Royal Adelaide Show: Champions share their baking secrets

THE ovens will be burning late into the night as the state’s best home bakers create their masterpieces for the Royal Adelaide Show. Here are some of the secrets behind their award-winning bites.

Taste Cover, Movers and Bakers, Adelaide Show Prize winners Janet Fisher(70years) and her Granddaughter Ashlee Howard with their baked goods. Photo: Nick Clayton

THE ovens will be burning late into tonight, the mixers working overtime, as the state’s best home bakers make the cakes, biscuits and other treats they hope will bring home a good collection of coloured prize ribbons at the Royal Adelaide Show.

Thursday, September 3 is Judgment Day and, for the best possible shot at glory, many of the entries will be baked at the last minute to be as fresh as possible.

They all must be delivered to the showground for assessment in the morning and the smell from the Jubilee Pavilion will be heavenly.

Show baking has all the competitive spirit and camaraderie of any sporting contest. The champs all train hard and leave nothing to chance in their preparation. They know that one burnt currant or crease mark in a cake can be the difference between winning and losing.

While some secrets are hard-earned and too valuable to share — that hidden ingredient in a favourite icing mix for instance — our best bakers have a wealth of tips for a home cook.

Ashlee Howard and her grandmother Janet Fisher. Picture: Nick Clayton

ASHLEE HOWARD

Junior champ

Ashlee Howard, 12, comes from a long line of show cooks and is the fourth generation of her family to have won prizes over the years.

She started learning to cook when she was only four with her nanna Janet Fisher and mum, Vicki Howard.

She first entered the show in 2009 and has been the most successful exhibitor in the primary school competition for four years in a row, before missing out by a single point last year.

This time around she will be entering seven categories, including small (cup) cakes, healthy lunch box, chocolate crackles and chocolate cake.

The secret, she says, is to be organised. She wrote a plan for the week leading up to showtime, with a schedule for what she needs to do each night after school.

Ashlee’s cupcakes are pretty as a picture, with waves of soft icing and decorations such as cherries or even a rose petal.

“I really like the creative and design side of the cakes,” she says. “And I like the excitement of the competition and seeing what other people have done.”

Ashlee has shared her cupcake recipe here and says, other than good ingredients, the secret is in the mixing everything thoroughly but without being too heavy handed.

“And make sure you spoon the mixture right into the middle of the patty pan or it can get on the side and that could burn.”

She also advises to preheat the oven and set a timer when the cakes go in.

JANET FISHER

Show veteran

In the year that Janet Fisher first entered the Royal Adelaide Show, Sir Robert Menzies was Prime Minister, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned and the first edition of Playboy was published with Marilyn Monroe on the cover.

It was 1953 and Janet was a 15-year-old at Port Adelaide Technical school where her domestic science teacher suggested she compete in the cake-cooking classes.

And she also had a good teacher at home — her mother, Doris Craig, also baked for the show.

Janet has entered almost every one of the 62 shows since then and has collected 75 certificates and ribbons along the way.

“I love the show,” she says. “The judges used to write notes on the back of each ticket to tell you what was wrong. It makes it easier to know what wasn’t good enough.”

Janet says she still bakes the same type of cakes she did 50 years ago.

“I don’t like how cakes are going now,” she says. “They’ve gone too fancy. They are too overpowering with chocolate and things. I’m a plainer kind of cook.”

For this year’s show, Janet is entering her cockles, a treat she says is somewhere between a cake and a biscuit.

“They were my mum’s favourite and she won many a first prize with them,” Janet says.

“You need good, fresh eggs that hold properly — I try and get them straight from a farm.

“Don’t cream the butter and sugar too much — just until it is creamy. And whisk the eggs in a bowl to make them fluffy.

“Beat the batter just enough, not too much. You just know when it is right from experience.

“Then shape them a bit on the spoon with your finger before dropping on to the tray. That’s how you get them perfect.”

Tracey Manser. Picture: Mike Burton

TRACEY MANSER

Fruit cake and pudding champ, 2014

When Tracey Manser decided to enter a nut loaf in last year’s competition, she didn’t muck around.

“I bought four tins and baked 12 batches — so 40 nut loaves to get it right,” she laughs. “It’s all about persistence.”

Coming from a family of eight children, she says, has made her naturally competitive, and when she enters in the show she likes to do well.

It was a trait shared by her mother. “Mum was an excellent cook and I said she should put her cream puffs in the show,” Tracey says. “It was quite a big category, with lots of entries, and she finished second. She was peeved because she thought her cream puffs were best and never went in it again.”

Tracey only started baking for the show five years ago but last year was crowned Most Successful Exhibitor in Fruit Cakes and Puddings.

“It’s all about persistence,” she says. “I like the fact that you get feedback and it shows you where you are at. It’s OK to be good in your own family but being judged outside that is better. It’s like being on The Voice when your mum has always said you can sing.”

