Cake Wars

Photo by Dejeanne Doublet.
Photo by Dejeanne Doublet.

Following in the footsteps of many a cake-related TV show, BU’s own Culinary Arts and Kitchen Entertainment club, aptly referred to as C.A.K.E., had its first cake decorating competition Thursday evening. Held in the faculty/staff dining room in GSU, eight groups of three had to design and decorate a Disney themed cake in two hours. They were given all necessary ingredients including cake, frosting, food coloring, and rice krispies for molding, and two cakes would be chosen as winners at the end. Only members of C.A.K.E. were allowed to participate, and no experience decorating cakes was necessary.

Working to the tunes of Disney in the background, the competitors battled it out, working as mad scientists making batches of colored frosting and molding little fondant figures. Cinderella blues and Nemo oranges adorned the cakes, and some groups got very creative making figurines. One group even shaped Winnie the Pooh, while others stuck to simple shapes. At times the dramatic Disney music seemed to upstage the tension expected of a competition; surprisingly the a

tmosphere was fun and relaxed. An hour into the competition, cakes were starting to take shape.

As the cakes started to make their way to judges’ table at the 20-minute mark, it wasn’t so clear what groups would be crowned winners. After all voting by group members and audience, the “Jungle Book” cake was voted fan favorite and the “Hakuna Matata” was voted best by the judges. Each winner was given a prize, and groups hugged, laughed, and reveled at their finished masterpieces. Although C.A.K.E. has never held a cake competition before, they have hosted cooking competitions from the likes of Iron Chef and Top Chef. Cake decorating turned out to be a huge success, and it’s easy to see why when there are so many cake-related shows on television.

Cake Boss, Ace of Cakes, Wedding Cake Wars, Amazing Wedding Cakes, Ultimate Cake Off-these are just some to name a few. Why, you ask, is America so fascinated with cakes? It’s pure fun, that’s why. Although there wasn’t too much tension and frantic running around Thursday night, when it comes to professionals and big cash prizes, the competition can turn deadly (for the cakes that is). Fortunately no cake malfunctions occurred, so rest assured. It takes precision and attention to detail to churn out a truly amazing cake, and C.A.K.E.’s volunteers all proved their creative and artistic chops. With the cupcake obsession now making into mainstream, cake competitions and their respective programs show no signs of slowing down. Long live Cake Wars!

For more photos of the competition, visit C.A.K.E’s Facebook group.

About Briana Seftel

Briana Seftel (COM '14) is an aspiring journalist with an appetite for adventure. When not writing for the Quad, she enjoys exploring the great city of Boston.

View all posts by Briana Seftel →

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