Sugar Plum Bake Off Results

As you know, I was planning on attending and contributing to the Sugar Plum Bake Off. What is the Sugar Plum Bake Off? Several people enter their baked goodies (cakes and cookies) into the contest. After the judging takes place, WIXE radio auctions off all the goodies that were entered to raise money for your local HomeTown Heroes.

This year’s 19th Annual Sugar Plum Cook-Off took place today and was broadcast live via WIXE 1190 am from Hendrick Chevy/Cadillac in Monroe, NC.

I can make a mean cheesecake now so I was totally excited to enter. But since this was the first Bake Off I have ever entered, I clearly pictured it different than it actually was. I decided to make a Marble Cheesecake and an English Toffee Cheesecake. I stayed up late to finish the English Toffee one and then went to bed, snug as a bug in a rug, happy with the results.

When I woke up, I proceeded to slice the cheesecake. I don’t know why. I guess I thought since they were tasting them, I would help them out a little. Although I must have had cheesecake brain fog, because if I cut up the cheesecake how would they auction it off? One piece at a time? HA!

I put the cheesecakes in two separate carrying cases and put ice packs between them. Apparently I think I am a juggler because I thought it was smart to hold BOTH cheesecakes balanced on one hand AND lock my front door with the other. I turn around and in slow motion I saw the top cheesecake falling. Picture it: Cheesecake falling me yelling NOOOOO slowly…and the cheesecake landing upside down. The Toffee Cheesecake is out of the running now.

I head on down to Hendricks Chevrolet in Monroe to turn in my one remaining cheesecake. I pull up and I see this woman walking in with a real cake box. Hmmm…I am starting to get a bad feeling. A real cake box? Was I supposed to bring a cake box? It is at this point I start feeling a little uncomfortable with my sliced cheesecake. But I go ahead and walk inside with my sliced up cheesecake in its cheesy container. I take one look at the table, and turn around and walk back out the door. My first bake off a failure! I don’t know what I was thinking! I mean, why would anyone purchase a sliced up cheesecake? No brain in my head today!

But that is OK. These other baked items looked FANTASTIC. Wow! Who knew there were so many good cake decorators and bakers in North Carolina! These women who entered their products definitely deserve a pat on the back.

There were at least 80 entries and each one of them had to be judged. They were then auctioned off and all of the proceeds went to HomeTown Heroes an organization that helps families with children who have been affected by cancer.

The judges were:

Bobby Kilgore – Mayor of Monroe
Parker Mills – Local Business Man, Union County Board of Commissioners
Nancy Duncan – Union County Chamber of Commerce
Gloria Baker

You should have seen the prizes they were giving out!

I was lucky enough to meet Archie Morgan, General Manager & President of WIXE as well as Stacey, the WIXE Office Manager and Amanda all who helped me bumble around taking pictures and asking questions.

Did they see my little trick of walking in and immediately out with my pathetic cheesecake? Well, if they did, they didn’t say anything.

This is the 19th year of the Sugar Plum Bake Off and Stacey told me they sometimes stay until as late as 8:00 at night getting all the bids in! I feel very fortunate that there are so many people willing to take the time to make baked goods. Yes, they have a chance of winning a prize, but more importantly, they are helping HomeTown Heroes earn some money for their cause!

Now that I know what I am up against, you can bet you will see my cheesecakes entered in 2011!

If you didn’t have a chance to place a bid, checkout HomeTown Heroes, they are always accepting donations.