The taste of victory is familiar to Lesley Russell, who was a dominant force in this year's Virginia State Fair baking competition, receiving eight first-place ribbons. "I'm known for my devil's food cake and coconut cake," she says, but her entries, including brownies that won the new gluten-free competition and a Key lime cake that topped the novelty cake segment, appeared throughout various categories.
Russell's competitive career began not with a desire to showcase her baking but an itch to enter something — anything — in the state fair. Russell, now 58, grew up in Virginia Beach and attended the fair every year to watch her grandfather and uncle show livestock. Later in life, Russell settled on baking because she had experience in the art and, as she puts it, "I don't have a cow or a hog" to show.
Russell's first attempt in 2000 yielded no blue ribbons, but she continued undaunted, and by her third year of competition, she began to pick up the occasional win. Now, with 10 years of state fair contests under her apron strings, Russell has fine-tuned her recipes to rise above the opposition
The reality of preparing for the competition is not one of idyllic domesticity. Russell works full time running a Blue & Gray Self Storage center in eastern Henrico County and gets her baking done between clients at her on-site home. In transit to this year's fair, she had to doctor dislodged brownies with her finger, which she then sliced open on a glass shard while wiping icing off in the grass. Nevertheless, after four hard days of baking, Russell did not hesitate to deliver her goods before seeking medical attention. She does note that after the toil and thrill of the fair, "I put the mixer away" for a few months.
Recipe
Lesley Russell's Praline Cake
This cake won a blue ribbon this year, and it was best in show four years ago.
- 2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cup of white sugar
- 3/4 cup of light-brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1 teaspoon of butter-pecan flavoring
- 2 tablespoons of praline syrup (Russell uses Dolce Praline)
- 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 1/2 cup of buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans. (Russell also lines them with parchment rounds.) Cream the butter and sugars until they are light and fluffy, then add the flavorings and syrup. Next, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Sift the dry ingredients together. Add them alternately with buttermilk, ending with the dry ingredients. Bake for 30 minutes or until done. (Russell tests by inserting a thin wire in the center; she says it should come out with just a few moist crumbs.) Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove them and cool completely on racks.
Frosting
- 2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
- 2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1 teaspoon of butter-pecan flavoring
- 2 tablespoons of praline syrup
- 5 cups of sifted powdered sugar
- Candied pecan halves (optional)
Cream the butter and cream cheese until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the flavorings, then gradually add the powdered sugar. Frost between the layers, then on the top and sides. For a garnish, add candied pecan halves if desired.
