I entered both a cake and cupcakes. I misunderstood the entry and thought there were two separate competitions. It also turned out that it wasn't actually a cake decorating contest, just a cake contest. My entries weren't judged on their looks, but on their taste.
Here's what my "All I Want for Christmas is Chocolate!" cake looked like:
I must say, I was so happy with how it came out and I'm thrilled to have it in my portfolio! There's an album of in-progress pictures here.
What did it taste like? Theoretically, like Holiday Chocolate Cake with Italian Cream Filling; a rich, dense cake, the batter generously laced with melted chocolate, torted and filled with a lovely mixture of pastry cream and mascarpone cheese with walnuts and mini chocolate chips, frosted with my Rich Fudge Buttercream, otherwise known as the best chocolate frosting you've ever had. Alas, the judges thought it was too dense, and it came in fourth.
What about the cupcakes? "Cookies and Milk for Santa Cupcakes"; chocolate chip cookie cupcakes, redolant with brown sugar, filled with the Rich Fudge Buttercream that was on the cake and frosted with "Ermine Frosting". This frosting was originally used for Red Velvet cake. It's silky smooth, milky, buttery and not too sweet. It reminds me of soft vanilla ice cream.
Presented with a red and white theme, on a cute Christmas cake stand...
...baked in red liners with swirls of white polka dots...
...and adorned with chocolate Santa hats.
Here they are on display at the festival:
All in all a great experience that I'd do again in a heartbeat!
Thanks for reading along on my journey!
