Inside the brutal world of Ekka cake judging | VIDEO

Every little bit of detail in a cookery competition counts. If your scones are even a centimetre too big, you’re out. If you can’t see the rolled oats in an Anzac biscuit, you’re out. Go inside the brutal world of Ekka’s cake judging.

Every little bit of detail in a cookery competition counts. If your scones are even a centimetre too big, you’re out. If the tin is 18cm, and you use a 20cm tin, you’re out.

Even when cooking an Anzac biscuit, they need to be within the right size, you need to see the rolled oats, but they can’t be too thick, they can’t be dry, and they need to have the right snap.

Competitors say it is a cut throat world, and judges say it isn’t for the faint hearted. This year at the Ekka it was a fierce competition, there was an increase in the amount of people entering and it wasn’t easy to come home with a win.

Ekka cooking judge Claire Cobine said there were a lot of rules when it comes to the competition.

Ekka 2023 – Cake judging. Luella, 9 and Claudette Meynink, 8 celebrate with Chelse Dunne who came second with her pineapple upside down cake. Picture: Nigel Hallett

“It’s pretty important that you read the schedule, and the general information,” Ms Cobine said.

Every year new classes are introduced and the schedule changes – which trips some people up. new classes will be introduced and the schedule may change

“So they need to read the schedule, follow it exactly and have a practice go before they come and bring their entry in,” she said.

“But it is highly competitive. Some people enter year after year after year after year. And some of us say it’s all about the ribbon. That’s what you’re after the champion ribbon.”

Ms Cobine said there are many reasons people may lose and sometimes it does come down to the measurements.

“They do measure if it says an 18cm tin it needs to be an 18cm tin,” she said.

“If it says square it needs to be square.”

“Often it’ll say five to six centimetres scones. So if there’s an eight centimetre scone, they’re already ruled out.”

But what she has found time and time again is people’s over temperatures being wrong.

“The cake might appear burnt on the edges and uncooked inside so they really need to check their oven temperatures with an oven thermometer and be sort of very aware of what the ovens doing,” she said.

The last competition that was judged at the Ekka this year was the upside down pineapple cake.

Cake decorator Malcolm Pratt from Clontarf at the Ekka. Picture: Richard Walker

“In the pineapple upside down cake traditionally, it’s done with the pineapple rings and the cherries with a brown sugar caramelisation for the base and it should be a light Madeira type light cake on top,” she said.

“It needs to be evenly browned and in a good shape and comes out of the tin well, and you’re looking for that sort of pineapple, caramelly and cake flavour altogether.”

Chelse Dunne came second for her upside down cake this year. She has been entering the Ekka for about eight years for cake decorating. Not long after she started entering in the preserved categories.

“It can be quite tough,” Ms Dunne said.

“There’s a lot of judging criteria. So this year I did a contemporary cake where we had to demonstrate a minimum of three different tools along with any tools that we use for flowers and covering cakes so was quite stuff this year.

Ms Dunne said it was getting harder each year.

“The preserves are getting very cutthroat and the cake decorating,” she said.

Despite the cut throat competition Ms Dunne said she has learnt a lot of tips and tricks from other people.

Cake decorator Malcolm Pratt from Clontarf at the Ekka, Friday, August 11, 2023 – Picture: Richard Walker

The first time she entered was quite nerve-racking.

“Transporting a cake in the car to the Ekka was quite nerve wracking,” she said.

“But just the excitement of waiting for those results to come in to say that your hard work has paid off.

Another person that is well versed in show cooking is Malcolm Pratt who has been entering in the Ekka for more than 55 years.

Mr Pratt has won several years for his Lamington. But what sets him apart from the rest in everything he does is keeping things traditional.

“It’s because it’s the old fashioned lamington. To me a lamington, the chocolate should soak in so far into the cake,” he said.

Mr Pratt loved cooking from a young age as it was something he got to do with his mum.

“It was something I could always do,” he said.

“It was something mum and I used to do at the weekend I decorated cakes and sponges and all that.

But he said it was getting more competitive.

“In cooking it’s getting tougher and tougher,” he said.

“Cake decorating that’s a different kettle of fish.”