Spot the cakes from the Eve Appeal Great Manx Bake-Off!

... such a yummy weekend at the isle of Man Food & Drink Festival 2009!

Fairy delicious news!

Today we have received a lovely cheque from Cupcakes to form their donation to the Eve appeal from the Cupcakes workshops of the Great Manx Bake Off!

We acknowledge receipt of £100-
Thank you, Bev & Dave!

















Cupcake's "Manx Tartan" Cupcake entry.

As well as running workshops to form part of the event, Cupcakes also entered the professional division of the competition!

Here, Hairy Biker Dave (not Cupcakes Dave) struggles with his balance to keep the Manx Tartan Cupcakes all in place...

It looks like traditional Manx dancing!




Cupcakes' wonderful workshops were a big hit at the Isle of Man Food & Drink festival! So much so, that the Ramsey based company are developing a DIY kit- and also provide "nudie" cupcakes and all ingredients for a fun corporate or kiddie event! You can contact them here on the Isle of Man on 07624 346466.

Thank you again, Cupcakes, for helping out the Eve Appeal!

Judge's Choices in Pictures

Here the Hairy Bikers carefully cut into Mrs Burton's Thie Veg- the out-house of her Manx Ginger cottage!
"You can't cut that!" said Si... but we were all insistent- they had to taste it to congratulate the winner of Mr Gawne, MHK & Minister for Agriculture's Judge's Choice award. Mrs Burton is an artist from Port Erin and received Mr Gawne's highest personal accolade.


Mrs Michele Moroney, semi-final judge & surgeon at Nobles, awarded her Judge's Choice to Kelly Smith, praising her use of home-grown carrots and calling it the healthy choice! Here's the Hairy Bikers showing it to the crowd! Kelly made rabbit poo out of sugar-craft for decoration. How creative!

Kate Dawe's Laxey Wheel attracted Mrs Hazel Warburton's, semi-final judge previously of Fortnum & Mason, and a cake judge of the WI, Judges Choice award, largely for her quality of craftsmanship. Guess what's under it's white frosting? Red velvet sponge cake- what a contrast! Well done Kate!

(Hi to Dave from Cupcakes in this pic! the naughty Manx tartan skirts kept falling off the cupcakes so here he is adjusting them. Cupcakes scored one of the highest on taste in the semi-final!)

Kate and Home-baker winner, Chloe, are sisters, and they were up til four in the morning the night before the semi-final completing their masterpieces. Baking talent must run in the family!

the Winners in Pictures

Here is the beautiful "Manx Fuschia Fairy" by Christine McCabe, winner of the Professional division. Christine spent at least 40 hours on "Fiona" the fairy, who was entirely created from sugar paste!










the Hairy Bikers taste Christine's gorgeous creation...















Here's Si the Hairy Biker holding Chloe Dawe's "Loughtan Sheep- a Manx character"
He looks as if he's in heaven, holding the winning cake of the Home-Baker division, yes?










Chloe explains the creation of her gorgeous sculpture cake to the Hairies...


Si himself bought the runner-up in the Professional division- The Peggy Smuggler's Cake- a 150 year old secret recipe, made by Karl Berrie, Chocolatier, of Aaron House, Port St Mary, presented in a wooden treasure box with edible gold running throughout! Here it is!





The Hairy Biker was lucky to nab it at £62!- semi-final judge Michele Moroney bid hotly for it, too!







And here are the Hairy Bikers talking to Emily, one of the Corlett Family of Lezayre's talented bakers of the "Highlights of the Isle of Man" cake. Runner-up in the Home-baker division, it was a delicious fruit cake, as green as our Island, that all the family helped with! Ovarian cancer is a cause close to their hearts. How wonderful that they "entered for fun, shared many laughs along the way" according to Mum Barbara... then won! :)