Tosans win State Fair recipe contests

Aug. 4, 2012

Wauwatosa resident Rebekah Radewahn found the sweet spot in a new baking competition at the Wisconsin State Fair.

The 21-year-old culinary student won the blue ribbon in the Ghirardelli Chocolate Championship with her Chocolate Raspberry Dream Cake, a recipe she found in a magazine years ago but has tweaked extensively.

Meanwhile, 12-year-old Wauwatosa girl Maria Kuhn cooked up a different kind of cake that took top honors in another fair contest.

She won the "Kid Chef" title in the Great American Spam Championship for her Spammy Cakes. Think of it as a unique take on the cupcake.

Want to try to replicate these award-winning recipes? The directions are as follows.

Spammy Cakes

Ingredients

1 (12 ounce) can Spam Classic

1-1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 sticks butter, divided

1/2 cup milk

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided

3 potatoes, boiled and peeled

3/4 cup powdered sugar

Salt & pepper to taste

The directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line a cupcake pan with 12 liners. Take the Spam out of the can and chop off a piece of Spam. Chop it into small cubes and set aside for garnish. Chop half of what's left into cubes and put into a mixing bowl. Chop the remaining Spam in half, and set aside.

Mix together flour, baking powder, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in the mixing bowl with the cubed Spam. Set aside. Place the halves of Spam in a sauce pan with 1/2 stick of butter and 1/2 cup of milk. Set on the stove until boils. Remove the Spam halves from the saucepan and chop into cubes. Add the cubed Spam and milk mixture to the flour mixture. Add the two eggs and stir until blended. Then, add 1 of the teaspoons of vanilla.

Scoop the batter with an ice cream scoop (so the cupcakes are all even) and place in the center of the oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. When baked, let cool on cooling rack.

With an electric mixer, mix the potatoes, powdered sugar, 1 stick of butter, the remaining 1 teaspoons vanilla extract until smooth. Frost the cupcakes after they've cooled with a smooth knife. Garnish with salt, pepper and the remaining Spam.

Chocolate Raspberry Dream Cake

Ingredients for the cake:

1 teaspoon melted butter

6 ounces Ghirardelli 60 percent Cacao Baking Chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup butter, cut into tablespoons

2 ounces Ghirardelli 100 percent Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon white sugar

Ingredients for the raspberry chocolate glaze:

4 ounces Ghirardelli 60 percent Cacao Baking Chocolate

6 tablespoons butter

1-1/2 teaspoons light corn syrup

2-1/2 teaspoons water

1/2 teaspoons raspberry extract

garnish of chocolate shavings

Ingredients for the filling:

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

4 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1-1/2 cups Ghirardelli White Chocolate Chips

2 teaspoons solid vegetable shortening

1/4 teaspoons raspberry extract

2-3 drops red food coloring

5 Ghirardelli Raspberry Filled Dark Chocolate Squares, coarsely chopped

Directions to make the cake: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Assemble an 8-inch spring form pan with bottom insert turned with lip facing down. Lightly coat the bottom with some of the melted butter. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and lightly coat the paper and edges with the rest of the melted butter. Melt the Ghirardelli 60-percent cacao baking chocolate, the 1/2 cup butter and the Ghirardelli 100-percent cacao unsweetened chocolate in a small glass bowl in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted, stirring until smooth. Set aside until needed. Place the eggs, egg yolk and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a balloon whip. Whisk on high speed until light in color and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from mixer. Using a rubber spatula, fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Place the pan on a baking sheet on the center rack of the oven. Bake for 26 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out slightly moist with chocolate crumbs. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 20 minutes. Release cake from pan. Remove bottom insert and peel parchment away. Place cake back on bottom of pan and replace the ring. Set aside at room temperature.

For the glaze: In a microwave safe bowl, combine Ghirardelli 60-percent cacao baking chocolate, butter, corn syrup and water. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir mixture until smooth. Cool slightly. Add raspberry extract. Cool to room temperature.

For the filling: In a medium bowl combine cream cheese and butter, mix to combine. In a double boiler or microwave, melt Ghirardelli white chocolate and shortening; mix well. Add chocolate mixture to cream cheese and beat just until smooth. While mixture is beating, add raspberry extract and red food coloring. Fold in raspberry chocolates. Smooth filling over top of cooled cake base and chill until firm, about 2 hours.

To finish, remove sides of spring form pan. Place dessert on a cake circle. Pour glaze in the center of the dessert in one motion. With a small angled spatula, quickly and gently spread chocolate to the edge of the dessert, allowing some to drip over the sides. Chill to set glaze. To serve, garnish with chocolate shavings or as desired. Cut into small wedges. Yields: 12 servings.

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