Bearwood Bake-off Baker

 

Thanks to a fellow Bearwood blogger We Are Bearwood (check them out here!) for this bakealicious article.

After the success of local resident Khakan’s Bearwood Bake Off, we thought we’d catch up with one of the participants to see what it was like for them.

Local school student Ammaarah Samuel, from Lordswood Academies Trust, tells us all about her experience on the day of the Bake Off – from last minute nerves to her pride and a determination to take part again.

"The Bearwood bake-off competition was a very exciting event which gave me the opportunity to showcase my talent and to be rewarded for it.

On the morning of the competition, I spent several hours baking my cake and throughout the whole process I wondered whether I could get it done in time. Especially because it was a 2 tiered, 2 flavoured cake with completely different decorations needed. And may I say, that all the flowers were handmade, taking me forever to make!

Towards the end of my decorating the cake, time became scarce and all I was thinking about was how I wasn’t going to get this cake done in time!

I finished off decorating the cake and began to put it into my contained so that I could safely transport it to Coffee Junction. However, me being my clumsy self didn’t bother to measure how tall my cake was going to be and therefore, as I tried putting the lid over the cake, BAM! The lid was abruptly stopped by the top of my cake before the lid could completely shut. Now you’re all probably thinking, oh so what! I can find another container. Well, no. I couldn’t. I was already in a rush to get there and I had no other containers which I could use.

 

 

So for about 10 minutes, I’m panicking thinking, what do I do??? So my father suggests that I transfer the cake onto a metal baking tray and carry the cake like that – assuming the metal tray would be stronger than the flimsy piece of plastic it was already on.  Now, instantly I’m thinking Hell No! If that cake drops, my heart will drop with it! But, that’s not even the worst of it ! I would have to catch a 15 minute bus ride to get to Coffee Junction and walk for a short distance in order to get there.  That’s a LARGE window of opportunity for this cake to fall! So, after thinking about my different options, I decide to go with the suggestion my father offered. You know what they say, “Daddy knows best!” Anyway, I’m already late so I’m rushing around looking for clothes to wear, looking like a frantic lunatic shoving on anything which I can find. Finally, I come back to the cake and I’m praying that this cake does not fall!

On my journey from my house to the bus stop, you can probably already assume that I got A LOT of attention, which I wasn’t sure if I should be happy or worried about.

 

I didn’t know whether people were staring at me because they thought I was some crazy girl carrying a tall 2 tiered cake around on a metal baking tray or whether they were amused at the sight of cake! Anyway, I end up waiting another 10 minutes for the bus that was supposed to be there much earlier. Typical bus times! During my bus ride, I got some more unusual conversations, one of which someone asked me if I had baked the cake for a wedding!

So, when I finally arrive at coffee junction, a “couple” of minutes late, I put my cake down onto the judging table and sit with my Food Tech teacher and wait for

 

the judges to judge the cakes and deliberate. I received a certificate and card for taking part in this event and afterwards we had the opportunity to taste the cakes in which people had baked.

Overall, my experience was wonderful and I hope to enter this competition again next year!"