bake my cake 2012 – group 1

UPDATE! Winner declared! Eliza’s Bedecked Strawberry Donut Hole Cake dominated in the polls with just over 50% of the vote. Congrats, Eliza! See you in The Finals…

Brace yerselves! Here is the first grouping of cakes in the inaugural year of Bake My Cake. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed…

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fiona’s spring fling cake

Fiona’s cake was the first to hit my inbox. I did a victory lap and then high fived myself. Fiona has a lovely blog: Big Hungry Gnomes. Also, just so you know, Fiona lives in England, which means she watches cookery programmes, eats takeaway curry and fairy cakes, and is very sophisticated. She probably hangs with Jamie Oliver.

Fiona confessed that this cake was actually “… a spring themed birthday cake for my Granny’s 84th birthday.” And dudes? That’s totally fine by me. I mean, I bet Granny and I will be celebrating our birthdays in similar ways: spending a little time with the family, perhaps partaking of an aqua fit class, and then settling down with a cuppa to watch Coronation Street… good times.

Look at that cake! I’m in love with the daffodils – look how they come out from the sides of the cake like they’re bursting forth from the earth! And those little birds are rockin’ my world. I wanna bite one of their heads off. The colour scheme is just right. Did you see the little line of frosting beads at the bottom of the cake? FYI, Fiona has been going to sugar crafting classes. That means she takes sugar almost as seriously as I do. Just sayin’.

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dee’s dirty d&d cake

Our second entry comes from Dee over at Deelicious Sweets. She sent the following message with her entry:

Hey woman! I made you a cake. There’s no super fancy decorations because I just don’t have the patience to decorate a cake when I’m just going to stuff my face with it. To make up for the lack of decorations though I made it better than sex.

This is the cake that I served my DnD buddies when they came over Friday night. I asked them, “Well, what’s the verdict?  Is it better than SEX?” As you can imagine this conversation lasted quite a while. There was much contemplation, argumen-tation and consumption-tation. For some of us who like to indulge it took three pieces to come to a decision. There were the quickie decision makers who decided within minutes. And there were those who held out and made a decision after about a half hour or so. It was decided that this cake is better than SOME SEX. “It all depends on the partner” was the final verdict. You should make this cake and decide for yourself!

Dee’s cake theory is much like that of those who don’t make their beds in the morning: why bother when you’re just going to mess it up again? Also, did you pause when you read the phrase: DnD buddies? Because I did. I immediately went to her blog to confirm that she was indeed talking about Dungeons & Dragons. Confirmed, people. So, I guess this explains a little more about why Dee didn’t actually decorate her cake. She’s too busy leading a double life as Andraste, Eladrin superstar. Cripes. On the plus side, I didn’t think that people who play DnD knew anything about sex, which means there’s hope for geeks everywhere.

That being said, I’d actually like to bury my face in that cake. It’s drizzled with sweet, syrupy goodness. Plus, any true movita fan can tell you that I adore toasted coconut – and I spy some toasted coconut on the top of Dee’s creation. And also, there’s a layer of pudding on that cake! Sweet cheesus. That photo makes the cake look positively angelic. Except for the word sex scribbled across the bottom.

(If you’d like the recipe for this little number, head on over to Dee’s place by clicking here!)

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patty’s drool-worthy chocolicious cake

Next to hit my inbox was this decadent treat from Patty. She sent the following message along with her entry:

My name is Patty D., and I’m from the state of Wisconsin. I thought a long time about what to make for this contest. (Maybe a little too long….) But since I’m also turning 40 (maybe) this May, I finally went with something that just seemed perfect for this birthday. Something a little… decadent. A little rich. Something that says “I deserve every bit of wonderful that’s coming my way!” A chocolate-chocolate cake, with my own homemade chocolate buttercream and plenty of flowers, dusted with a little cocoa on top. Admit it – you’re drooling just a bit thinking about it, no? 

 Anyway – enjoy your virtual cake for your real birthday!  And may lots of wonderful come your way!

You’re right, Patty. We deserve this. You buttercreamed the crap outta this cake. Let’s punch 40 in the throat, shall we?

This cake is epic. Look at those buttercream flowers! People, those aren’t easy to make. (Trust me.) And look at the swirled details running along the top and bottom of the cake! That sucker looks like it is jam packed with chocolate. See that picture taken during the construction phase? Chocolate-chocolate! I’M STARTING TO YELL! This cake is old-school. It’s a classic. Who wouldn’t want a cake just like this on her birthday?

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eliza’s bedecked strawberry donut hole cake

Eliza sent the following note with her entry:

Eliza 

Is there anything left to say? I think I’ve read Eliza’s description twenty times. It makes me salivate.

This cake sparkles. This cake shines. There are strawberries in there. And vanilla pastry cream! It has strawberry glaze dripping over the sides. It looks really, really tall. IT HAS DONUT HOLES ON IT. (Did you see the flower on top?) Mother of pearl: IT HAS DONUT HOLES ON IT. This woman gets me. And I loves her for it. Enough said.

(You can see more from Eliza on her blog: Pastries and Pairs!)

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There you have it! The Group 1 contenders. Get yer vote on…

Votes must be cast by 8 am Atlantic Standard Time (7 am EST), Monday, April 30. The winner from this heat will proceed to the final round of voting on Tuesday, May 1st. For more on how the voting is gunna go down, click here.

Hey! Don’t forget to cast your vote in the Group 2 heat! And then come back on Monday to vote for the competitors in Group 3 and Group 4.