Simone Vos„s Sinful Strawberry Chocolate Cake recipe won the title of SA‟s Best Tasting Chocolate Cake at Sandton City on Saturday 14 September.
The inaugural Sunday Times Food Weekly Best Tasting Chocolate Cake Bake Off saw 6 finalists from around the country fly to Johannesburg to compete. De Vos walked away with a top of the range Elba gas-electrical stove and Whirlpool Jet microwave oven from Hirsch‟s, plus R10 000 cash.
The panel of judges included highly respected chefs, expert bakers and celebrities including Khan Morbee from The Parlotones and Katlego Maboe from SABC3‟s Expresso Show. The contest was the brainchild of Hilary Biller, Sunday Times Food Weekly Editor who used the competition as chance to uncover those treasured chocolate cake recipes.
“Simone‟s Sinful Chocolate Strawberry cake combines lots of dark chocolate in a moist, rich cake; creamy fudge icing; lashings of whipped cream; strawberries for freshness and — the final touch — flaky milk chocolate wrapped around the outside. Cakes were assessed on originality, texture and flavour, and Simone‟s winner had all these elements, with a delicious boldness to boot.
Simone‟s baking shows astonishing maturity and confidence. She is one of a growing number of young people taking up this rewarding hobby that makes its recipients so happy,” said Sue de Groot, Sunday Times Food Weekly Managing Editor De Vos, a resident from Alberton said the secret to her winning recipe is that she has a heavy hand with cocoa and hopes the competition will open doors for her in the baking industry. “I cannot imagine anything more satisfying than baking cakes for a living. I hope that this will bring me one step closer to making a career out of baking,” commented de Vos.
Second place was awarded to a grade 12 learner, Emma van Zyl from Darling and third place to Gabriella Esposito from Cape Town. For more information get your copy of this week‟s Sunday Times Food Weekly supplement.
