Whoever coined the term “piece of cake” to describe something easy probably never went to a cake-decorating contest.
Extravagant underwater scenes and towering colorful creations lined tables at the fifth annual Sweet Times in the Rockies sugar art show Saturday during the Colorado Garden & Home Show at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.
While many of the cakes went with the “Under The Sea” theme, Nancy Gilchrist of Evergreen tried to evoke a little nostalgia with her entry. Her cake depicted a camping scene complete with a trailer, a fire pit and a dog running off with the s’mores — all as Grandpa sleeps in his chair, fishing pole in hand.
“I like to put a little humor into my cakes,” said Gilchrist, who spent several weeks working on her entry. “I try to make people smile, and one of my favorite childhood memories was camping with my grandparents. I think when people see the cake, it evokes some memories.”
The contest, also running today, is hosted by the Colorado chapter of International Cake Exploration Societe. Decorators could enter their creations in several divisions, including a kids division (entries in that field included everything from a scene out of the “Three Little Pigs” to a basketball fan’s recreation of his NCAA March Madness bracket).
Because the cakes had to be on display for two days, decorators were allowed to use Styrofoam as the base, but real frosting or edible paint had to be used, and the design had to be workable on a real cake.
Gilchrist said that she has been fascinated with cakes since her childhood.
“When I was little we were very poor, but I got to pick out one cake on my birthday when I was 7,” Gilchrist said. “I was just blown away by the cakes that I saw in the windows, and ever since then I’ve been dabbling in cake decorating.”
While the foam cakes were more for show and tell, there was also a tasting competition in which bakers had to make a cake using this year’s secret ingredients: pistachio flour and Amchur (mango) powder. Three judges then rated the cakes based on their taste and appearance.
Kate Wheeler, lead trainer at the Savory Spice Shop in Denver, has been judging the taste contest for three years.
“I love meeting the people, getting to see what people do with the ingredients,” Wheeler said. “I love seeing all of these cakes and everybody so enthusiastic.
“Plus eating cake isn’t too bad.”
Mitchell Byars: 303-954-1698 or mbyars@denverpost.com
