Photo note: The featured photo of a cake shaped like a Subway sandwich was taken at the 2013 Icing on the Cake Competition in Bossier City.
As a food lover living in Louisiana, I attend lots of food-related events. From Abbeville’s Giant Omelette Festival to Shreveport’s Battle of the Gumbo Gladiators, many Louisiana events are built around the joy of eating. Last year, however, I stumbled upon and kind of fell in love with an event that’s more about admiring food than actually eating it. The Quota Club of Shreveport’s annual Icing on the Cake Competition attracts cake artists from throughout the South to spend a day attending seminars, networking and, of course, showing off their mind-boggling cake creations. The Fifth Annual Icing on the Cake Competition will be held, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday, July 12, 2014 in Building F on the campus of Bossier Parish Community College.
While competing cake artists make up much of the audience for this event, it is open to the public. Admission ranges from $5 to view the cakes to $20 to view the cakes and attend the day’s seminars. The seminars, honestly, are for those who are very interested in cake art. During last year’s event, I attended a cake-building demonstration by Food Network Cake Champion Bronwen Weber, who held an audience of about 150 cake artists enthralled as she constructed a gravity-defying cake shaped like an alligator. Weber will be returning to this year’s event, this time to teach a day-long class on how to create cakes that appear to stand up on two legs.
If you’re wondering “How the heck can a cake stand up on two legs?,” then you’ve hit upon why I enjoy this unique event. It’s an event where a very small portion of society – specifically, cake art ninjas – can come together and sharpen their skills through competition.
Cake artist registrations are being accepted now through QuotaCake.com. For those interested in attending as spectators, tickets may be purchased in advance or at the door. Boxed lunches, sweet treats and cake art tools will be available for purchase from vendors at the event.
Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Bossier Parish Community College (BPCC) – Culinary Arts Program and the Quota Club of Shreveport.
