Western Pa. amateur bakers make taking the cake look easy as pie at Westmoreland Fair contest - TribLIVE

As she baked her chocolate cake for the Westmoreland Fair’s Cake and Pie Showdown Contest, Jennifer Lang had one person in mind: her mom.

Lang’s mother has terminal cancer and couldn’t make it to the fairgrounds to watch her daughter take first prize in the Saturday morning cake contest.

“I baked this cake for my mom,” Lang, of North Apollo, said moments after winning. “She’s going to be so proud.”

Fourteen chocolate cakes and 20 apple pies were entered in this year’s competition, which was open to amateur bakers who live in Pennsylvania.

Lang’s smooth chocolate icing helped her take the cake (literally), according to the judges’ comments. The first-time entrant described her icing as chocolate-milk tasting.

Her cake was based on a tweaked internet recipe. One of the major changes Lang made to the recipe included swapping out water for hot black coffee.

“I tweak and try to change different things to make it something I would like to eat,” Lang said.

Now, Lang is “incredibly excited” to head to the 2023 Pennsylvania Farm Show in January.

“I’ve never done something like this before,” she said. “I’m a stay-at-home mom to four beautiful boys, and I just kind of picked this up on the side to occupy my time.”

Jan Johnston, the winner of the pie contest, will also advance to the state farm show. Johnston’s apple-elderberry pie won over the judges, who described it as a “great mix of flavor” in their comments.

Summer Pavlik took second place in the pie contest and third place in the cake contest, while Brielle Davanzo won third place in the pie contest and second place in the cake contest.

Organizer Jackie Elliott said the number of pies was on par with previous competitions, while cake entries were slightly lower than usual. The fair has always hosted a chocolate cake and apple pie competition, but began hosting a special event for these baked goods in 2018.

As six judges ranked the cakes and pies, contestants eagerly paced around the judging tables, watching for reactions. The baked goods were scored based on a number of categories, including flavor and appearance.

John Ament has judged the contest for several years now. Ament, of Latrobe, brought his sons with him this year to determine the best pie.

“It’s nice to come out with the kids,” said Ament, who owns The Sugar Shack Pizza & Pastry Shop in Latrobe.

This was the first year that Alison Lubic entered the contest. Lubic, of Latrobe, made her chocolate cake with a recipe from YouTuber and baker Rosanna Pansino.

“I’m just winging it,” Lubic said. “Just doing it for fun.”

Jodi Uncapher was also a first-time entrant. Uncapher, of Mount Pleasant, decided to give baking a shot after her mother’s death in 2020.

“(Baking) has really helped,” Uncapher said. “It keeps me close to my mom in a sense.”

Maddie Aiken is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Maddie by email at maiken@triblive.com or via Twitter .

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