Having their cake, and decorating it too

One nursery rhyme most children learn early on goes:

"Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man,

"Bake me a cake as fast as you can.

"Roll it, and prick it, and mark it with a ‘B’

"And put it in the oven for baby and me!"

Aside from being catchy and, of course, rhyming — it is after all a nursery rhyme! — I find the poem so apt, albeit on the simple side — in describing what Goldilocks, the country’s No. 1 bakeshop, aimed to achieve with its Second Intercollegiate Cake Decorating Challenge. Simply put, the object of the contest was to decorate cakes speedily and beautifully.

Following the enormously successful First Challenge last year and to cap a yearlong celebration of its 40th anniversary in 2006, Goldilocks, together with Avoset Pour N Whip Cream, once again sponsored the event to give college students a venue to showcase their creativity and talents. Goldilocks and Avoset wish to draw attention to our future pastry chefs and provide support to hotel and restaurant and/or culinary arts training at the school level.

After an initial round of judging, the top eight schools advanced to the finals. They were Centro Escolar University, DLSU-College of Saint Benilde, De La Salle University-Dasmariñas, Lyceum of the Philippines University, OB Montessori College, St. Anne College-Lucena, St. Scholastica’s College, and University of Santo Tomas.

The pre-contest activities included a hands-on training at the Goldilocks cake plant on Shaw Blvd., which gave the participants an opportunity to handle the actual equipment to be used on contest day. Eddy Chan and Lawrence Ee of Avoset were also present to guide the contestants on the best way to handle Avoset Pour N Whip Cream. An added bonus was the chance to see a true master of the craft at work. The internationally-acclaimed cake decorator Dien Tang flew in from Vietnam and met with the participants.

The competition rules this year were basically the same as last year’s, with one exciting twist. Previously, the teams were given two hours to decorate four base cakes (roll, round, rectangular and heart-shaped), but this year, the time limit was shortened to 90 minutes. A central supply bin was provided where all the teams could get the ingredients that were allowed to be used, namely, butter, sugar, and Avoset Pour N Whip Cream. Additionally, decorative materials like sprinkles, candies, toppers, and a complete array of sugar furnishings were also made available.

In order to ensure utmost creativity, Goldilocks likewise spared no detail in providing a comprehensive range of equipment and cake decorating tools. Teams had easy access to every imaginable apparatus they would need, including a full range of icing tips, savoy tubes, nozzles, and spatulas. For more elaborate designs, a chocolate burner and an airbrush station were also on hand.

It was my second year to be a judge in the contest, and I must say that I was again struck by the brilliance of the whole concept. Taking off from the hit TV show Iron Chef, it really is much more interesting to watch the participants at work in decorating the cakes than just simply seeing the finished product. The format not only works to excite the spectators, it teaches some very important lessons to the participants as well. Working under time pressure sharpens the efficiency, teamwork, and composure of the team members, which are qualities that will serve them well if they plan to pursue a career in food services.

I can safely say that the teams this year outdid themselves and pleasantly surprised not only us, the judges, but the crowds who were present at the Glorietta Activity Center that afternoon. Although I was quite amazed at the designs last year, this year’s finished products, pardon the pun, really took the cake. The teams showed a lot of creativity and imagination in visualizing and executing their original designs, resulting in cakes that were remarkably elaborate and visually captivating. I was also impressed by the variety and sophistication of ideas that these very young people displayed. Speaking not only as a judge but an educator, I am inspired and filled with confidence that the future of the baking industry in this country will be in the hands of such talented and committed individuals.

Someone once said, "The dessert crowns the dinner. To create a fine dessert, one has to combine the skills of a confectioner, a decorator, a painter, an architect, an ice-cream manufacturer, a sculptor, and a florist. The splendor of such creations appeals above all to the eye." Even with a four-member team, it is no mean feat to come up with an original and imaginative cake decoration, much less to do it four times and within 90 minutes to boot! Hats off to these students who accomplished this so well. All of them truly did their schools proud.

Unknown to many, however, there was another team on stage that faced a tremendous challenge: me and fellow judges Nana Ozaeta, editor-in-chief of F&B World and Baking Press; Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan; Eddy Chan of Avoset; and Pinky Yee of Goldilocks. During the deliberations, we found ourselves caught in the cliché of wanting them all to be winners. However, as in any contest, we had to choose the best among them.

This year, the following emerged victorious: De La Salle College of Saint Benilde won the Best in Roll Design award by creating a Chinese New Year-inspired masterpiece. This was topped with a majestic dragon made from — what else? — Avoset Pour N Whip. Lyceum of the Philippines took a graceful and elegant route in winning the Best in Heart Shaped Design award through its floral-inspired cake. St. Scholastica’s College created a geometric, technicolor work of art and bagged the Best in Round Cake Design award. Exhibiting what many considered to be the best work of the day, De La Salle College of Saint Benilde came up with a winner for the Best in Rectangular Cake Design, which took the form of a treasure chest overflowing with miniature toys. Once again, De La Salle College of St. Benilde took top honors, making them back-to-back overall winners.

To make the event more colorful, Goldilocks introduced some innovations to last year’s challenge. This year, simultaneous to the cake-decorating contest, there was a special whole-day exhibit of Goldilocks DIY (Do-It-Yourself) cookie houses assembled and decorated by several famous personalities, some of whom were on hand to personally examine their creations. The Goldilocks Cookie House Village, composed of 26 cookie houses and made by celebrities like Liz Almoro, Gretchen Barretto, Dr. Vicki Belo, Kata Inocencio, Liezl Martinez, Nina, my fellow judge Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan, Mariz Ricketts, Jamie Rivera, Judy Ann Santos (the event’s co-host, with Ryan Agoncillo), Kate Torralba, yours truly, and many others, drew more than its fair share of attention that afternoon. The boxed Cookie Houses were sent to us two weeks in advance, and we were given the freedom to assemble and decorate them. I personally found the experience so much fun. And it was made meaningful by the fact that the houses were later donated to the children of LIFE (Leukemic Indigents Fund Endowment) in a humble effort to bring them joy.

Once again, I congratulate all the winners and participants and I commend the efforts of Goldilocks in promoting and supporting the baking industry. In return for the patronage and loyalty of the Filipino people the past 40 years, Goldilocks really goes the extra mile in order to give back to society with events like this. Have a Goldi good day!