THINK Kilcoy and you don’t immediately think bananas.
That could all change this year though as the Kilcoy Show hosts the first Australian Banana Cake Competition.
The concept grew from a brainstorming session among Show members who were looking for something different to grasp local, and perhaps national, attention.
Leading the charge for the idea is Rhonda Affoo.
Her inspiration came from hearing about the National Carrot Cake Competition held in the Sale, Victoria which now boasts an overall prize money pool of $2000.
While Rhonda said she isn’t banking on that sort of cash just yet, she would like to see the competition sponsored.
That’s not to dismiss the single prize as it stands; $250 for a cake competition is a hefty reward in any baker’s eyes.
With that sort of coin up for grabs, this competition is not for the faint hearted.
Rules are tight; no icing, no ring tins, no trimming of burnt corners, and no nuts or dried fruit.
Apart from taste, Rhonda said presentation is important, with points awarded for evenness of colour and subtracted for cooking rack marks.
“It takes more skill to bake a deep cake,” Rhonda said. “You’ve got to have the right amount of mixture in the tin.”
In organising the competition, Rhonda wrote to Woolworths and the Australian Banana Growers Council in the hope of gaining support but with no luck, or response for that matter.
Rhonda hopes the lure of money, along with the prestige of being named Australia’s first champion banana cake baker, will draw entrants from further afield including Toowoomba, Caboolture and maybe even Brisbane.
“It’s really about having something that could be thrown together in the kitchen that’s homely, honest and easily done. Something like grandma used to make,” she said.
So far there has been plenty of verbal interest and commitment from local.
“Country shows need a bit of ‘oompf’. I think they are as important as the police, fire and ambulance to a town,” she said.
Judges are yet to be confirmed however she has written to Ian “Macca” McNamara of ABC Radio’s Australia All Over fame, but is yet to hear back.
The Kilcoy Show is on May 9 and 10.
*Visit: www.kilcoyshow.com.au
