‘Your Favorite Cake’ winners, recipes at the Kentucky State Fair

The Kentucky State Fair’s “Your Favorite Cake” competition has showcased diverse winning recipes over the past few years.
From peach and almond creations to rich chocolate and toffee combinations, the competition highlights home bakers’ creativity.
Recipes often include unique ingredients and techniques, such as bourbon, praline crunch, and Swiss meringue buttercream.

The 2025 Kentucky State Fair is right around the corner, which means it’s almost time for everyone’s favorite competition.

Each year, dozens of home bakers enter the “Your Favorite Cake” category at the State Fair, hoping to take home the coveted blue ribbon prize in arguably one of the most popular food contests at the State Fair.

Ahead of the 2025 Kentucky State Fair, which takes place Aug. 14-24 at the Kentucky Exposition Center, 937 Phillips Lane, in Louisville, here is a look back at the past five winners of the Your Favorite Cake category.

Note: there is no winner for the 2020 Kentucky State Fair, which was closed to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic

2024 Kentucky State Fair Your Favorite Cake winner

Peachy-KEENtucky Cake recipe

Courtesy of winner Karri Perry

Almond Vanilla Cakes filled with fresh peach skillet jam, brown sugar-cinnamon crumbles, frosted with both a peach and vanilla Swiss Buttercream.

Peach Skillet Jam

4 large fresh peaches, peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon arrowroot powder

Cook peaches in a skillet on medium until sugar melts and the mixture thickens. Allow peach mixture to cool completely before using. In a pinch, you can substitute quality peach preserves.

Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Crumble

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt

Mix together with a fork until the mixture is crumbly. Spread the mixture on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degrees F oven for 7-9 minutes. Allow to cool before using.

Vanilla-Almond Cakes

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons melted butter
2 large eggs
2 egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/3 cup room temperature buttermilk
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Mix together sugar, eggs, egg whites, oil, butter, extracts, and sour cream. Mix well, and scrape the sides of the bowl. Begin adding the flour mixture (using 1/3 of the dry ingredients, followed by 1/2 of the buttermilk). Alternate flour and buttermilk. Pour batter evenly into three greased and parchment-lined 9-inch cake pans.

Bake cakes on the middle rack of a preheated 350-degree oven. Bake for 20-24 minutes, until set and a toothpick comes out cleanly.

Turn the cakes out onto cooling racks. Remove parchment paper. Cool completely before frosting.

American Vanilla Buttercream: for stacking layers

20 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
2 cups confectioners sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon good vanilla extract

Whip the butter until very light and fluffy. Add vanilla and salt. Add sifted confectioners sugar and whip until smooth.

Swiss Buttercream: outside of cake

5 egg whites
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
32 tablespoons (4 sticks) cool unsalted butter cut into cubes
4 tablespoons peach syrup (for half of the frosting)
1 tiny drop of peach food gel to peach flavored frosting, if desired

Add sugar and egg whites together and heat to 165 degrees F using a double boiler. After sugar is dissolved and 165 degrees is reached, begin whipping up egg whites until stiff peaks form. Once the bowl is at room temperature, begin adding the butter a little at a time. Continue to mix until the frosting is thick. Refrigerate bowl and whisk for 20 minutes to cool mixture. If it’s not coming together, then begin whisking again to thicken. Add vanilla to half. Add peach syrup to flavor the other half.

Assemble the cake:

Place a cake layer on a plate or platter. Frost with American buttercream, and add crumbles and the peach filling. Repeat for the second layer, then add the top layer. Frost the entire cake with the remaining American buttercream. Next, frost the cake with the peach-flavored Swiss buttercream frosting then add accents with the vanilla buttercream.

Garnish:

Create an almond paste peach with leaves. Color the almond paste with food gel (peach /green). Using the (marzipan) almond paste, shape a 2-inch ball into a small peach and use green-tinted marzipan to create leaves. Roll the candy peach in fine sugar. Place the finished peach in airtight container, place on cake just before serving. Top cake with remaining crumbles and almond paste peach.

