Local bakers heading to Farm Show

Some of the area’s finest bakers are busy sifting, stirring and flexing their culinary muscles as they get ready for the state Farm Show in Harrisburg. All four of the winners from the Carbon County Fair will be making their way to the state capitol this weekend, where they will compete for the top prize among dozens of winners from across the commonwealth, hoping to be crowned best of the best.

We thought we’d share a little about each competitor, as well as their winning recipe.

We wish them all the best and hope that they each bring home a blue ribbon.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Farm Show, visit http://www.farmshow.state.pa.us/.

Christina Tomsic

Making the annual trip to the state Farm Show is nothing new to Christina Tomsic of Palmerton, but it’s still just as exciting. This year, like last year, she’ll be representing Carbon County as the winner of the Angel Food Cake Contest. Her winning entry is a Salted Caramel Apple Angel Food Cake. Tomsic said she was honestly surprised to have won last August.

“The angel food cake recipe that I created this year I felt was pretty “safe” compared to the other things I entered this year.”

Tomsic said her apple pie entry had cheddar cheese and green chili peppers in it, among other spicy ingredients. And her chocolate cake had cookie dough balls baked inside the cake with cookie dough frosting.

“I was thrilled to see I won a chance to go to the state fair again because my family loves taking the trip to Harrisburg to support me, as well as take part in all the amazing food there.”

In addition to two angel food cake wins, Tomsic won first place in the chocolate cake contest a few times. She’s won second place numerous times in several of the other baking contests. She’s yet to win the big prize at the state fair.

Last year Tomsic’s winning angel food cake focused on pumpkin. She wanted something different this year.

“I immediately started thinking what other flavors would be least expected in an angel food cake, and I thought apple pie. I knew that I couldn’t put apples in the cake itself, so I needed to figure out a way to get that apple pie flavor. And for the frosting, what doesn’t go better with apples than caramel, and I’m a sucker for anything salted caramel.”

Sounds like a winning combination.

“I’m excited to be going to Harrisburg again. Like I said before, my family loves coming with me, and we make an entire day out of it. Even if I don’t win again there, having all of them with me to support me through is enough of a win for me.”

Salted Caramel Apple Angel Food Cake

Cake:

1 1/2 cups egg whites (PA Preferred), about 10 eggs

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup cake flour

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

Apple glaze:

1/3 cup butter, cubed

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 to 4 tablespoons apple juice or cider

Salted caramel frosting:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3-4 cups powdered sugar

Cake

Place egg whites in a large bowl. Sift powdered sugar and flour together; set aside. Add cream of tartar, vanilla and almond extract and salt to egg whites; beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time, beating on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Gradually fold in flour mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time.

Gently spoon into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Cut through the batter with a knife to remove air pockets. Bake on the lowest oven rack at 375 F. for 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned and entire top appears dry. Immediately invert pan; cool completely, about 1 hour.

Salted caramel frosting

In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, cream, vanilla, brown sugar and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar melts and the mixture comes to a low simmer; about 4 minutes. Remove the mixture from heat and let it cool for 2 minutes, then transfer the mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.

Add 2 cups of powdered sugar to the bowl and beat on medium-low speed until well combined. Add in another 1-2 cups of powdered sugar and beat until thick and fluffy; 4-6 minutes. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.

Apple glaze

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the powdered sugar and cinnamon until blended. Add apple juice slowly until glaze is thin enough to achieve a drizzle consistency.

Drizzle over cake.

Ashley Nothstein

Ashley Nothstein of Lansford, won the PA Preferred Chocolate Cake competition at the county level with her S’mores Cake.

“Last year I placed second with a different chocolate cake,” said Nothstein. “It was chocolate icing and chocolate filling.”

The person who won had raspberry filling in her cake, so Nothstein decided to up her game.

“I was looking for something a little more exotic. Since it was summer, I thought s’mores sounded really good, so I figured I’d give that a try.”

She was shocked when she won.

“You want to win, but when you actually do, it’s a little surprising.”

Nothstein said her chocolate cake is rich and moist.

“It’s my favorite recipe, the only one I make. I make it with different icings, but I always use this one for the cake part.”

Her filling is not one, but two layers: a layer of graham cracker buttercream, then a layer of marshmallow buttercream. Then I do the outside of the cake in this really fudgy chocolate icing.”

Nothstein is excited about heading to the Farm Show.

“It’s my first big competition, and it’s all the way in Harrisburg. I know it will be more steep there than at the county level. That makes it a little more scary.”

S’mores Cake

1 1/2 cups Hershey’s Cocoa powder

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 PA Preferred eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups coffee

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour cake pans. In your stand mixer, sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder together. Add in the sugar and salt.

With your mixer on low speed, add eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla, coffee, vegetable oil and milk. Mix on medium for 2 minutes until combined.

