Grenada Cake Wars Quarter Finals Report: 'It's personal'
When you hear the word WAR, fierce automated guns, flying bullets, people ducking behind walls, jumping over hedges or playing dead like fainting goats just to survive, comes to mind. Add CAKE in front of it, and you might be waiting for a deadly flour fight to break out.
Well you got part of it right. It is a fight...bakers and decorators battling it out in the kitchen to find out who's the real Cake General. It's the first of its kind in Grenada. Showcasing the talents of eight cake decorators, clawing to the finish line. Welcome to Grenada Cake Wars.
Saturday 10th October, 2015 all 8 contestants gathered at the Hospitality Wing of the local community college, TAMCC, filled with anxiousness and excitement for the first round of competition. The rules were simple: Present a locally-flavoured, naked cake with sample cupcakes. You see, submissions were based on pictures of the baker's previous work but now we needed to know...Can they actually bake?
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| Photo by Scott Story |
My people, there was no doubt that the room was bursting with talent. With preparations undergoing, a whir of cake mixers hummed and delicious fragrances filled the air as the bakers dug into their arsenal of ingredients. It was like Sunday afternoon baking on steroids, even down to the fact that you couldn't dip a naughty finger into the bowls for a little taste. I know because I tried. Every one seemed to have a secret weapon; no batter looked the same.
Over at the corner was the youngest participant of the competition, Ashphil Robinson and man, was she organized.
With a zen set-up like she had, there was no doubt that she had things under control. Pretty soon, she was busy whipping up a vanilla marble cake of beautiful fairy colours. And yes the Sprite you see there was part of the recipe. How cool is that?
On Ashphil's flank was Teckla preparing a flavour that we all know and love, Maraschino Cherry Cake. She some how still managed to squeeze in a celebrity appearance. Talk about calm under pressure.
Or great minds think alike. LOL! Also on the menu were TWO carrot cakes and TWO rum and raisin cakes. This meant TWO things: someone was going to be compared and someone was going to come out on top. These four bakers definitely had the challenge of finding ways to stand out among the competition.
Also making a party of the competition was Lorneth's creative choice of Piña Colada Cake, a mix of pineapple chunks, cream of coconut and Special Dark Rum.
Keeping her head down but working as busy as a bee was Sheena with an Orange Blossom cake. They always say, watch the quiet ones and with her it was no different.
Soon the cakes were going in the oven and the bakers were getting their plate settings ready. Things literally started to get heated as the sharing of ovens had to be arranged. Was it heated enough for a flour fight? Haha, of course not. Remember the theme, ' Where family and creativity meet' so our ladies and one gentleman kept it friendly.
While the baking took place, the contestants took the time to decorate their plates and prepare the frosting that they would use after the judges had their taste.
I was very impressed with Natalia's use of fondant for plating, an ingredient that is great for impressive and realistic presentations like these carrots.
I have to start by saying I have a soft spot for soft, moist cakes. That being said the Pina Colada, really hit that spot for me. The scent of pineapple and coconut hit my nose before the cake touched my lips and this is important guys because flavour should also be an aromatic experience. And the amount of rum in this cake, it's like Larneth told me, 'This isn't a virgin Piña Colada". RESPECT to all the Special Dark drinkers out there.
However when it comes to cakes for decorating and this competition, the drier the better and this is coming straight from the horse's mouth so, contestants take note.
Ashphil's vanilla Marble cake, surprisingly didn't taste like soda and the finished product still managed to brown well. She may have been the youngest but she used it to her advantage by bringing innovation and great use of colour to the table.
Another moist favourite was Kellon's Carrot Cake and Shelly Ann's Rum and Raisin. With these two cakes, you immediately knew what you were eating. As commercial bakers, it was obvious that they knew how to meet the request of the customer.
And Ann-Marie's Rum and Raisin successfully showed that Superior Light can go up against Special Dark any day. And you don't need a rumbo to prove it. Not to mention that steady icing hand of hers. If she held a gun at me, I probably won't stand a chance, because she is one sharp shooter.
Sheena you blew me away with flavour AND presentation. Not only was this cake the right about of dry, but as I broke into cake, the delicate, subtle swirls of orange colour looked exactly like the hints of orange swirls that I could taste. Final decorations were well conceived and well thought-out. Your hard work paid off.