2023 Kentucky State Fair Your Favorite Cake winner

Salted Toffee Chocolate Cake

Courtesy of winner Tonya Root

Chocolate Cake Layers

8.5 ounces King Arthur Unbleached Cake Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
2.8 ounces Noel dark cocoa powder
1.5 tablespoon instant coffee
9.6 ounces water, boiling
7.5 ounces granulated sugar
6.4 ounces dark brown sugar
6.4 ounces sour cream, room temperature
6.15 ounces canola oil
1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
4.6 oz eggs, room temperature

Instructions

Sift flour, leaveners and salt into a medium bowl, set aside. Sift the cocoa into a small bowl, toss in instant coffee, pour in the boiling water. Whisk until completely smooth. Set aside to cool. Measure out both sugars, sour cream, oil and vanilla into mixer bowl. Use paddle attachment, turn on low to emulsify ingredients. This can run as long as you like, without affecting the final product. Measure eggs into a cup, pop yolks, set aside. Preheat oven to 335 degrees. Lightly grease the sides of (3) 8-inch round pans, line bottom with parchment paper that’s been cut to size.

Once ready to mix, add in 1/3 of the flour mixture to the sugar mixture in the mixer. Mix on a lower speed until all flour disappears. Stop mixer, scrape bowl.

With mixer running on a lower speed, slowly pour in half the cocoa/water mixture. Once incorporated, stop mixer and scrape bowl.

Add in another 1/3 of the flour mixture as listed in step 1.

With mixer running on low, add in the last of the cocoa/water mixture. Stop mixer, scrape bowl.

Add in the last of the flour mixture as listed in step 1.

With mixer running on a lower speed, pour in the eggs one at a time, let the eggs mix in and just as it disappears, add in another. Mix briefly after the last egg added to ensure it’s properly mixed but not overmixed.

Divide batter amongst the three pans. I weighed my pans to divide batter more precisely, which ended up being 17.5 ounces of batter per pan.

Place into oven on a middle rack and bake for about 26-29 minutes, depending on your oven. It is done baking when the cake just barely starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cool in pans or let cool slightly and turn out onto a wire rack. Do not place layers on their tops onto a wire rack, it will tear the tops up. If not using the layers as soon as they’re cool, wrap in plastic to preserve its moist crumb.

Salted Toffee Sauce

300 grams dark brown sugar
4.7 ounces heavy whipping cream
187.5 grams unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

In a medium pot, combine all ingredients except the vanilla. Heat pot while whisking until it reaches a boil. Reduce heat slightly and let simmer 2 minutes, while constantly whisking. Mixture will be slightly thicker and will firm up as it cools. Whisk in the vanilla. Set aside to let cool.

Toffee Swiss Meringue Buttercream

7.5 ounces granulated sugar
180 grams egg whites
18 ounces Keri Gold Unsalted Irish Butter, room temperature & cubed
13 ounces salted toffee sauce, room temperature
.5 teaspoon vanilla bean extract
1/8 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
1 teaspoon meringue powder

Place the egg whites and sugar into a clean stand mixer bowl. Place bowl onto a large pot of simmering water, whisking to keep it from sticking to the sides of the bowl. Once the sugar is dissolved, it’s ready to mix. To check this, reach into the bowl to feel if the sugar has dissolved. Place bowl onto the stand mixer and fit it with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high. The egg whites will soon fluff up big. But it won’t be ready to add in butter until the mixer’s bowl is cooled to room temperature. This may take 10 minutes or more of it whipping at a high speed. Once cooled, add in the butter cubes one by one, letting each one get worked into the mixture. Mixture will likely look curdled, but will smooth out soon. Once butter has been all added, pour in the toffee sauce with mixer running on a medium speed. Stop mixer, scrape bowl well. Add in the vanilla and salt, mix on medium speed to combine. With the mixer off, change out attachments to the paddle attachment. Add in the meringue powder. Mix on a high speed for about 30 seconds. Buttercream will be very smooth, light in texture and slightly shiny.

