The world has gone crazy for cupcakes and no one is complaining.
The trend that inspired more than one show on the Food Network and a crop of new specialty bakeries didn’t show any signs of fading at this year’s Creative Canola Bake Off at Red River College sponsored by Manitoba Canola Growers.
In fact, the entries to win the top two spots in the annual competition were cupcakes. Oh how sweet it is!
Top prize went to Jieying Huang for her Banana Walnut Torte Cupcake, a multi-tiered creation with a crunchy base and fresh banana slice garnish.
Jieying is from China and came to Canada to learn about western-style baking and get some local experience before eventually heading back to her homeland. Her inspiration for the winning recipe came from her love of the two star ingredients.
“I think banana and nuts are very good partners for baking. And this flavour is also acceptable by Chinese people,” she said.
My most challenging part of the recipe is its star—the sweet, nutty, candy-like base, Jieying admitted.
“If I make it too dry, it will be crumbly after it’s baked. If I make it too wet, it will turn out to be very soft and the cupcake wouldn’t stand well,” she said.
Prior to the competition, Jieying admitted that she really didn’t have very much experience using canola for baking. But the contest has inspired her to try more recipes that include canola. When the course ends at Red River College, Jieying wants to land a job in a bakery or restaurant to improve her skills.
“The important thing I have learned at school is to be accurate. A little scaling or measuring mistake sometimes will ruin your products,” she said.
Christina Kliever’s entry lived up to that age-old hope—they tasted as good as they looked! Her Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Cupcakes with Nutella and Cream Cheese Icing grabbed second place in the Canola Bake Off.
The inspiration for her entry came through a channel where recipe sharing is getting more and more popular.
“My friend posted this on facebook and said to try making it. I was making it for fun when I realized I should try to make this with canola for the bake off,” she said.
Christina would love to open a small Sicilian or Italian bakery with her mom once she’s completed the program at college.
“The most important things I have learned so far are that I need to have patience and consistency. I haven’t mastered those yet, but I believe that’s what you really need,” she said.
The Manitoba Canola Growers are proud to support local up and coming Chefs. The competition at Red River College has a total prize amount worth $1000 that is split between the top two winners.
Eat Well…
Shel Zolkewich
