When Carbon County bakers head to the Pennsylvania Farm Show this weekend, the judges there are sure to be wowed.

Samantha Bowman, Denise Vansickle and Eva Eroh each captured the blue ribbon at the Carbon County Fair, which earned them the opportunity to compete at the state level.

Chocolate Cake Contest

Bowman, of Lehighton, was the winner of the Homemade Chocolate Cake Contest with her Chocolate S’mores Cake.

The chocolate layer cake had a light filling, similar to a chocolate mousse, and was topped with a graham cracker buttercream and drizzled with a chocolate glaze.

For the local competition, she decorated it with miniature Hershey bars, toasted mini-marshmallows, and featured a “campfire” in the center, constructed of graham cracker logs with red licorice flames.

“I just simply wanted to make something that would stand out from the usual chocolate cakes you would see,” said Bowman, “like chocolate and peanut butter or just all chocolate.”

She said when she submitted her entry form to the Carbon County Fair, she didn’t have a clue as to what type of chocolate cake she would make.

“Then one day, I thought back to when I was a Girl Scout in Geri Haas’ Troop, about the time when we would make s’mores and thought to myself that would be an interesting flavor to try to re-create with a cake. So, I started off with the base which is the cake. It was an old family recipe and I just made a few changes like with the cocoa powder and the addition of the s’mores pieces.”

For the buttercream and the glaze, Bowman relied on recipes she’d used while she was in culinary school to re-create the s’mores-inspired flavor.

“The chocolate cake portion of the recipe is from my grandmother, Fay Hunsicker. She gave it to my mother, and then it was given to me. I figured I would build upon an amazing foundation and use my training from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Academy of Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts Programs to slightly modify the recipe to bring it to the next level.”

Bowman said she’s excited to go to the Farm Show and represent Carbon County. Her parents, Craig and Dawn Bowman, and her sister, Cera, are going out to Harrisburg with her and will be keeping her company during Saturday’s competition.

This will be Bowman’s first trip to the Farm Show, and she can’t wait.

“I have heard that the milkshakes there are to die for, as well as the mozzarella cheese cubes. And I cannot wait to see the 1,000-pound butter sculpture and the other baking contest results.”

Bowman, who is a 2013 graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania Academy of Culinary and Baking & Pastry Arts, was also a first-place winner during Lehighton’s Sesquicentennial Celebration with her Lehighton’s Best Shoo-Fly Pie. Her winning recipe was placed into the time capsule located in front of the borough building. She’s also won first- and second-place prizes at the county level before for her shoofly pie, potato candy, molasses crumb cupcakes, quick breads and decorated cakes.

Bowman returns to IUP soon for one last semester. She’s working toward a Bachelor of Science degree in Education in Family and Consumer Sciences Education and will be student teaching at Pleasant Valley High School.

“I cannot wait to share my experience of competing in the Farm Show to the students in the Food and Nutrition Classes, in hopes they will want to strive to do the same someday.”

Apple Pie Contest

Vansickle, who lives in Franklin Township, had the local judges salivating last August with her Salted Caramel Apple Crumble Pie. She won first prize in the Apple Pie Contest.

Vansickle said she came up with her winning recipe because her daughter was baking for the county fair, and she wanted them to do something together.

“I had remembered a salted caramel apple bar that a friend had made and everything started there,” said Van Sickle.

“So I took that sauce recipe, my mother-in -law’s crust recipe, and my grandmothers filling and crumble recipe, and combined them into one pie.”

The Apple Pie Contest at the Farm Show will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday. Vansickle plans to head to Harrisburg Friday to drop off her entry, and plans to return on Monday to enjoy the fair and see how she did.

“I am very excited because this is the first time I have won a baking competition, let alone qualify to go on to a higher level,” she said.

“I was in disbelief that I won at the Carbon County Fair, and I’m so glad that I get this experience.

“Of course, it would be awesome to win, but just having something competing at the Farm Show is amazing.”

PA Preferred Cookies, Bars and Brownies Contest

Eva won the blue ribbon in the youth portion of the county fair competition. Her Caramel Bacon Brownies impressed the judges in the PA Preferred Cookies, Bars and Brownies Contest.

We were unable to reach Eva before today’s deadline.

The 102nd Pennsylvania Farm Show runs Saturday through Jan. 13 at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg. Admission is free. Parking is $15. For more information, visit www.farmshow.pa.gov.