County Fair Cake Entries
08-31-2024, 01:51 PM
#22
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Location: Mendocino Coast, CA
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I just took a look at the Culinary Department for my local fair (MN) and it does not specify anything about butter being used or not. So, it would be up to the judge if it became an issue.
We did have an uproar in the canning area this year as the judge opened the jars and a contestant was very angry. It is the judge's prerogative to open or not and to taste or not. I judge in other counties and I do not open jars from a food safety standpoint, but I do know that I can open them if I have concerns. This comes from a wonderful woman who I learned so much from about the Open Class department at fairs. She had once been at a fair and a jar of tomatoes were much too perfect. The jar was opened and the smell let them know it was canned in Formaldehyde. All because the contestant wanted a grand champion ribbon (they were disqualified from entering that fair ever again.)
Very much off topic but I have learned that there are some people that will do anything for a ribbon.
We did have an uproar in the canning area this year as the judge opened the jars and a contestant was very angry. It is the judge's prerogative to open or not and to taste or not. I judge in other counties and I do not open jars from a food safety standpoint, but I do know that I can open them if I have concerns. This comes from a wonderful woman who I learned so much from about the Open Class department at fairs. She had once been at a fair and a jar of tomatoes were much too perfect. The jar was opened and the smell let them know it was canned in Formaldehyde. All because the contestant wanted a grand champion ribbon (they were disqualified from entering that fair ever again.)
Very much off topic but I have learned that there are some people that will do anything for a ribbon.
08-31-2024, 02:12 PM
#23
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Updates on my cake progress...
I just tried Instant ClearJel in my cakes with mixed results. I swapped out 1 T of flour for ICJ and added 1 T water to my almond cake and it was very successful. I did so because after the first practice almond cake was made, the cake came out nice and moist the first day, but quickly dried out on the second day. Wah, wah. It needs to stay fresh because the judges don't do the judging until a day and a half after the cake is entered. The second cake that I made after adding the ICJ was moist the first day, but not gummy. The second day it was still very moist. Yay!!!
I also tried adding ICJ to the roasted pineapple filling of the toasted coconut cake. I added 1 T to a small amount of sugar, then into the already prepared filling so that it would mix in well. It immediately got super thick...too thick...super rubbery thick! Yikes! Luckily, I was able to add some additional water to the thick mixture and it became a nice consistency.
I have not tried adding ICJ to the coconut cake sponge yet. I've got to go get more eggs first. This ingredient is really intriguing. You can add it to cakes, pie fillings (fruit or cream,) whipped cream, cookies, candies...all kinds of things. It is tasteless, colorless, adds a nice shine to fruit fillings and a chewiness to cookies. It also helps keep things fresh longer than normal. All it is is modified corn starch, which is also one of the main ingredients in instant pudding.
I just tried Instant ClearJel in my cakes with mixed results. I swapped out 1 T of flour for ICJ and added 1 T water to my almond cake and it was very successful. I did so because after the first practice almond cake was made, the cake came out nice and moist the first day, but quickly dried out on the second day. Wah, wah. It needs to stay fresh because the judges don't do the judging until a day and a half after the cake is entered. The second cake that I made after adding the ICJ was moist the first day, but not gummy. The second day it was still very moist. Yay!!!
I also tried adding ICJ to the roasted pineapple filling of the toasted coconut cake. I added 1 T to a small amount of sugar, then into the already prepared filling so that it would mix in well. It immediately got super thick...too thick...super rubbery thick! Yikes! Luckily, I was able to add some additional water to the thick mixture and it became a nice consistency.
I have not tried adding ICJ to the coconut cake sponge yet. I've got to go get more eggs first. This ingredient is really intriguing. You can add it to cakes, pie fillings (fruit or cream,) whipped cream, cookies, candies...all kinds of things. It is tasteless, colorless, adds a nice shine to fruit fillings and a chewiness to cookies. It also helps keep things fresh longer than normal. All it is is modified corn starch, which is also one of the main ingredients in instant pudding.
08-31-2024, 02:14 PM
#24
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09-14-2024, 06:46 AM
#25
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So...I finished both cakes and delivered them on Wednesday. They were judged Thursday evening and the fair opened on Friday which was the soonest we could find out the results.
The coconut cake won a first place and the almond cake won a second! Yay! I was surprised because I didn't like my coconut cake (too sweet and dense) and the DH and I loved the almond cake...go figger. All in all, I'm thrilled with the results.
My dau also entered the baking category with a big jar of cookies and a couple of side entries of individual cookies. She won 1st with the jar, 1st with her chocolate ginger cookies and....drum roll...1st, plus best in division for her frosted blondies! She felt the same way about her big winners as I did about mine...she thought that the blondies came out terrible and almost didn't show them. You just never know what a judge will think.
The coconut cake won a first place and the almond cake won a second! Yay! I was surprised because I didn't like my coconut cake (too sweet and dense) and the DH and I loved the almond cake...go figger. All in all, I'm thrilled with the results.
My dau also entered the baking category with a big jar of cookies and a couple of side entries of individual cookies. She won 1st with the jar, 1st with her chocolate ginger cookies and....drum roll...1st, plus best in division for her frosted blondies! She felt the same way about her big winners as I did about mine...she thought that the blondies came out terrible and almost didn't show them. You just never know what a judge will think.
09-14-2024, 06:55 AM
#26
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I'm anxious to see what the judges notes say, but won't find out until Monday.
Funny thing...when I was dropping off my entries, a woman was parked in front of me dropping off hers. She stopped and gave me a long, hard stink eye. She must have stared at me for a good minute or two. Yikes! it's just a little county fair! Why the bad vibes? I didn't know her and didn't want to. I sincerely hope that she won a ribbon. Obviously the competition got to her.
Me...I don't worry about it. I'm only completing with myself and I'm just trying to improve my skills each year....but it was weird. I imagine that the bigger fairs have a fiercer competitive spirit.
Funny thing...when I was dropping off my entries, a woman was parked in front of me dropping off hers. She stopped and gave me a long, hard stink eye. She must have stared at me for a good minute or two. Yikes! it's just a little county fair! Why the bad vibes? I didn't know her and didn't want to. I sincerely hope that she won a ribbon. Obviously the competition got to her.
Me...I don't worry about it. I'm only completing with myself and I'm just trying to improve my skills each year....but it was weird. I imagine that the bigger fairs have a fiercer competitive spirit.
09-14-2024, 08:24 AM
#28
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Location: NW MN lake country
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Congratulations!! Looks like all you hard work has paid off again. Some people, like you, enter for the personal pleasure and others will enter only to win. Glad to hear you did so well as well as your daughter. Baking skills must be genetic. haha
09-15-2024, 02:40 AM
#29
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: New England, USA
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Congratulations!! I have a friend in VA that routinely enters the pie competition at the local fair and I always get a chuckle out of her comments about the other entries as well as the folks that make them - big competition over multiple years lol!
Ok - big question here - would you share recipes? They sound wonderful.
Ok - big question here - would you share recipes? They sound wonderful.
