SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
There is perhaps no better way to draw a huge winter crowd than to display massive cakes and bright red underwear, and this is exactly what happened at the Smokehouse Cafe in Ndilo, on Sunday afternoon.
Amelie Schwartz, 9, worked for three hours on her batch of chocolate sandwich cookies and said it was a rare and fun moment to enter into a baking contest. - Simon Whitehouse/NNSL photo
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Forty-one residents put their best baking skills to the test with 80 entries as part of the Greatest Baker contest. The competition was the first big promotional event of the carnival season leading up to the second annual Long John Jamboree, which runs from March 14 to 17.
Participants entered into seven different baking categories with one grand finale showdown. The results were simply delicious as one dessert after another poured into the main display room – three layered cakes depicting the seasonal changes of Yellowknife, plump swirly sticky buns, breads and truffles with bacon, and ancestral recipes brought in by various families.
Joanne Stassen won the grand prize with her lime basil macarons – a modified recipe that she received from her sister for Christmas two years ago.
"I was blown away by all the baking and how many talented people there are in Yellowknife," Stassen said. "So it was exciting to be picked and I was surprised because there were so many amazing things there. I think the judges had a very hard time."
She said the macarons took her about an hour to make and were quite simple, adding she has been baking more avidly only in the last few years.
As her prize, Stassen received a free trip for two with First Air as well as a dinner for four at the Smokehouse Cafe.
Talking with various bakers, it was clear the sources of inspiration varied. Tai Blake, who won in the cupcake category, entered two very attractive samples, but it was her Smores Cupcakes that won her the category.
"I had first made smores cupcakes last summer when there was a fire ban on," Blake explained. "I was craving cupcakes at the time and the idea came to me to put a few ingredients together like graham crackers, marshmallows, frosting and caramel."
Over at the pie table, judges Brent Reaney and Nancy MacNeill were bemoaning the difficulty of their decisions.
"I really didn't know what to expect, but the number of entries, the quality, and the level of skill has made this an awesome event," said Reaney. "The thing about pies is that the recipes are often tried and tested, whereas with something like cupcakes, if you compete, you are unlikely to run up against Grandma's cupcakes. It puts more weight on the judges' shoulders."
Ultimately the top prize in that category went to the classic apple pie by Margaret Melhorn, which Reaney and MacNeill noted had "a great crust" as well as a very tasty filling.
Participants varied in ages, including three who were under 12. Eleven-year-old Holly Knutson put together 24 "Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting." Judges said she won due to "the unique taste" as well as the presentation of a smaller cupcake mounted on some of her bigger ones.
"I made them by myself and decided to put little cupcakes on top of the bigger ones," she explained, adding she likes to bake often, especially for her friends. "I made the cupcakes last night and put the cream cheese on this morning."
Organizers are currently in the planning stages of putting together at least two more promotional events leading up to the jamboree itself, including a trivia contest and a pep-rally-style party.
