My Favorite Recipes: September 12, 2019

Eight years ago I had an allergy panel done in an attempt to control my severe environmental allergy symptoms with shots. I jokingly told the technician that if I turned up positive for chocolate that I would leave and never come back. It is, indeed, one of my daily indulgences. I am a bit of a chocolate snob and prefer dark to milk and, personally, do not consider white chocolate to be chocolate at all. The more bitter and complex the flavor, the more I enjoy it. Judging the chocolate contest this year would have been a fun adventure for me if I was not allergic to all of the entries! Luckily, I was able to entice some friends to come and fill in for me. It is a difficult task, but they were up to the challenge of eating multiple pieces of potential ooey-gooey deliciousness.

The judges were area locals and range in expertise from fellow chocoholic to experienced baker of renown. One of the judges is known for posting mouth-watering pictures of their successes to social media with witty and often black-humored banter. Their failures are generally not pictured and, allegedly, defenestrated in horror and disgust. This year we also had an honorary toddler judge who wanted to give first prize to everyone and declared everything to be delicious.

Entries were down from previous years, and it was tough to pick between entries in both categories. They were judged on tasty, crumb, consistency (size/shape), and originality, for a total of 100 points possible. Chocolate had to be the main ingredient in order for the entry to qualify. One recipe failed to include the instructions, but this was not a disqualifying factor. The most common remark the judges had was the importance of consistency with regard to shape and size of the product. Eyeballing the size of cookies or a slice of cake is fine if you're serving them up at a holiday gathering or a birthday party, but can be a critical component in a competition. Lost points in any category can take a delectable treat from top prize to third place! Some tips from the judges included using a scoop, such as a melon-baller, to help with size consistency. One entry solved the problem entirely by using a mold to shape their confection.

Creativity was another field where improvements could be made – in a world where Pinterest is the easiest place to find ideas for projects, we have lost the element of "wow." Even so, the complexity of some of the confections were noted and even celebrated!

All of the entries looked and smelled incredible, and we hope you enjoy the mouth-watering, melt-in-your-mouth winners below. We look forward to next year's entries!

Recipes:

Texas Sheet Cake

Elinor Huber, adult entry winner

Cake:

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

2 cubes butter

4 cups cocoa

1 cup boiling water

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1⁄2 cup buttermilk

Bake for 20 minutes at

350.

Frosting:

1 cube butter

4 Tbsp cream

5 Tbsp water

Bring to a boil, then

add:

1 lb. powdered sugar

1 cup nuts

1 tsp vanilla

Pour frosting over hot

cake.

French silk piñata cake

Angelina Widman, youth entry

winner

Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated

sugar

3⁄4 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1⁄2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup hot water

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting:

1⁄2 cup butter (1 stick)

2/3 cup Hershey's cocoa

powder

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract