Loudoun Bakers Battle to Compete in State Fair

By Leah Carliner

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Jason Reaves, 24, is no stranger to baking competitions. A former member of 4-H, Reaves said as a teenager he would "clean out" his competitors, winning all kinds of ribbons, including one for a bread contest.

But on Saturday Reaves, now a pastry chef at Market Salamander, stood on the other side of the table as one of the judges for the Loudoun County Fair's chiffon cake contest.

Eight cakes were entered and Reaves, along with Market Salamander's chef de cuisine, Vaughn Skaggs, judged contestants' work behind closed doors based on several categories including flavor, moistness and creativity.

The cake contest is an annual installment at the county fair, and last year chefs competed for first-place pound cake. The top three winners move on to compete in the Virginia State Fair, where a first place cake can win $400.

Rachel Kelly, a reigning champion from the pound cake contest last year, tried out several chiffon cakes before she landed on the one she entered titled, "Orange You Delicious Chiffon Cake."

Photo Gallery

Chiffon Cake Contest

Photo: 0/1

« Previous | Next »

Larger Version

From left, contest winners Diana Hott, Debra Arthur and Elanore Meredith stand around their award winning cakes. (Leah Carliner)

Larger Version

Jason Reaves, left, and Vaughn Skaggs, right, try one of the cakes from Saturday's chiffon cake contest. Both are chefs at Market Salamendar at judged the competition in a sealed room. (Leah Carliner)

Larger Version

Leah Macswain's Hazelnut Chiffon Cake with mocha icing (Leah Carliner)

Larger Version

The Orange You Delicious Chiffon Cake, center, baked by Rachel Kelly (Leah Carliner)

Larger Version

Meredith Baker's Lemon Glazed Strawberry Chiffon Cake (Leah Carliner)

Larger Version

The Opening Meet Chocolate Cherry Chiffon Cake, baked by Debra Arthur. Arthur's cake took home the second place ribbon. (Leah Carliner)

Larger Version

Alyson Kirkpatrick's Nutty Mocha Chiffon Cake (Leah Carliner)

Larger Version

Elanore Meredith's blue ribbon Lemon Lime Chiffon Cake with seasonal berries (Leah Carliner)

Larger Version

Carol and Mike Sierra's Country Girl Strawberry Chiffon Cake (Leah Carliner)

Larger Version

Diana Hott's third place Lemon Blueberry Chiffon Cake (Leah Carliner)

View all thumbnails

"It was kind of dorky sounding," Kelly said about the name, "but it works."

On her quest to find a recipe that could churn out an award-winning smell and flavor, Kelly said she nixed several trial desserts including one made with peaches and another orange cake topped with homemade orange candies.

Kelly took home third place at last year's Virginia State fair for her pound cake, but went home empty-handed on Saturday.

"It's OK, you win some, you loose some," she said after the ribbons were announced.

The other cakes entered included a nutty mocha chiffon cake from Alyson Kirkpatrick, a lemon-glazed strawberry chiffon cake from Meredith Baker and a hazelnut chiffon cake with mocha icing from Leah Macswain.

A chiffon cake is made with whole eggs and usually vegetable oil and is known as a hybrid between a pound cake and an angel cake. Saturday's competition was sponsored by the Virginia Egg Council and required participants to use six large eggs.

Skaggs said the key to baking an award-winning chiffon cake is getting the perfect moister. Air wholes are common when baking a chiffon cake, Skaggs said, and is an easy way to slip up your dessert.

In the end, it was Eleanore Meredith's lemon lime chiffon cake with seasonal berries that won over the judges. Meredith, who had never made a chiffon cake before this contest, said she tried the recipe three times before she was satisfied.

"I grow a lot of berries and I think that berries and lemon lime go well together," she said about the inspiration for her blue ribbon cake.

Contestant Diana Hott manipulated the original 1927 chiffon cake recipe from Harry Baker to get her lemon blueberry chiffon cake. Hott said she had a hard time folding the batter gently and attempted the recipe several times before she landed on the one she entered, made with home-grown blueberries.

"I screwed up five out of six [times]," Hott said about her cake that took home the third place ribbon.

The second place ribbon went Debra Arthur in her first baking competition and her first attempt at a chiffon cake. Arthur said she tried her recipe out three times yesterday, but decided that her first attempt was the won worth entering under the title, "Opening Meet Chocolate Cherry Chiffon Cake.

While taking a picture of her ribbon-adorned cake on her iPhone, Arthur said she was excited to enter her cake into the state fair.

"Loudoun will be well represented," she said.

Tagged: food, loudoun county fair

Your Thoughts...

Are you happy that the school year is over?