County Fair

Back in September, I entered a Humming Bird Cake into the County Fair. It was something I wanted to do. I was inspired by listening to Garrison Keillor on NPR's "Talk of the Nation". I don't normally listen to Keillor since he is so on "the left", but he was talking about how much of an important part of our society is the State Fair. Now I've never been impressed by the Arizona State Fair. But I live in a small county, and I thought that the idealist things I like about what a state fair should be, I might find at our local county fair. At that point I made a goal to enter something, I wasn't sure what yet, into our local county fair. I did a lot of looking into it and decided that I was going to make a Humming Bird Cake, a southern cake I was introduced to while on my mission in northern Florida. The day of I was extra careful to make it perfect then drove to the other side of the county to enter it. It looked so good.

I won first award, that means that my cake received mostly excellent scores. In winning I received a whole $3 prize. If I had entered more items and won for them I would have won a small prize for each (you can only enter one item in each category). There is best of show, which is a big prize. My cake didn't do that well.

It was fun going to the county fair, we were just surprised at how expensive it was. My mom and my sister (with her family) came down to see us that weekend. It wasn't to see my cake at the fair, but to go the the Relief Society Broadcast with me- us girls. But it was so much fun to have them there to share my achievement of my goal, I did it. I entered something and didn't humiliate myself. That was a fear, that I would be so far below all the other entries that it was a shame I even entered. But that was not the case.

If any of you are interested in trying Humming Bird Cake:

Mix dry first
3 c flour
2 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp soda
Mix wet separate and then slowly add in flour mix
3 eggs beaten
3/4 c canola oil
Add to the dough
8 oz crushed pineapple (drained)
2 chopped bananas
1 c chopped pecans**optional-I never add the pecans to my dough only

Place dough into greased and floured pans. I most of the time use a sheet pan or a 13x7, but two round pans work find also.
Bake at 350' for 40-45 min. (or till all cooked and pass toothpick test)

Frosting (absolute best part)
1 box confectioner sugar (~1/2 powered sugar bag or to desired consistency)
1 stick butter
8 oz cream cheese package
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbs cinnamon *optional but it really makes it wonderful
mix well
Frost when cake is cooled. Sprinkle chopped pecans onto the top of cake.