Back at it again, Culinary III and IV students worked nonstop to prepare mini bundt cakes for their Nothing Bundt Cakes-inspired competition. Nothing Bundt Cakes is a popular bundt cake chain, known for their donut-shaped bundt cakes, signature cream cheese frosting and endless menu of flavors. These students began the preparation process by collaborating on recipe ideas, ultimately choosing three and making a half dozen for each, 18 bundt cakes total. There were no restrictions on groups using the same recipes, so there were similar flavors on presentation day.
Senior Briahna Hursey assisted Chef Matthew Thompson in brainstorming competition ideas a couple weeks before the competition was announced. Bundt cakes were the most practical idea, since the majority of his students are graduating seniors. Although Chef Thompson admitted that most of his culinary III students prefer to cook instead of bake, he wanted to challenge his students since they are in the upper levels of the class.
“We don’t want to completely forget about baking,” Thompson said. “[Bundt cakes] are not nearly as complicated as these three layer cakes. So it gives them one last chance to do some baking before a lot of my seniors graduate.”
With little restrictions, the students were responsible for researching recipes and multiplying the ingredients to make enough of each flavor. After the competition, there would be enough bundt cakes for the students to take home and for the judges to try. The students were given several weeks to plan, but only one block period to bake, these students divided up the workload within their groups and delegated tasks in order to finish within the allotted time.
“[I learned] how to work together in a very short amount of time, because we had to get three different cake recipes done in one class period. So that was definitely a challenge, but it was good,” Hursey said.
The unofficial rules of the competition included making three bundt cakes for a group of judges, each a different flavor. Some groups chose more conventional flavors, including chocolate and lemon, while others branched out with matcha, pistachio and maple bacon cheesecake. The students were free to design their bundt cakes and came up with creative ways to represent their flavors. Culinary IV students in period 4 used candied bacon, matcha powder and other garnishes that related to their cakes, enhancing their plating skills.
For senior Jenna Manieri, teamwork was a crucial aspect of this particular competition, since her group decided to make an unconventional flavor: cranberry and orange. Since their recipe called for California prunes, her group could not just use the ingredients Thompson provided.
“It was hard to narrow down which [recipes] to pick, and then we had to figure out what [ingredients] we had here versus what we needed to go buy,” Manieri said.
Apart from the challenges they faced with the flavors, students had difficulty portioning the small cakes and calculating ingredients, in order to make enough batches for both themselves and the judges. Kitchen 1 impressed Thompson with their preparation from day one.
“The first day we [started baking], they came in and they had three recipes sitting on their table. They were ready to go and it was no mistake that that was the best kitchen of the week,” Thompson said.
Other kitchens pulled up recipes on their phones and were distracted from helping their team members in the kitchen.
For this particular competition, students had to present their bundt cakes appetizer-style, but have an extra bundt cake in a to-go container behind their presented cakes (for judges to take their favorites). Thompson sent an email out to faculty and staff, welcoming anyone to come and give a vote on the students’ mini bundt cakes. The judges voted on appearance with one kitchen chosen as the winner. Thompson welcomed the judges to stay and make a separate vote based on taste, however there was not enough time in the class period.
Overall, Thompson felt the competition was successful and left his students feeling confident in their baking skills. He was pleased with the colors and garnishes students chose to incorporate in their cakes, as well as the unique flavors they brought to the table.
“I talked to the students beforehand, I said, ‘Hey, we haven’t done this in three years. This is a big deal. We need to make sure this goes really well because maybe we’ll start doing it every couple of years.’ And every year I’m reminded how talented they are,” Thompson said. “[I am] so proud of how far they’ve come because most of them are leaving here.”
Senior Ashley Slater’s group took the win for period 4 with their pistachio, chocolate and lemon cakes, while senior Bryce Hawk’s group wowed the judges with their lemon glaze, pumpkin spice and banana chocolate chip cakes in period 3.