Chocolate Buttercream

16 ounces unsalted butter, cubed
16 ounces powdered sugar, sifted
3.5 ounces Noel dark cocoa powder. sifted
2 ounces heavy whipping cream, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 grams instant coffee
Pinch of Himalayan salt
.5 teaspoon meringue powder

In a stand mixer bowl, place in the butter. With a paddle attachment, mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add in small scoops of the cocoa powder and powdered sugar, mixing on low speed until all powder is mixed in. Once all powdered sugar and cocoa powder have been added in, scrape bowl well. Combine the vanilla and instant coffee into a small cup to dissolve the instant coffee. (Microwaving very quickly may help dissolve the instant coffee). With the mixer running on low-medium speed, slowly pour the coffee mixture. Toss in the salt. Stop mixer to scrape down bowl. Toss in the meringue powder. Whip on high speed for 30 seconds. Icing is now ready to use.

Chocolate Ganache

4.8 ounces chocolate chips
4 ounces heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon instant coffee
2 teaspoons light corn syrup

In a small pot, heat the whipping cream, instant coffee and corn syrup. Whisk constantly. Heat until bubbly. Place the chocolate chips into a small bowl. Pour in the simmering cream mixture. Whisk well until very smooth. Set aside to let cool.

Assembling the Cake

Chop two large Heath Bars into fine-medium pieces, place into freezer if about to use.

Place one cake layer (remove the parchment circle) onto a cardboard round, place onto your cake turn table.

Fill a piping bag with the toffee icing.

Fill another piping bag with the chocolate icing, fitted with an open star tip.

Pipe the toffee icing in a double line (stacked) on the edge of the cake layer (all the way around the layer).

Pipe the inside of this with the chocolate icing. Use a small offset spatula to smooth out evenly.

Place another cake layer evenly over the first layer. Repeat steps 5-6.

Place another cake layer on top. With a medium or large offset spatula, smooth the sides out. Place cake into the freezer for at least ten minutes.

Remove cake from freezer. Place a large scoop of toffee icing on top. Use large offset spatula to smooth out the top and sides. Add more icing to the sides to keep it all uniform. Smooth out icing. Wipe the dirty icing off into a separate cup.

Place cake into freezer.

Repeat step 9.

Take chopped Heath bar out of freezer. Sidemask the sides of the cake with it, pressing in the Heath bar firmly.

Heat the toffee sauce and ganache up enough to make runny again. Pour both into their own squeeze bottles.

Squeeze both sauces across the cake in a crosshatch design.

Place cake into freezer to slightly firm up.

Remove from freezer and using the chocolate icing piping bag, pipe an even rope border around the outer edge of the top of the cake.

Carefully spread the Heath crumbs on the inside of the rope boarder/top of cake.

Refrigerate until cake is firm before slicing.

Keep any leftover ganache or toffee sauce in the fridge. This can be used for when you serve the cake!

2022 Kentucky State Fair Your Favorite Cake winner

White chocolate cake with lemon curd filling

Courtesy of winner Rita Wooldridge

You will need:

6 ounces white chocolate
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 cup half and half
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cups butter, room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 eggs, separated
4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Directions: Melt chocolate, whipping cream and half-and-half into microwave on low until chocolate is melted. add vanilla. Let cool. Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk until mixed in.

In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add this alternately with the melted chocolate to butter/sugar mixture. Do not overbeat.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. With an under and over motion, delicately mix egg whites into flour mixture.

Pour into three 8-inch parchment-lined and greased round pans. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes clean when placed in center of cake. Leave in pans for five minutes. Remove to cool on cooling rack.

Lemon curd filling

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup water
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
4 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions: Combine sugar, cornstarch and water in pan over medium heat. Stir constantly until mixture thickens and comes to a boil, 3-4 minutes. Stir the boiling mixture for 1 minute more. Remove from heat.

Spoon 1/2 cup of hot mixture into small bowl with egg yolks to combine. Add this mixture back into saucepan. Return pan to medium heat and cook, stirring until the curd is thickened and lemon colored. Remove from heat. Add butter, lemon juice and zest. Let cool. Cover with plastic wrap.

White chocolate Swiss merengue

6 large egg whites
2 cups sugar
2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
6 ounces white chocolate, melted

Directions: Place bowl in pot of simmering water and stir constantly with whisk until mixture is hot and “no longer grainy to touch. “

Put bowl back on stand mixer and whisk on medium high until meringue is stiff and cooled, about 5-10 minutes. Add cubed butter and cooled chocolate, whip until smooth.

Cake is filled with lemon curd and iced with meringue buttercream.

