Local woman has a shot at winning $10000 in national cake-baking contest - East Idaho News

Idaho Falls resident Katrina Morrow and her lifesize wedding dress cake. | Courtesy Katrina Morrow

IDAHO FALLS – A local cake-maker has a shot at winning $10,000 in a national competition.

Katrina Morrow of Idaho Falls is one of about 25,000 candidates who recently entered the Greatest Baker Competition, the world’s largest online contest for bakers.

Since entering the contest several weeks ago, she’s made it to the quarter-finals and is hoping to continue on to the finals.

“I’m actually in the top 1% at this point,” Morrow says. “I can’t imagine winning over 25,000 people but it’s amazing to me how much support eastern Idaho has given me. It’s wonderful.”

Morrow first heard about the contest through some of her followers on Facebook. Advancement in the contest is determined by public vote.

In addition to a $10,000 grand prize, the winner will receive worldwide recognition as The Greatest Baker of 2020, a year’s supply of Stuffed Puffs marshmallow treats and a trip to Pennsylvania to meet the CEO Michael Tierney. The winner will also be featured in an article in Bake from Scratch Magazine.

Morrow says there are currently 16 groups of candidates and she ranks 7th in her group. A total of 16 candidates will advance to the finals. Morrow has to win in her group to advance. The more votes she receives, the greater her chances.

One vote per person can be submitted daily. Voting is open through Thursday.

“It’s overwhelming the amount of support and love I’ve gotten and it’s meant the world to me. At this point, I want to finish the race, finish strong for everybody that’s supported me,” says Morrow.

Morrow family photo | Courtesy Katrina Morrow

The story behind a cake-maker’s success

If you’ve ever purchased a custom-made cake for a birthday, wedding, retirement or other occasion, you may have heard of Morrow. She is the owner of KM Cakes and has been making cakes out of her home since 2014.

She started the business with no prior cake-making experience and fell in love with it. Apparently, customers did, too, because the business has continued to grow and evolve. Most of her customers live in eastern Idaho, but Morrow says she’s made cakes for customers in Utah, Wyoming and Montana.

To date, Morrow says she’s made more than 1,000 cakes and she spends an average of 8 hours working on each one. One of her personal favorites is the life-size wedding dress cake (pictured above) she displayed at the Eastern Idaho State Fair several years ago.

“Any of my 3D cakes are fun. Anything that I have to carve and sculpt to make look like something (is enjoyable),” Morrow says. “I love the character cakes, like Mickey Mouse, Yoda or Baby Yoda. Some of the big wedding cakes are absolutely beautiful.”

Courtesy Katrina Morrow

Since launching her cake business, she’s also started selling pillow covers and would like to branch out into home decor. Morrow has no plans to open a brick-and-mortar store for her cake business, but she says she’d eventually like to have an educational brand to teach people how to make their own.

“A lot of people don’t want to spend $120 on a cake for their birthday,” says Morrow. “I’d love to help teach.”

Public voting for the contest is free, but people can also purchase votes. Proceeds from all purchased votes benefit the No Kid Hungry Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit devoted to taking care of hungry children across the U.S.

Though Morrow would like to win the competition, she says supporting this organization is even more important and she’s asking for your support.

“This year, there are so many people struggling. It doesn’t matter to me if people vote for me, someone else or don’t vote at all. The idea of reaching a helping hand out this year for someone in need … was my whole motivation (for entering the contest in the first place),” she says.

Visit Morrow’s Facebook page to learn more. To cast a vote, click here.