The Semifinalists for the Makes-Me-Wanna SHOUT! Chocolate Layer Cake Baking Challenge were invited to a meetup at Whole Foods Market in Foggy Bottom last weekend. 13 of the 15 semifinalists came to receive their Whole Foods gift cards, meet, greet, check out the competition (smile), and get some final notes for the Semifinals Saturday, March 24 at Martha’s Table. Each of the semifinalists’ cakes has a story behind it. The cake story was part of the entry requirement for the contest. Afterall, we’re not just baking cakes. We’re baking memories.
This particular cake I hold near my heart because a few months back a very good and close friend of mine was told that she had cancer, and when she called to tell me the news I was speechless. Call me strange but the only thing I knew that would possibly cheer her up was to bake her a cake that would blow her away and put her mind at ease. Now we all love ourselves some chocolate cake but she is a different type of girl, she has a kick to her – something special so I came up with a chocolate almond coconut cake with a vanilla buttercream, chocolate shavings, almond pieces/shavings and coconut flakes. She loved the cake and was talking about it for days, weeks even! And actually she was the one that told me about this bake-off and said I should try for it.
JARYL ALLOWAY
Bristow, VA
Chocolate Almond Coconut Cake with Chocolate Almond Filing
My family is a food family. Our best times have always been at the dinner table. We can also be intimidating: both of my parents are medieval English professors, and dinner conversations tend to meander to some pretty strange topics. When I’m dating someone, I put off introducing them to my parents from worry that the combination of kindness and knowledge, but high expectations might scare them off. So it might have gone badly when my brother introduced the family to his girlfriend Shannon. She walked a complex life path and had to defer her own college education to support her family. But anything she might be missing for that was drowned out in her intelligence, self-acquired knowledge, kindness, and joyful spirit.
One of my happiest days was when they were married and I gained Shannon as a sister. Shannon also found the secret to immediate acceptance into our family: share great food with us. Just like Shannon as the newest member of our family, the differences in this cake complement each other.
AUSTIN BROWN
Washington, DC
Chocolate Trio Cake
My mother’s name was Helen and when it came to being resourceful and creative, she literally took the “cake.”
Growing up I was introduced to many “Southern customs.” Not only was mayonnaise used for baking, it was also used for conditioning my hair, cleaning and shining furniture and placed on the leaves of our houseplants. My mother used mayonnaise on everything from the rooter to the tooter!”
As a little girl I spent countless hours helping my mother bake. I remember the first time she used mayonnaise in her chocolate cake recipe. I screamed and said, “Ugh mommy, why are you using the sandwich stuff in the cake?” She laughed and said that mayonnaise and melted chocolate is what actually makes a chocolate cake moist. She told me that mayonnaise contains oil and eggs which have protein and that is why the plants were healthy and my hair was long and shiny. She reassured me that the cake would melt in my mouth. Boy was she not kidding. The cake was the best that I had ever tasted. Submitting this recipe brings back fond memories of mommy who passed in 2004.
JENNIFER DONALD
Accokeek, MD
Helen’s Heavenly Mocha White & Milk Chocolate Glazed Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with White and Milk Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Last fall, I decided to make a career change. I had been daydreaming about opening my own bakery for years, so I decided to apply and was accepted to the Pastry Arts program at L’Academie de Cuisine. There was a scholarship competition for prospective students of the school, last October, and I chose to compete thinking it would be a fun, valuable experience. I immediately invoked my southern roots. Bourbon chocolate pecan pie and pumpkin pie were two of my specialties; however, I didn’t think they would stand out. My good friend, Lindsey, who happens to be a pastry chef, mentioned pairing pumpkin with chocolate. I thought why not?! I experimented for weeks adapting recipes and had many “guinea pigs” to help judge throughout the process. Luckily, all of my hard work paid off. To my surprise, I won the scholarship competition! I was not only flattered, but also felt I had made the right decision to pursue a new career in the pastry arts.
I heard about this Chocolate Layer Cake Baking Challenge through school. I knew I had to do some more experimenting, since pumpkin is no longer in season. I wanted to develop a more versatile flavor for all seasons. My husband loves coffee flavored anything, so he was my inspiration for the new filling. Lucky for me, he gave his mark of approval!
AMY EISENGER
Kensington, MD
Chocolate-Orange-Mocha Layer Cake
“The Ora” Chocolate Cake is named after my grandmother, Ora Elaine H. Flood. My grandmother’s favorite candy was chocolate covered cherries. She loved the look of white chocolate because it reminded her of natural cow’s milk back home in North Carolina. When she could not get country butter she used cream cheese I her cakes for richness. For years I “knew” red was her favorite color because the whole house was covered in red carpet. It wasn’t until late in her life when deciding on a color scheme for a four-generation family portrait did I discover BLUE was her favorite!
