Comstock Chronicles: The Great 8th Grade Bake-Off

It was a success!

Thanks to the help of nine parents, two willing kitchen helpers, three serious judges, one flexible youth pastor, a baking fanatic, and my supportive family, we have successfully pulled off the Great 8th-grade Bake-off.

We had 9 contestants. We used over 15 tubs of store-bought frosting. And they had 2 hours to layer, cover, and decorate cakes. Most of these girls had never decorated a cake, so I’m proud of them for trying something new. We set up in the Joy Hall kitchen of our church and boy did we make a mess: knives, spatulas, platters, sprinkles, fruit, melting chocolate, fondant, rolling pins, food coloring, candy, and frosting.

The girls each brought their cakes cooked and cooled in their parchment-paper-lined tins. For the first hour, they carved, layered, and applied a base layer of frosting. While they worked, they chatted about how they’d looked up recipes and watched YouTube videos for ideas.

At the start of the second hour, I gave a piping demonstration from everything I learned watching YouTube videos. A dear neighbor-friend, Joanne Clark, had donated a variety of piping tips and a big box of piping bags, that I’d experimented with the week prior. Gosh, piping frosting can get complicated!

Next, the girls mixed up their colors and went to town. Check out the results.

Not bad, huh? When they’d finished, they put their cakes on a judging table behind a number. Then we set out a snacky dinner for the girls to eat while parents arrived. I enjoyed watching parents trying to figure out which cake was their daughter's.

Next came judging. Thank you, Eric and Josie Oldenburg and Joseph Risser for tasting so many cakes. These judges took their job very seriously. First, they assessed the decorations, then they sliced each one and tasted them. Such hard work! Some girls had mixed sprinkles into their frosting, Others had layered with jam or fruit. While the judges judged, the rest of the girls tasted each other’s cakes.

While the judges went outside to deliberate, I took a bite of each of their samples and was surprised at how different each one tasted. I seriously thought they’d all taste the same but they didn’t. One had a hint of lemon. Another a bit of spice. Another a crunch of sprinkles.

Finally, we announced the winners! While everyone received a prize only one girl won Judges’ Overall Favorite. That prize went to the cherry blossom cake. That’s the second row, far right above.

I couldn’t have made this day happen without my two helpers Serena Guerrero and Emma Imes. They did all the cleanup. These two gals worked the entire time the judges were judging. Phew! We sure did make a mess.

If I were to do this again, I would give the girls an extra 30 minutes to decorate. I would also bring fewer decorating supplies and only award the top 3 cakes to make judging easier. Lastly, I would remember to eat a slice of cake because I’m seriously annoyed with myself for forgetting to do this. Gosh! Now I need to make a cake at home to satisfy my craving awakened by writing this blog.

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