Keisha Shakespeare-Blackmore, Staff Reporter
The winning entry by Natalee Ffrench. - photos by Keisha Shakespeare-Blackmore
FOOD commends all contestants who participated in the Blue Band Ultimate Christmas Cake Bake-off. We especially recognise those who travelled from rural parishes to participate. As we stated in the rules, presentation is a major factor and to drive home that point, next year, we will include a prize for that category.
As was explained by our chief judge Nancy McLean, hotel manager of the Jamaica Pegasus and a food and beverage specialist for years, measurement of ingredients is key. You could have the most elaborate list of ingredients and wind up with a cake that tastes awful.
So, if your cake oozed rivers of liquid once it was cut, or the icing just crumbled under the knife, or the middle sunk because it was mushy, or it needed more eggs per pound of mixture, or if your raisins and mixed peel were as large as river stones; or you used too many artificial flowers in your decoration - learn from your mistakes next time.
Pay attention to details such as:
Too hot or too cold oven
Too much or too little or too old baking powder
One spice dominating the flavour
Overuse of browning
Too little or too much rum.
For those of you who decorated cakes, get the latest cake decorating books and follow the modern trends in sugar designs. Today's cakes have clean lines and incorporate flowers, ribbons or other decorations from a theme rather than the once popular methods.