My grandmother was known throughout DC for her baking by church members to DC officials. She used baking as her means of income for over 50 years. Shortly before she passed away, she gave me her recipes upon my request. In her honor, I bake her recipes for cakes and pies for our fish fry in NC held in her memory. The family says I have her gift, but I know I will only come close, never exact. I feel as though God has placed into my heart the desire to take her legacy to the next level and start a baking business named “Shugapy’s.” Whenever I left my grand mother’s home she would always say, “Bye, sugapie, bye.”
VALERY FLOOD-SMITH
Ft. Washington, MD
“The Ora” White Chocolate Cherry Cream Cheese Red Bliss Cake
I wanted a chocolate birthday and asked my brother twice to make one for me. I wanted chocolate cake with chocolate chunks, icing, curls and pecans. It took him forever to get back and when he finally did it was ten days later. He said he thought I was joking about the cake since it was so intense and he was unsure of a recipe that could handle that much chocolate. I wanted my cake. That’s all I knew, and I still did not have one. So I went online and compared recipes and combined pieces of a few that I liked. I wanted the chocolate to have other flavors in it and that’s where the spices came in. I’d just learned how to make caramel a few weeks earlier and knew I wanted to do that again so that was definitely in the plan. I had to find an icing that was good and simple to make, so again I went online and came across ganache that I’d never heard of before. I liked it because it was simple and quick. I decided to use dark [ganache] as the topping and white as a filling because I had some in the house. This cake is a collection of wants put together. Wow! I was awesomely surprised. It turned out better that I ever expected. This one is a keeper.
SOPHINA GROSS
Washington, DC
Candi’s Spiced Chocolate, Coffee Caramel with White & Dark Ganache Cake and Toasted Spiced Pecans
Every since I was a little girl I would watch cooking shows with my grandfather. Both of my grandparents were fantastic cooks and I loved to sit in the kitchen while they cooked. But for whatever reason I didn’t gravitate toward cooking. Baking seemed to fit my personality much better. The skill and precision that it takes really intrigues me. No one else in my family bakes so I consider it a blessing that I have been able to teach myself a very special skill. I am a 25-year-old Howard University student and baking is my passion. I am studying electrical engineering that can become very stressful. Anytime I am unhappy or stressed I turn to baking. It’s a great outlet for me and I love sharing what I’ve made with others.
TIFFANY HALL
Brentwood, MD
Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream
I have a confession … I never used to be able to make a decent cake from scratch. I don’t know why! Cookies and breads always came out wonderful but cakes fell short every time. They always failed to live up to my childhood memories of moist birthday cake made from a box mix. I knew I had to be missing something but I just didn’t know what. Then I found Nick Malgieri’s “The Modern Baker” and my cake world blew wide open! I stared longingly at the cake photos thinking that I would never achieve cake perfection the likes of which were depicted in this sadly non scratch-and-sniff book. Finally I challenged myself to just try one of the recipes and, lo and behold, 1 hour and 30 minutes later I had an absolutely amazing Devil’s Food cake! How could this be? I was elated. Cake could finally be mine!
CRISTEN KENNEDY
Hyattsville, MD
Dark Chocolate Chai Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream
I developed this cake for a dear friend’s birthday. She’d just come home to D.C. after a grueling summer of language study in the Middle East and, for obvious reasons, was in dire need of friends, booze, and cake. We were more than happy to oblige on all counts, and this cake was served at her welcome home/birthday party to great effect… Or so they tell me. Not having slept or eaten in the two days prior—I was busy baking the cake—I had three glasses of wine and ended up more lit than the candles and don’t really remember anything that happened after we all sang “Happy Birthday”. The birthday girl said that it was the best cake she’d ever had. All together, it made for an unforgettable birthday for everyone…but me!
LUKE JOHNSON
Washington, DC
Malted Milk Ball Birthday Cake
My chocolate cake story began when I was 8 years old. My mother, Daisy, taught me how to bake. She used measuring ingredients as a way to help me with math, which made both math and baking fun. She taught me the importance of fine-tuning my recipes to make them my own. As a result I am still baking 33 years later.
I am currently a firefighter for the District of Columbia Fire and EMS Department. Since I have been featured on The Learning Channel’s “DC Cup Cakes,” my friend encouraged me to enter the “Shout Baking Challenge.”
My chocolate cake recipe has converted non-chocolate cake eaters into chocolate cake lovers. My family, friends and fellow firefighters always ask when am I going to bake again. My co-workers ask me to bake for special occasions at the firehouse. Once, a co-worker fixed my lawnmower in exchange for a chocolate cake. Unfortunately, he did not eat as much as he would have liked, because the other guys ate most of the cake.
