State Fair-Winning Hummingbird Cake

    (This cake recipe was originally posted in 2019, it has been updated for 2024. Enjoy!)

Friends are the family we choose for ourselves.  

(This Hummingbird Cake won first-place

at the 2024 Kentucky State Fair.)

This recipe…is a recipe I would choose…

and I would share it with all of

 my best girlfriends… and this…ahem, 

(Spoiler Alert) delicious cake…it’s a good one.

--And isn’t friendship a beautiful thing?

…and to have a collection of people, 

people we chose, to surround ourselves with in life??

  These friends…they make the good times greater…

magnifying the happiness.   

Friends also make the hard times feel manageable, 

by sharing our hurt and cheering us on…

That’s the way I feel about a lot of my 

close friends as I grow older… 

and I am so happy that 

I have all these wonderful (old) friends 

that I do…each one different and 

complex, fun and fabulous in their 

own unique way… 

but also familiar and a little bit 

like family, actually, a lot like family.

This “new “cake recipe I’m rolling out

 is a cake that magnifies my happiness… 

over and over again… 

Old fashioned, and scrumptious…

not too very different from 

many of my dearest friends.

Today, I must introduce you to a close

 relative of one of our favorite cakes...

 …Please meet Carrot Cake’s BFF: Hummingbird Cake.

AND also a fancy first-place winner at the 2024 Kentucky State Fair.

recipe  follows....

Peachy-KEENtucky Cake First Place Kentucky State Fair

Peachy-KEENtucky Cake: 2024 Kentucky State Fair, First Place Cake: by Karri Perry

Almond-Vanilla Cakes filled with fresh peach skillet jam, brown sugar-cinnamon crumbles, frosted with both a peach and vanilla Swiss-meringue buttercream.

 

Peach Skillet Jam-make ahead

4 large fresh peaches-peeled and finely chopped

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 Tbs light brown sugar

1 teaspoon arrowroot powder

 

Cook peaches in a skillet on medium, until sugar melts and the mixture thickens. Allow peach mixture to cool completely before using. In a pinch you can substitute quality peach preserves.

 

Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Crumble-make ahead

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

4 Tbs unsalted butter-softened

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of salt

 

Mix together with a fork until mixture is crumbly. Spread mixture on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in a 350°F oven for 7-9 minutes. Allow it to cool before using.

 

Vanilla-Almond Cakes

1 1/2 cups sugar 

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 Tbs melted butter 

2 large eggs

2 egg whites

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/3 cup room temperature buttermilk

***

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

 

Mix dry ingredients-set aside.  Mix together sugar, eggs + egg whites, oil, butter, extracts and sour cream.  Mix well, scrape sides of bowl. Begin adding the flour mixture (using 1/3 of dry ingredients, followed by 1/2 of the buttermilk.) Alternate flour and buttermilk.  Pour batter evenly into 3 greased and parchment lined 9-inch cake pans.

 

Bake cakes on the middle rack of a preheated 350°F oven.  Bake for 20-24 minutes, until set and a toothpick comes out cleanly.  

 

Turn cakes out onto cooling racks.  Remove parchment paper.  Cool completely before frosting.

 

American Vanilla Buttercream for stacking layers

20 Tbs softened unsalted butter. (2 1/2 sticks)

2 cups confectioners sugar-sifted 

Pinch of salt

1 tsp good vanilla extract

Whip the butter until very light and fluffy. Add vanilla and salt. Add sifted confectioners sugar, whip until smooth.

 

Swiss Meringue Buttercream-for frosting the outside of cake

5 egg whites

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 tsp Vanilla 

32 Tbs (4 sticks) cool-unsalted butter cut into cubes. (Be sure butter is softened-but still cool-not oily at all)

4 Tbs Peach Syrup (I used Torani brand link here: Peach Syrup) (for half of frosting)

1 tiny drop of peach food gel to peach flavored frosting if desired.

 

Add sugar and egg whites together-heat to 165°F using a double boiler.  After sugar is dissolved and 165°F is reached, begin whipping up egg whites-until stiff peaks form-add vanilla.  Once bowl is at room temperature, begin adding the butter a little at a time. Continue to mix until frosting is thick.  Trouble-Shooting Tip if frosting is too soft: Refrigerate bowl containing the stiff-peak egg whites along with the whisk attachment for 20 minutes. After chilling for 20 minutes, resume whisking to thicken the frosting.  Divide frosting.  Add vanilla to one half of frosting for accents.  Add peach syrup to flavor the other half (for the body of the cake), if desired add a tiny drop of peach food gel to tint the peach flavored frosting.

 

Assemble the Cake:

Place a cake layer on a plate or platter.  Frost with American buttercream, add crumbles, add peach filling.  Repeat for the second layer, then add the top layer. Frost entire cake with the remaining American buttercream.  Next frost the cake with the peach flavored/tinted Swiss meringue buttercream frosting then add accents with the vanilla buttercream.  

I like to use off-set spatulas for spreading the frosting. I use a piping bag and a decorator tip to add the accents to the cake edges.

 

Garnish:

Create an almond paste peach with leaves. Color the almond paste (Marzipan) with food gel (peach/green). Using peach colored almond paste,  shape a 2” ball into a small peach and use green colored Marzipan to create leaves. Roll candy peach in fine sugar.  Place finished peach in airtight container, place on cake just before serving.  Top cake with remaining crumbles, and the almond paste peach and leaves.

     Here we are entering the cake!!  It's always a huge relief to get to the check-in table.

State Fair Chocolate Chip Cookies

State Fair Chocolate Chip Cookies, Karri Perry 2024

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco shortening

4 Tablespoons unsalted softened butter 

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar-lightly packed

1 extra large egg + 1 yolk-room temperature 

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour (King Arthur Flour)- measure gently-too much flour is an enemy to tender cookies

1 3.5-ounce package of dry vanilla pudding

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 cup milk chocolate chips-Ghiradelli 

3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup toasted chopped pecans

fluer de sel (good finishing salt) VERY lightly sprinkle on cookie tops before baking.

Tips:

Use a 1 3/4” inch scoop #30

6 cookies to a tray.

Lightly press cookies down to gently flatten the scoop shape.

Middle rack

Convection oven on-350 degrees -about 10-11 minutes-turning tray once.

Let rest on the warm tray 5-7 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

If adding nuts-toast them first and then chop to about the chip size. Allow nuts to cool completely before adding to the dough.

Directions

In a stand mixer (or using electric mixer), beat the shortening and butter together until fluffy 1-2 mins. Add sugars and vanilla extract. Mix well to combine. 

Add the egg and yolk. Mix to combine.

Add flour, dry vanilla pudding and salt and soda. Mix until just combined-do not over mix.

Fold in chips and nuts (if using).

Scoop cookies 6/ parchment lined tray.

Gently press each scooped cookie down to level off the cookie to about 1/2-3/4 inch in height. Just be sure to press each cookie the same so they bake at the same rate.

Sprinkle with a very small amount of fluer de sel on each cookie.

Bake on the middle rack of a preheated 350 (convection on if possible)

Bake cookies for 10 minutes or until golden edged and matte looking in the middle. Let the baked cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.