Asher’s Judges 74 Chocolate Cakes to Pick Pennsylvania’s Best
Asher’s sales representative Bob English is a lucky man. In early January, Pennsylvania’s Farm Show approached him to be a judge in Pennsylvania’s 98th Annual Chocolate Cake Baking Contest. Considered the “Rose Bowl of cake-baking”, the contest takes place annually at Pennsylvania’s Farm Show in Harrisburg. The Farm Show only invites the 74 baking contestants after they achieve a first-place win at one of Pennsylvania’s participating county fairs.
The competition is always fierce in this event. As a result, the announcement that a young man won first place and the $500 prize shocked the other contestants.
Clancein Donough, a senior at Juniata High School, is young, but he has a passion for baking and does not hold back when competing against contestants twice his age. His mother, Mrs. Donough was not surprised. She reports that she no longer enters the same baking contests as her son, ever since he started collecting winner’s ribbons against her own cakes.
Clancein’s cookies-n-cream inspired chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting and shaved candy bar coating was the triumphant confection. It was a requirement for all cakes to use two local products from the PA Preferred program.
Bob was quite enthusiastic about supporting Pennsylvania-made products:
“As a chocolate lover, being a judge at a chocolate cake baking contest was heaven. I loved how passionate and serious these folks are about their cakes and the contest.”
Overall, the win was no fluke! Clancein followed it up with a Top Five win the following day at PA Preferred’s Angel Food Cake Contest.