RODNEY MASON
Washington, DC
Rodney Mason’s Chocolate Layer Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
My friends never let me forget my passion for baking. This cake recipe is a tribute to them. The cake is inspired by one of my friends who shared an old recipe for chocolate cake whose secret ingredient was coffee from her home in Africa. The filling is drawn from a recipe for Nutella Pie, which I often share with friends when I am invited to their homes. The icing is from a recipe for a cake that another friend enjoys on his birthday each year. I enjoyed creating this recipe because it allowed me to bring together many of my friends’ great memories into a cake that truly tells a story.
CHRISTINE PEREZ
Washington, DC
Friendship Chocolate Cake (with Nutella filling)
Visiting with my Grandmother as I child, I fondly remember the two of us watching the great Julia Child’s cooking show on PBS. The way Julia, with her wonderful and contagious enthusiasm, would explain the simplest to most complex of cooking methods always evoked the feeling that you too could make these wonderful dishes. Afterwards, my grandmother and I would try to do just that, sometimes with success, but always having the best time together. No surprise the first cookbook I ever received was Ms. Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” With a love of all things sweet and especially chocolate, I immediately recreated her delightful Le Marquis Chocolate Sponge Cake. It has been a favorite of mine ever since.
Much like both my grandmother and Julia, I have begun to travel the world and discover its diverse cuisine. In doing so, I have begun to explore different flavor combinations and my once simple chocolate cake has been turned into something exotic. Chocolate pairs with so many wonderful spices, but my favorite would have to be cardamom. Its spicy, earthy flavor compliments the robustness of the dark chocolate and the fluffy rosewater buttercream, with its flowery aroma. To both courageous women, I owe a tremendous amount of gratitude and love. Both have taught me so much about living life and loving food. Julia Child said, “Cooking is like love; it should be entered into with abandon or not at all.” Bon appétit.
KARY SEMBORSKI
Washington, DC
Dark Chocolate Cardamom Sponge Cake with Rosewater Buttercream
“That chocolate cake is the only reason I keep you around…” –the insulting yet endearing sentiment from my best friend of 20 years! The first time I made this cake by myself, I was a freshman in HS. My mother, confident enough to loosen the reigns and let me loose in her kitchen, I proved to her that I was going to be as good a baker as she is. I’m not sure when but eventually my BFF tasted my cake and pretty soon, every special occasion I shared with her was spent devouring that cake. It’s how we keep our girlish figures and our sense of humor 🙂 It’s such a good feeling to know that she appreciates that cake as much as I like baking it. Since those early days, my cake has grown to be a favorite of several of my friends. My closest friend from my college days lives in LA now and when he brought his soon-to-be fiancé back east to meet us, he requested THAT cake. I’m convinced my cake is what sealed the deal! I can add this contest to the wonderful history this cake has within my family. My mom would be proud.
KARIMA SIMMONS
Washington, DC
Four-Layer Chocolate Cream Cake
My Chocolate Layer Cake hales from the great state of Mississippi, where I was proudly raised. Among all the Southern Belle’s in the Magnolia State my grandmother’s was one of the Best, Emma. Growing up in a rural area, with a water well still in the yard, I would watch my grandma bake this wonderful recipe in a wood stove. I have preserved her “something old” by keeping the recipe traditional with a splash of “something new” in my Butter Rum Chocolate Frosting recipe. Cooking is one of the key essentials that kept out family festive with holidays, birthdays, and family reunions. I am a proud fella from that great old southern tradition. There are great things and treasures we hold dear from our loved ones in the south and a great recipe is one of them. Even to my mother’s kitchen today we still use this recipe as our inheritable piece for any celebration requiring chocolate on that festive table.
ADRIAN TURNER
Haymarket, VA
Emma’s Labella Chocolate Cake
What else would you call the ultimate Devil’s Food Cake? I started baking during the recession when I could not afford to give expensive gifts to my loved ones. Then I had a stroke, and it was suggested that I do something to regularly exercise my muscles and my brain. That is when I started coming up with different combinations of flavors and turning them into delectable desserts. I bake the way I behave, with a tendency to be bold, audacious and original.
I do not believe in playing it safe with food. When it comes to flavors you must shock, satisfy, evoke thought and memories all in a bite. That is my strength; combining flavors I love together in desserts. My cake embodies those things that make me feel good with tempting compliments. What better base to start with than Chocolate. I enjoy citrus and chose the mandarin orange because it speaks to the culture of Florida. As for pecans (?) They taste good and are addictive. So I take these things I l add butter, liquor, sugar and a lot of love to bring you a delightfully sinful taste that will tantalize your tongue.
DARYL WRIGHT
Washington, DC
“Lucifer’s Revenge” (Chocolate Cake with Mandarin oranges and Grand Marnier)