And the Winner Is….

There was much suspense and electricity in the room on what might otherwise be a somber Tuesday night at Eatonville Restaurant, co-presenter of the cake challenge. It was the FINAL FIVE of the Makes-Me-Wanna SHOUT! Chocolate Layer Cake Challenge. The official contest judges had their taste of 5 chocolate layer cakes and came to a decision. First Prize and the Blue Ribbon went to Austin Brown (Washington, DC) for his Chocolate Trio Cake – a dark chocolate flourless base, with a creamy chocolate mousse middle layer, and a cloud of white chocolate to top it off.

By day, Austin Brown is an energy analyst with the National Energy Renewal Laboratory. He has a Ph.D. in biophysics. Cooking is listed among his personal interests and hobbies on his CV. The Chocolate Trio Cake brought together a family via Austin’s brother’s marriage to Shannon who didn’t come from a food family but had her own special talent. Austin not only gained a sister-in-law, but a sister in baking:

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. . Of the many meals she has made with us, this cake may be my favorite dish and is now a go-to if I need to impress. Just like Shannon as the newest member of our family, the differences in this cake complement each other.

Austin wants to donate $400 of his prize money to Martha’s Table, the 2012 beneficiary for the Makes-Me-Wanna SHOUT! Chocolate Layer Cake Challenge presented with Eatonville Restaurant. The baking challenge has raised over $2,000 for Martha’s Table from the semifinals event, plus a portion of sales from Eatonville Restaurant for the finals.

2nd Prize went to Tiffany Hall (Brentwood, MD), a graduate student at Howard University, for her Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream; 3rd prize went to Jennifer Donald (Accokeek, MD), a police lieutenant for Metro, for her Helen’s Heavenly Mocha White & Milk Chocolate Glazed Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with White and Milk Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.

Runners Up: Daryl Wright (Washington, DC) – Lucifer’s Revenge – Chocolate Cake with Mandarin Oranges and Grand Marnier; and Valery Flood-Smith (Ft. Washington, MD) –“The Ora” White Chocolate Cherry Cream Cheese Red Bliss Cake.

In addition to $500, Austin received a $250 Gift Card from King Arthur Flour, and will make his television debut as a prizewinning baker on WUSA9 with J.C. Hayward. Eatonville Restaurant will debut the Chocolate Trio Cake on their menu in May. Date is TBA.