñata cake wasn't the "most impressive" cake in the show, I couldn't help but going back to it and taking more pictures... stalker evidence below...

don't judge me and my love for the Piñata cake!

Another awesome cake in my book was the Donkey and Rat cake by Allison Winslow.

I was taking a picture of the back of the Donkey cake but you can see people in the background checking out my cake.  Yeah!  Yeah!

Other favorites:

Foreign Methods.

Special Occasion Cake: Linda Braun

"The Morning After" at the Roach Motel... Who thinks these things up?!

Nike Shoe and Box by Lauren Frazer

"Sugar Fiesta" Show Theme Cake by Stephanie Stevens

How cute is the donut shaking the maracas!?
That's something I never thought I'd say...

The winner of the weekend was Bryson Perkins who created the award winning wedding cake, and two amazing chocolate plastique sculptures. 

Bryson standing next to his show winning Iguana

Connecticut Cake Competition Grand Prize Winner: 

Bryson Perkins

Can you believe that Iguana is chocolate?!

Carmelo Oquendo from Next Great Baker on TLC dropped by to hand out highest honors.

And I decided to make some new friends...

Carmelo and me

...and visit an old one :)

Colette Petters and me

Colette Peters was a vendor and teacher at the Connecticut Cake Competition.  I was lucky enough to complete an externship with her last year and let me tell you, I owe her a lot.  She has been in the business forever and has so much knowledge and information to share.  Besides having the skills and know how to kick butt in the cake world she also has the best stories and has an awesome sense of humor :)

I'm so glad I had the opportunity to catch up with Colette at the show because she is busier than ever traveling the globe teaching the leading cake experts her craft, selling her books and developing her own line of cutters, molds and cake tools.

To learn more about Colette's teaching schedule, books and tools visit www.colettescakes.com  You won't be sorry! 

Collette Peters and myself next to my cake

The weekend was busy and jam-packed.  My Wedding Cake ended up with a Second Place ribbon which is respectable for my first competitive cake show.

That's all for now.  Stay tuned for Connecticut Cake Competition Part 2 :)

I'll leave you with one question:  If you had to create a Sugar Fiesta Cake, what would it look like?

Discuss...