Fill pans 2/3 full and bake for 20 minutes until set.

Chocolate frosting

1 cup butter, room temperature

2/3 cup water

1 cup Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder, sifted (you can use regular cocoa powder)

8 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Marshmallow cream

4 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup marshmallow cream

1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar

Graham cracker

buttercream

8 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

1 cup graham cracker crumbs (fine crumbs)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-3 tablespoons whipping cream or milk

To make the frostings, blend well with a mixer. Assemble the cake with a layer of cake, then a layer of graham cracker buttercream, then a layer of marshmallow buttercream, then the second layer of cake. Cover the entire cake with hocolate frosting.

Cathy James

Although Cathy James of Palmerton doesn’t like apple pie, she’s good at making them. Good enough to earn a blue ribbon at the Carbon County Fair and a trip to the state Farm Show.

Why does James make pie if she doesn’t like it? Two reasons: her husband, Carl, and her standard poodle, PJ, who loves apple peels.

“PJ tries to steal the peelings from the corer,” says James. “That’s why I named it PJ’s.”

James puts an apple, similar to the one for Apple computers on the top, only reversed so that it’s not an exact replica, and calls it a “megabite” pie, rather than “megabyte.” Twelve refers to the number of apples in her pie. Pretty clever.

This is the second time James entered the county fair. She was surprised when she won.

“I won fourth-place last year, but my pie was pretty sloppy. I’m no Suzy Homemaker. I make apple pie because my husband likes it so much, and he says it’s the best. I assume he says that because he has to.”

Since the county judges also thought it was the best, we assume he’s not just saying it to be nice.

For this year’s entry, James came up with the idea of adding caramel. She also used a cream cheese crust.

“It was my aunt’s recipe,” she said. “Usually I use that or make regular crust. It makes it flakier. It’s a thicker crust.”

PJ’s 12 Megabite Caramel Apple Crumb Pie

Crust

1 1/2 Cups organic flour

6 oz. cream cheese cold

1/2 cup unsalted butter cold

1/8 cup organic sugar

Cut in cold butter and cream cheese. Kneed into a ball but do not over-knead. Refrigerate for at least a half-hour. Bake for 20 minutes in pie tin at 400F.

Caramel

1/4 cup salted butter

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup brown sugar well packed

1/3 cup half and half

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a small saucepan melt butter with salt. Add brown sugar and whisk until combined for about 2 minutes. Whisk in half and half. Blend until creamy. Add vanilla extract at end. Put aside to cool.

Apples

1 tablespoon organic flour

1/3 cup light brown sugar

Peel and slice 12 apples

Steam till soft

Toss with flour and brown sugar

Take apples and fill baked crust over half way and top with the caramel. Add remainder of apples until filled

Crumbs

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup organic sugar

1 cup organic flour

Add together in mixing bowl and blend by fork till a crumbly constancy and refrigerate until needed. Cover top of apples evenly and bake pie for 50 minutes at 400F.

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons half and half

1/2 teaspoon caramel extract

Blend sugar, half and half, and caramel extract in a bowl. Refrigerate till needed. Drizzle icing sparingly over top of crumbs

Serve Warm!

Joshua Johnson

Rounding out the competition is the youth category, PA Preferred Chocolate Cookies, Brownies and Bars. This year’s winner is 16-year-old Joshua Johnson of Lehighton.

Joshua, who is one of 10 children, is the son of Bob and Theresa Johnson.

“I honestly didn’t think I was going to win,” said Joshua. “I through it together kind of quick. When my parents came walking up to me at the county fair and told me I’d won, I was kind of surprised.”

He and four of his brothers all entered the competition this year. While he placed first, his older brother, Caleb, 18, came in fifth.

Joshua said it was a “brotherly competition.”

Joshua’s recipe came from one of his mother’s old magazines, but he said he made some changes to it.

“I just added a couple different ingredients into it, like chunks of dark chocolate and then put in some other things.”

While this is the first year he’s competed, he said he’ll probably enter again next year.

“I’ll do it and see what I get.”

A junior, Joshua is home-schooled. In the future, he hopes to attend Williamson College of the Trades to study carpentry.

Joshua is excited about Saturday’s competition. One thing that might help him is one last special ingredient he adds.

“Every cookie that I bake, I bake with love.”

Double Chocolate Cookies

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup white sugar

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 large PA Preferred eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, shopped into 1/2 inch pieces

Heat oven to 375F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk flour, cocoa, soda and salt together in bowl and set aside. Whisk white sugar and brown sugar together in large bowl. Whisk in butter until incorporated. Whisk in PA Preferred eggs and vanilla until smooth. Gently stir in flour mixture until soft dough forms. Stir in chocolate.

Drop 2 tablespoons of dough in mounds onto sheet. Bake until edges are set but centers are still soft and puffy, about 14 minutes.

Let cool slightly on sheets before serving.