Kalamazoo students bake, decorate cakes in ‘Cake Wars’ competition - MLive.com

KALAMAZOO, MI -- Kalamazoo students got to try their hand at cake decorating this week at Linden Grove Middle School for their classes’ own version of “Cake Wars.”

Named in honor of the Food Network master cake-making TV show, the project was a chance for middle school students to make their own cake and frosting creations.

Eighth grade Life Skills teacher Erica Drogosch said the project is a favorite one for many students every year.

This week, the kids designed, baked and decorated their cakes in class, said Drogosch, the teacher of the “modern day home economics” class.

“It’s a little wild and it’s kind of crazy, but it’s so much fun,” she said. “And they really have a good time with it.”

On Monday, students each chose a theme and designed their cake and the pizza box it would be displayed inside. The following day, they broke out the whisks and oven mitts to bake their cakes inside the classroom’s kitchen lab. Finally, it was time for fondant, food coloring and all the final touches on Wednesday.

Thursday, the students watched “Nailed It,” a baking show that pokes fun at amateur cake bakers, and enjoyed their tasty creations, Drogosch said.

Creations included cakes of SpongeBob SquarePants, the galaxy of planets, a basketball court, a tropical island, Batman, a car and a beach scene with sharks.

“They got to pick what cake pans they wanted to use, some made cupcakes, some did circles, some were stacked,” the teacher said. “They used fondant, they used all sorts of stuff.”

Her eighth-grade class was especially excited for the hands-on project after attending school virtually during the pandemic, Drogosch said.

“It’s something fun, they get to work with their peers and interact with other people and it’s something different for them,” she said. “A lot of them really look forward to it.”

The time spent at home also highlighted the need for skills like cooking, she said. Her class reinforces lessons learned in math, reading and science, she said.

“A lot of baking is science,” Drogosch said. “I think it’s very practical for kids to learn.”

Scroll below to see a handful of the cakes. To see all of them, visit the school’s Facebook page.