Announcing the Winners of Our Party Cakes Decorating Contest

Back in April, we invited bakers to show off their cake decorating skills by submitting a photo and video of their edible masterpieces. After careful consideration of all the deliciously beautiful entries, our panel of judges found 10 decorators whose outstanding cake designs really impressed!

We’re thrilled to announce the winners of Taste of Home‘s Party Cakes Decorating Contest.

See the Winning Cakes

Grand Prize: Kim Shupe

Courtesy Kim Shupe

Kim’s party bear cake is what celebrating is all about. The Community Cook from Lake City, Michigan built the bear head shape with two 6-inch cake layers plus a cupcake cut in half for the ears. She then pipe-frosted the cake with homemade chocolate buttercream and topped it with an ice cream cone hat and a melted candy cane for the party favor!

Courtesy Stacey Perez, Jean Ficociello, Rachel Johnson

Runner-Up: Stacey Perez

In honor of the Fiesta in San Antonio, Texas, Stacy’s cake decor was filled with fiesta-themed colors. The judges loved the vibrant-colored frosting and appreciated the beautiful pipe work.

Runner-Up: Jean Ficociello

Located in Valley City, Ohio, Jean’s Earth Day pond cake caught the judges’ eyes because she used a variety of toppings to decorate it, like candy and pretzels for the tall grass and cat tails. Her edible landscape looked delicious and fun to make!

Runner-Up: Rachel Johnson 

Located in Newark, Ohio, Rachel’s topsy turvy cake really impressed the judges because she used so many different techniques to decorate it. From fondant to edible paint made by mixing food coloring and vodka, Rachel’s elaborate and uniquely-carved cake earned her accolades from the judges.

Courtesy Tacianne Hansen, Leah Lopez, Lindsay Marbold

Runner-Up: Tacianne Hansen 

Tacianne’s white chocolate raspberry brownie cake sounds as good as it looks. The Elwood, Utah resident used white chocolate cake layers, raspberry brownie whipped cream filling, chocolate ganache and white chocolate buttercream. As if that wasn’t enough, she topped it all off with a chocolate drip, brownie pieces and fresh raspberries.

Runner-Up: Leah Lopez 

A resident of Rancho Cucamonga, California, Leah impressed us with her armadillo cake. She made a red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting topped with a grey layer of fondant. She shaped, carved and painted it to give it a more realistic touch!

Runner-Up: Lindsay Marbold

The Richmond, Virginia resident’s chocolate rose cake was both colorful and impressive. From the intricately piped frosting to the use of cocoa and chocolate chips as additional toppings, Lindsay’s cake stood out—especially knowing her cake was also gluten-free!

Courtesy Shawn Smallwood, Madonna Hagedorn, Ericka Price

Runner-Up: Shawn Smallwood

The judges thought Shawn’s donut-topped birthday cake was too fun and colorful to pass up!  This runner-up from Leicester, North Carolina frosted his cake with Italian meringue buttercream and decorated it with fondant and mini donuts.

Runner-Up: Madonna Hagedorn

Madonna’s 10-inch orange-flavored cake is topped with buttercream frosting. The judges really liked the Santa Barbara, California resident’s simple, yet classic decorating approach.

Runner-Up: Ericka Price

The Huntsville, Missouri resident started with three 6-inch layer cakes below one dome cake all topped with piped buttercream. The judges really liked the unique shape of Ericka’s “birdcage” cake!

Congratulations to all our winners! Bookmark our Contests page for more chances to participate and win.

Taste of Home