County Fair 2013 Entries - A Cake and Cupcakes

Fair time again! Back to twenty-five entries in 4-H, twenty-five entries in School Exhibits, and around 10 in other open departments! Why twenty-five? It's the maximum for the department! I would do more if I was allowed. ;)

Anyway, this year there were some new classes, one of which was decorated cupcakes! (Of course, I didn't see the new class for decorated cakes until after preregistrations were due... oh, well, next year!) I immediately had the idea for a campfire s'mores cupcake - a chocolate cake with marshmallow buttercream frosting with a campfire decoration. I made fire by melting down crushed cinnamon and butterscotch candies in the oven, and breaking them apart into triangles to use as fire. The logs are pretzel rods broken in half, and I roasted the mini marshmallow with a kitchen torch, also burning the top of the toothpick for some character. Unfortunately, the judges didn't taste the cupcakes since they were entered as decorated - they were delicious!

Here are some photos of the tiny campfires:

 

 

I only had one other competitor, and this person stuck a gingerbread man cookie into the cupcake, that was all. I won first place! :)

 

 

 

The other edible art I entered into the fair was a PA Preferred chocolate cake. To be PA Preferred means it was grown/raised in Pennsylvania. You can visit the website here:

 

I entered a chocolate cake with chocolate icing, with a piped chocolate PA Preferred logo on top. I thought it tasted amazing, and that the chocolate logo would at least give me a few points for creativity. Unfortunately, I didn't place. I suppose there were just too many entries. Here are some photos of my cake:

 

 

 

 

That's all the edible art for this year's fair. Maybe next year there will be more!