Wednesday, September 5, 2012

American Cancer Society, Baking for the Cure

     Recently, I was invited to participate in a bake off for the American Cancer Society, Baking for the Cure on Tuesday, August 28, 2012. It was held at the Bergen Mall in Paramus, NJ. As my mom died of ovarian cancer many years ago, it is hard to say no to the American Cancer Society. With not much time and a busy schedule, (it was my daughter's 8th birthday party for 50 people the weekend before), I had to come up with a design that would fit the theme (purple, and celebrating more birthdays) but that would be easy to execute quickly.                                                                                                                                                      The flavor was easy, my best selling key lime pound cake with Swiss meringue buttercream. As for the design, what says happy birthday better than presents? I opted for three stacked presents, two boxes and one wrapped gift. Also, I wanted to incorporate their special logo and pay homage to all the walks and runs they sponsor so I made a pair of purple sneakers out of sugar paste  and their logo in an edible image. I called it presents for Grandma, gifts my daughter would give her grandma (my mother) if my mother were still alive.
Pattycakes & Cookies entry
       Samples of our cakes were given out and those that made a donation were allowed to vote for the best in the two divisions, professional and amateur. There were some great cakes there in both divisions and some note worthy bakeries were represented. In the end, Pattycakes and Cookies won the grand prize in the professional division. It was a great and humbling experience for me to win and all for a great cause.
Patty from Pattycakes & Cookies with her daughter
      Check out the article and pictures in the local paper about the event. http://paramus.patch.com/articles/bake-for-a-cure