It was tough but the semifinalists were chosen by the knowledgeable panel of Ms. Bruno, Mr. Andrew, Ms. Bain. Kellon Maximay, Shelly Ramdeo, Teckla Sandy, Ann Marie Pilgrim, Sheena Gellineau and Larneth Solcombe will compete again this Saturday to see which 6 participants will be chosen for the big finale of the competition.
If you missed the first one, you better not miss the next one because the theme 'Once upon a cake' promises to stretch your imagination to its limits. Come support the bakers, decorators and the host Charanel Andrews as the battles continues at the Genada Youth Cente at 4 p.m.
+This week's Noteworthy participants:
Best decorated cake: Sheena Gellineau
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| Piña Colada batter |
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| Rum and Raisin batter |
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| Maraschino Cherry batter |
Over at the corner was the youngest participant of the competition, Ashphil Robinson and man, was she organized.
With a zen set-up like she had, there was no doubt that she had things under control. Pretty soon, she was busy whipping up a vanilla marble cake of beautiful fairy colours. And yes the Sprite you see there was part of the recipe. How cool is that?
On Ashphil's flank was Teckla preparing a flavour that we all know and love, Maraschino Cherry Cake. She some how still managed to squeeze in a celebrity appearance. Talk about calm under pressure.
Warning! There may be a spy in the mix...
Or great minds think alike. LOL! Also on the menu were TWO carrot cakes and TWO rum and raisin cakes. This meant TWO things: someone was going to be compared and someone was going to come out on top. These four bakers definitely had the challenge of finding ways to stand out among the competition.
Also making a party of the competition was Lorneth's creative choice of Piña Colada Cake, a mix of pineapple chunks, cream of coconut and Special Dark Rum.
Keeping her head down but working as busy as a bee was Sheena with an Orange Blossom cake. They always say, watch the quiet ones and with her it was no different.
Soon the cakes were going in the oven and the bakers were getting their plate settings ready. Things literally started to get heated as the sharing of ovens had to be arranged. Was it heated enough for a flour fight? Haha, of course not. Remember the theme, ' Where family and creativity meet' so our ladies and one gentleman kept it friendly.
While the baking took place, the contestants took the time to decorate their plates and prepare the frosting that they would use after the judges had their taste.
I was very impressed with Natalia's use of fondant for plating, an ingredient that is great for impressive and realistic presentations like these carrots.
And Sheena's home dried orange slices, genius.
But what you really want to know is, how did the cakes taste, right? I won't keep you waiting any longer.
However when it comes to cakes for decorating and this competition, the drier the better and this is coming straight from the horse's mouth so, contestants take note.
Ashphil's vanilla Marble cake, surprisingly didn't taste like soda and the finished product still managed to brown well. She may have been the youngest but she used it to her advantage by bringing innovation and great use of colour to the table.
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| Ashphil's Sprite Marble |
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| Kellon's Carrot Cake |
Shelly's final stroke of rum syrup clinched the win for this rum and raisin cake.
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| Shelly's Rum and Raisin |
Natalia's Carrot cake had a beautiful crumb with layers of citrus zest in between and chopped nuts below. I really enjoyed the flavours and texture that this carrot cake had to offer considering there was less carrot in the mix..
She also had one of the most level cakes in the entire competition. Kudos!!
And Ann-Marie's Rum and Raisin successfully showed that Superior Light can go up against Special Dark any day. And you don't need a rumbo to prove it. Not to mention that steady icing hand of hers. If she held a gun at me, I probably won't stand a chance, because she is one sharp shooter.
 |
It was tough but the semifinalists were chosen by the knowledgeable panel of Ms. Bruno, Mr. Andrew, Ms. Bain. Kellon Maximay, Shelly Ramdeo, Teckla Sandy, Ann Marie Pilgrim, Sheena Gellineau and Larneth Solcombe will compete again this Saturday to see which 6 participants will be chosen for the big finale of the competition.
If you missed the first one, you better not miss the next one because the theme 'Once upon a cake' promises to stretch your imagination to its limits. Come support the bakers, decorators and the host Charanel Andrews as the battles continues at the Genada Youth Cente at 4 p.m.
+This week's Noteworthy participants:
Most photogenic cake: Ashphil Robinson
Most creative plating: Natalia Holledauer
Best decorated cupcake: Teckla Sandy
Best decorated cake: Sheena Gellineau
Picture unavailable
Best tasting frosting: Sheena Gellineau
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