Brussels charity bake off kicks off with a cake extravaganza

The tables were heaving under the weight of chocolate ganache, buttercream filling and cream cheese frosting, while judges were bracing themselves for the onslaught of calories. This was it, the first-ever great Brussels charity bake off 2013 was finally launched with a staggering 23 teams. The EU bubble is clearly filled with whipped cream and Brussels’ lobbyists are obviously frustrated pastry chefs.

The theme of the first round was simply cake, but there was nothing effortless about the entries. There were carrot cakes, autumnal-themed desserts, a Halloween tribute, EU Thyme-line, and numerous offerings that would have happily graced a toddler’s birthday party. Maybe it was no surprise then that the top three awards went to the most spectacular: a Grand’Place cake (complete with tricolour sponge, pictured), a tall sponge stack in graded aquamarine hues crowned with blueberries and a chocolate-glazed cocoa confection covered with a herd of hedgehogs.

The Bulli Bakers contribution, cheesecake with salted caramel sauce, was humble in comparison. But we were simply relieved to have just about diverted disaster with a far too runny toffee sauce. Fortunately baking tips were in no short supply during the evening and I have vowed to invest in a sugar thermometer for future stress-free caramel production.

But all teams are now preparing for the next round on November 25, which is themed fruit pies. You would imagine that this might be a more limited brief and creative presentation could be curtailed, but the baking mitt has been thrown down. Across the city, cooking squads are brainstorming the perfect tart and also their Christmas signature bake which closes the competition a week later on December 2.

Organised by BritCham’s young professional networking arm Brussels New Generation (BNG), the cooking contest is raising money to help tackle youth unemployment in Belgium via the King Baudouin Foundation’s Network for Training Entrepreneurship (NFTE).