Local cake decorator wins national contest

Fairmont 2007 grad works at The Cakery


THE CAKERY

The Cakery at 140 Woodman Drive, Riverside, sells special-occasion and custom cakes, cupcakes, cookies, pastries, peanut butter fudge, homemade buckeyes, brownies and seasonal delights. Information: (937) 258-2320, www.thecakerydayton.com.

Winning this competition? Totally sweet.

Rachel Vaugh of The Cakery in Riverside took home the grand prize and five medals from a nationwide cake decorating contest in September.

“Everybody here is excited for her,” said The Cakery’s owner, Thomas Kennedy. “She’s got great natural talent. When she looks at (a decorating project), she can visualize the whole thing very well. It seems to be her calling.”

Vaugh started decorating in 2007, the same year she graduated from Kettering-Fairmont High School. She took classes at Cake Craft Inc. on Dayton-Xenia Road in Beavercreek. “The teacher called me a prodigy,” Vaugh said. “She told me, ‘You really need to get a job in this field,’ so I did.”

Since 2008, Vaugh has practiced her trade at The Cakery while completing Sinclair Community College’s culinary arts program. “It’s not just icing a cake and putting writing and a flower on it,” she said of the art of cake decorating. “Textures and air brushing are big things that give extra dimension to a cake. We make sugar flowers and fondant figurines. We do a lot of sculpted cakes, and a wedding cake needs a support system intact.”

By last year, her skills in each of these areas were strong enough to win a Midwest regional competition and send her to the national All Things Baking convention. There, Vaugh competed in the national Pillsbury Bakers Plus Creative Decorating Competition for the first time.

“I didn’t do very well,” she said. “Time management has always been challenging for me, and I ran out of time last year.”

The two-day competition is held on the floor of the convention, with decorators given just 10 hours to vie for professional judges’ nods in five separate categories.

In September, after winning the regionals for her second year in a row, Vaugh headed to Houston for a fresh try at the challenge. This year, nine top decorators competed in flowers and sprays, wedding cake, rolled fondant, custom design cakes, and cupcakes and sculpted cakes.

“We had to do a wedding cake to fit a scenario they gave us — a couple getting married in Nebraska with a vintage wedding in a barn. They wanted the colors fuchsia and orange, with centerpieces made of old soda bottle crates,” Vaugh said. “This year, with the practice, I knew how to get everything done that I needed to have done.”

Not only did she take home the top honors, she placed either first, second or third in each individual category. Vaugh brought home $3,200 in award money. The Cakery received another $1,600, and the Ohio Retail Bakers Association $250.

Sponsors of the contest include General Mills/Pillsbury and the Retail Bakers of America along with category sponsors, Pfeil & Holing, Bakery Crafts and DecoPac.

Although she’s already the nation’s best decorator, Vaugh said she doesn’t have plans to change careers any time soon.

“The Cakery is a lot of fun. I did gain weight when I first started here, but I love being able to use my creativity to help other people. I’m doing something different every day.”

Her advice to beginners? “I know it can be frustrating, but stick with it, because there’s so many aspects of cake decorating to enjoy.”

RACHEL VAUGH’S SCULPTED CAKE RECIPE

These recipes create a cake that’s both fluffy and dense, so when cut, it doesn’t fall apart.

Ingredients for white cake:

15.5- to 16.5-ounce boxed cake mix

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/3 cups water

2 Tbsp oil

1 cup sour cream

6 egg whites

2 tsp vanilla

Ingredients for chocolate cake:

15.5- to 16.5-ounce boxed cake mix

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

3 1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/3 cups water

2 Tbsp oil

1 cup sour cream

3 eggs

Instructions:

Set your oven to preheat at 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients until blended.

In a separate bowl, beat the wet ingredients until blended.

Combine the ingredients. Note that this recipe almost doubles a box mix’s batter.

Pour the batter into cake pans. Baking time will vary from 25 to 50 minutes based on the pan’s width and the batter’s depth.

Check the cake by jiggling the pan. When the cake no longer moves, lightly touch the top. When the top springs back, it’s done.

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