82-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 16, 1993
Greatest Cocoa Cake Comes From Tioga County
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.)
—“I came prepared for three fatal
ities,” said Sandy Johnson of Tio
ga County.
Instead, Sandy was proclaimed
the first-place winner of the Great
est Cocoa Cake Contest at the
Pennsylvania Farm Show on Janu
ary 9, for which she won a
weekend trip for four to her choice
of the Hershey Resort and Confer
ence Center of the Hershey Hotel.
“My kids say that I am a pessim
ist,” Sandy said. That was why she
prepared two cakes and made a
9-inch three layer cake, which
could be cut down to regular size in
case it crumbled on the trip. Just in
case, Sandy also brought two
bowls of extra frosting and choco
late roses and’ leaves for
decorating.
To her relief, the cake that San
dy decorated at 3 a.m. that morning
survived the four and a half hour
drive from their home. She arrived
at the Farm Show within 15
minutes of the entry deadline.
-yK v
a tough job,” said Sec. of Agriculture Boyd Wolff with obvi
ous pleasure.
Second Try Earns Blue Ribbon Apple Pie Honors
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff '
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.)
“Nothing is as American as
Mom and apple pie,” was the
theme of the Blue Ribbon Apple
Pie Contest held at the Farm Show
on January 9.
Out of 54 entries, Pamela Paul
sell’s All-American Green Apple
Pie was pronounced the winner of
the $lOO prize.
Pamela said that she got up at 4
a.m. to bake the pie. She traveled
from her home in Chester County,
holding her freshly baked pie, and
reached the Farm Show Complex
at 8:30 a.m. Judging began at 10
a m.
“It’s the same recipe that I
entered last year, but it didn’t even
place then,” said Pamela, who
advises others to keep trying even
if they don’t succeed at first.
Since she did not win at the state
level last year, Pamela admits to
being tempted to change her
recipe, but family members urged
her to keep the same recipe,
“because it tastes great and a diffe
rent set of judges might like it.”
It was good advice as Jim
Harvey, one of the judges, said that
Pamela’s pic “was one of the finest
Sandy and her husband Charles
live on a 400-acre Pennsylvania
dairy farm that borders New York.
Sandy taught herself the art of
cake decorating after the birth of
her first child. Now five children
and one grandchild later, Sandy
has a small cake decorating busi
ness that she operates from her
home.
Sandy said that she has been
using the chocolate cake recipe for
years. For the visual appeal, Sandy
said, “I just started decorating and
this is what I ended up with.”
The cake had a mass of choco
late roses and chocolate covered
leaves, which were real rose leaves
brushed with a mixture of melted
chocolate chips and chocolate can
dy wafers.
“My cake uses real dairy pro
ducts,” Sandy stressed.
So, also does the cake of
second-place winner Dolly
Longenecker, who was grand prize
winner of last year’s state contest.
This year, Dolly baked a different
cake than last year. Dolly, who
also comes from a dairy farm.
apple pies I’ve ever seen or eaten.”
Other judges were Betty Groff,
cook book writer and owner of
Groff’s Farm Restaurant, Lancas
ter; Brad Flich, operations mana
ger for Z 107; and Kirsten Miller of
JDK Catering, Harrisburg.
Each of the judges chose three
out of the 15 pies they tasted. Then
the pies of the 12 finalists were
again tasted and awarded points by
each judge.
Judging was based on overall
appearance, crust flavor, color,
and texture, filling flavcfr and tex
ture, and creativity.
To be eligible to enter the state
apple pie contest, entries must first
win a blue ribbon at a county fair.
Pamela won hers at the Unionville
Community Fair.
Second place and $6O went to
Charlotte Glenett of Middleburg
for her Rhu-Cran-Apple Pie.
Third place and $4O was earned
by Debra Todd of Graysvillc.
Pennylvania Apple Marketing
Program awarded the premiums.
Here is tjie recipe for the prize
winning pie, which is a Betty
Crocker recipe with Pamela’s
“touches.”
baked a Chocolate Mint Cake that
earned her a $3O prize. It had been
the winner at the Manheim Com
munity Farm Show.
Third place and $35 went to
Julie Raup for her Cocoa-Nut Lay
er Cake. Entries in the competition
needed to win a blue ribbon at the
county level before they could
qualify for state competition.
According to Beverly Gruber,
secretary-treasurer of the Pennsyl
vania State Association of County
Fairs, there was a total of 1,118
cakes entered in 94 county and lo
cal fairs.
Judges for the state competition
were Lynn Stallworth, New York
culinary writer; Michael Schnader,
Allentown; MarteneFirestine, sec
retary for Penn Agri-woman; and
Dianne Hassinger, cook from
Millersburg.
Here is the first-prize cake
recipe.
SANDY’S CHOCOLATE
CAKE
1 cup butter
3 cups lightly packed brown
sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
V* cup cocoa powder
3 teaspoons baking soda
'A teaspoon salt
3 cups minus 6 tablespoons
flour
I'/i cup sour cream
I'A cup boiling water
Cream butter, add brown sugar.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating
well after each addition. Beat on
high speed until light and fluffy.
Beat in Hershey’s cocoa, baking
soda, and salt. Add flour alternate
ly with sour, cream. Blend on .low
speed until blended,/ Add water
and stir agaim 1
Pour into three greased 9-inch
pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35
minutes. Cool in pans for 10
minutes before removing. Cool
and frost with your favorite butter
cream frosting.
ALL-AMERICAN
GREEN APPLE PIE
Select Crispin apples (a Penn
ylvania hybrid apple that is green
and sweetly tart, crisp, and out
standing for eating and baking).
Pare and slice the apples, thinly.
Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons
lemon juice
'A cup granulated sugar
A cup brown sugar
'A cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash salf
3 tablespoons butter
Mix the dry ingredients and
blend in butter. Spread over apples
while preparing the crust.
Pie Crust
Makes 2 9-inch crusts
2 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon salt
Vi cup plus 2 tablespoons veget
able shortening
VA cups cold water
Blend dry ingredients and shor
tening. Slowly add a little wa’ter to
mix dry ingredients, just enpugh
for easy handling.'Split the dough
in half and roll out the bottom
crust. Add the apple filling. Roll
out the second crust and place over
top. Crimp and seal. Brush lightly
with milk and bake at 425 degrees
in preheated oven for 50 to 60
minutes. Protect edges of pie crust
with foil during the first 30
minutes of baking.
Sandy Johnson held this prize-winning cake on her lap
during the 4% hour trip from Tioga County.
Last year’s cake-baking champion Dolly Longenecker
placed second this year.
Half-and-half contains
between 10 and 12 percent milk
fat more than milk and less
than cream. It can be substituted in
Sec. of Agriculture Boyd Wolff congratulates Pamela
Paulsell, champion of the Blue Ribbon Apple Pie Contest.
VMtnestfiad
c floifi*
recipes calling for light cream,
which has at least 18 percent milk
fat, but not for heavy cream,
which contains at least 36 percent
milk fat