This year Tracey is having a crack at categories including chocolate cake, white bread and puddings in a cloth.

She has cooked through the weekend and reckons she will be up until 2 or 3am to get everything finished, before a short sleep and then leaving at 7.30 for the showground.

“It comes down to the way it is cooked and how you line the tin,” she says.

Her hints include checking all the fruit and removing any stalks, following the exact quantities, and making sure nothing is sticking out of the batter as it might burn. “And never put the cake straight on a rack to cool or it will get marks,” she says.

Jeff Lang and his daughter Inara. Picture: Calum Robertson

JEFF LANG

Men’s Chocolate Cake Champ

Jeff Lang’s interest in baking started when he was preparing to get married 15 years ago.

“I looked around at the price of wedding cakes and thought that was ridiculous and I could do it myself,” he says. “I made a two tier cake with tulip flowers and things like that and it was a bit of a hit.

“Then after a break I started making cakes for my daughter’s birthdays. They grew from a basic cake to these elaborate things. Then I started doing them for friends who had kids.”

When the show introduced a Men’s Chocolate Cake category, it was a natural step to enter.

“I loved the show as a kid. One of my favourite things to do with my mum was to look at the cake section. While other kids were into rides and showbags, I’d spend hours just looking at the cakes.”

Last year, Jeff cracked the first-prize blue ribbon for the first time, and also won for the best decorated gingerbread tree. His daughter, Inara, also puts in decorated biscuits and muffins.

So what’s the secret of a good chocolate cake?

“I like something rich and dense and really chocolatey,” he says. “Some are the right colour but if you had a blindfold on you could be eating a vanilla cake.”

Jeff says following the fine detail in a recipe is vital.

“If it says use 20g make sure it is exactly that. If it says eggs need to be room temperature it’s not just for fun ... it is there for a reason.

“And make sure you have a good oven. If you don’t have a good seal and the right temperature it will make a big difference.”

But unlike some of the other cooks who are highly organised, Jeff takes a more blokey approach.

“I don’t lay things out and measure everything in bowls before I start,” he says. “Sometimes it’s to my detriment because I get to the end and realise I’ve left something out.

ASHLEE’S CUPCAKES

Serves 6

Prep: 30 minutes

Cooking: 20-25 minutes

Skill level: medium

Ashlee’s cupcakes.

Ingredients

125g unsalted butter or margarine, cubed

1 cup caster sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 cup self-raising flour, sifted

1/2 cup milk

Frosting

125g unsalted butter or margarine, softened

2-3 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups icing sugar, sifted

3 tablespoons milk

Step 1

Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F. Line 6 muffin pouches with cupcake moulds.

Step 2

In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the caster sugar and softened butter or margarine.

Step 3

Once you have creamed together the butter and sugar, add the vanilla extract and one egg. Beat together until combined, then add the second egg and mix until combined.

Step 4

Using a wooden spoon, sift 1/3 of the flour over the wet ingredients and add 1/3 of the milk. Gently fold in the flour & milk. Once combined, continue with the rest of the milk and flour only adding 1/3 at a time. Mix until just combined, do not over mix the batter.

Step 5

Spoon the mixture evenly into each cupcake mould to around 3/4 full. Place into preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the cupcake.

Step 6

Allow to cool in muffin tray for 5-10 minutes before converting to a wire rack, then leave to completely cool.

Step 7

Make vanilla butter cream frosting, using an electric mixer. Beat the butter until a creamy texture is reached.

Step 8

Add vanilla extract and 1/4 of icing sugar and mix on a low speed until combined. Continue to add the icing sugar 1/4 at a time on a low speed until all sugar is mixed in. Add milk and mix until just combined. Once all ingredients are combined, beat on a high speed until the mixture is really smooth and easy to spread.

JANET’S COCKLES

Makes 10 biscuits

Prep: 25 minutes

Cooking: 10-15 minutes

Skill level: Medium

Janet’s cockles.

125g butter, at room temperature

140g (2/3 cup) caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

2 eggs

115g (3/4 cup) self-raising flour

130g (1 cup) cornflour

315g (1 cup) raspberry jam

15g butter, softened, extra

230g (1 1/2 cups) icing sugar mixture

1-2 tablespoons milk

1-2 drops pink liquid food colouring

Step 1

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper.

Step 2

Use an electric beater to beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition until combined. Sift the combined flour and cornflour over the butter mixture. Stir until just combined.

Step 3

Spoon 20 teaspoonfuls of mixture, about 6cm apart to allow room for spreading, onto each baking tray. Bake in oven, swapping shelves halfway through cooking, for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool.

Step 4

Spread the jam over the bases of half the cockles. Sandwich together with remaining cockles and place on a plate.

Step 5

Combine the extra butter and icing sugar in a bowl. Gradually add the milk, stirring until a smooth paste forms. Add the food colouring and stir to combine.

Step 6

Spread the icing over the top of each cockle and set aside for 15 minutes to set.