Cake Contest Runners-Up

Back in June, my friend and I boldly decided to join our first cake decorating contest. It was hosted by our local Michaels store, where we had met at the Wilton Cake Decorating classes.

The theme for the contest was revealed only two days prior to the actual contest day. It was "Four Seasons." We brainstormed and agreed that we would cover our cake with fondant, then stick with a simple design that would show the four seasons in four tree branches spread out evenly around the cake.

The rules said we could have 25% of our final decorations pre-made at home, so my friend started making the cherry blossoms out of gumpaste which she dusted with pink shimmer dust. Edible, of course. We had 3 hours to work on our cake. The teams were scattered throughout the store so that nobody could spy on each other's work.

I rolled out the branches from fondant and shaped the summer and autumn leaves. The autumn leaves were cut and shaped by hand, not by a leaf-shaper. Hand-painted with icing color, as well.

I handpiped the winter snowflakes with royal icing. My friend molded a snowman with a scarf as a topper for the winter part of the cake.

There were four teams altogether, and the cake on the right won first place. The intricate icing work earned them the most points. The cake to the left won 2nd place. Ours was the smallest cake compared to the rest that it looks like it might stand perfectly on a fireplace mantel. Turns out we were supposed to make a three-tier cake, but our copy of the rules never said that.

We were First Runners-Up, which essentially meant last place, but the experience itself made us winners in our right. And hey, my friend and I each got this cool fondant-cutting tool set from Wilton as consolation prize.

My teammate who's a mother of two reportedly had her son tell her before leaving for the contest that if we win, he will hug her. And if we didn't, he will give her a BIGGER hug.

When she went home that night and told him the news, her son gave her a really big hug.

And it was the sweetest thing.