Twenty-three finalists, three judges, one Best of Show ribbon. That was the math in the Competition Kitchen at the State Fair of Texas this year, where the best cake in Texas turned out to be a four-layer German chocolate. The fair runs through Sunday, October 18, at Fair Park in Dallas, and this year’s ribbon winners are on display in the Creative Arts Building for the rest of the run.
I sat on the cake panel with two other judges, my 17th year judging at the fair. These days most people know me for LiquidZERO margaritas, but food came first. Years as a restaurant critic, restaurant consultant, chef, food and travel writer, and food and beverage developer put a lot of great plates in front of me, and this assignment is the one I never turn down.
These cakes didn’t simply show up. Every finalist earned a place through the fair’s spring Battle for the Blue Ribbons, where amateur home bakers compete in cakes, pies, and cookies. Blue-ribbon winners return in the fall for the Best of Show-Down, where one contestant per category takes a Best of Show ribbon and advances to a head-to-head battle for the grand prize. Professionals are barred from entering, which makes the level of craft in that kitchen all the more striking…