2021 Kentucky State Fair Your Favorite Cake winner

Christy’s Chocolate Mint Cake

Courtesy of winner Christy Cox

Chocolate Cake Layers

3/4 cup cocoa
2 cups boiling water
2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup soft butter
4 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups sugar

Dissolve cocoa in boiling water and cool. Sift together flour, soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Combine butter, eggs, vanilla, and sugar. Beat on high speed for 5 minutes. Add flour mixture and cocoa alternately, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat after each addition but do not overbeat. Divide batter between three 8-inch cake pans (grease/flour). Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until done. Remove from pans after 5 minutes and cool on a rack. Refrigerate and freeze until ready to assemble.

Chocolate Mint Filling

1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup white sugar
3 large egg yolks, beaten
1/2 cup butter
Scant 1/4 teaspoon peppermint oil
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Combine milk, sugar, egg yolks and butter in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thickened, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in mint oil and chocolate chips. Blend well. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Cooked Chocolate Buttercream

55 grams all-purpose flour
225 grams granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
390 g whole milk
350 grams unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
300 grams Callebaut semi-sweet chocolate (melted and cooled)
Scant 1/4 teaspoon peppermint oil

In a small saucepan, combine flour, sugar, salt and milk. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a whisk until it thickens. This can take about 15 minutes. The moment you realize it’s thick, cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Once it’s done, strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a shallow plate to get rid of any lumps, then put plastic wrap over it, touching the surface to prevent “skin” forming and let it cool to room temperature (approximately 4 hours).

Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for 5 minutes until it’s pale and fluffy. Stir pudding mixture. While the mixture is still running on a medium speed, add one tablespoon at the time of the pudding mixture, making sure it’s nicely incorporated with the butter before proceeding to add another one. Mix until it’s nicely incorporated and with no lumps. Once you’ve added all the pudding, stir peppermint oil into chocolate and blend. Add the cooled melted chocolate and mix until everything is combined. You might need to scrape the bowl a couple of times to ensure the chocolate is well incorporated and there are no white streaks. Beat on medium-high speed and scrape the bottom of the bowl once or twice to make sure everything is combined. Add in the vanilla and give it a mix one last time.

Cover with cling film and leave it at room temperature until assembling the cake.

Assembly

Place one cake layer on a cake board or a serving plate. Using a small offset palette knife or a piping bag, spread the frosting over the cake layer and make a dam around it. Spread cooked chocolate mint filling in the middle, level it with a palette knife. Top it with the next cake layer and repeat the process.

Place the final layer on top, upside down, and do a thin crumb coat on the cake. Chill for 20-30 minutes in the fridge before the final icing coat.

Once cooled, frost and smooth the top and sides of the cake with remaining frosting.

2019 Kentucky State Fair Your Favorite Cake winner

Chocolate Bourbon Ball Cake with Praline Crunch Frosting and Bourbon Ganache

Courtesy of winner Barbara Alt

Bourbon Cake

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3-ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2-ounces sweet baking chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup instant espresso coffee powder
2 tablespoons boiling water
1/2 cup bourbon
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons bourbon

Bourbon Ganache

12-ounces dark or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons bourbon

Praline Crunch Frosting

1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped and toasted
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon whipping cream
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

For the Bourbon Cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Prepare pans by spraying with cooking spray, lining with parchment paper and spraying top of parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine two chocolates. Microwave uncovered on 100% power for 1 minute; stir. Microwave uncovered for 30 seconds more; stir until smooth. Cool slightly.

In a 2-cup measuring glass, combine instant espresso powder and boiling water. Stir to combine. Add enough cold water to coffee to measure 1 1/2 cups. Stir in the 1/2 cup of bourbon.

In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar. Beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in melted chocolate and vanilla.

Alternate adding flour mixture and coffee mixture to chocolate mixture, beating on low speed after each addition until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan, spread evenly. Bake about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan; cool completely on rack.

Brush top and side of cake with 2 tablespoons of bourbon.

For the Bourbon Ganache: Place chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring cream to a bare simmer over low heat. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and stir until smooth. Add bourbon.

Set aside and allow to cool until thickened to spreading consistency, in or out of the refrigerator.

When the ganache is almost thick enough, start making the praline crunch frosting.

For the Praline Crunch Frosting: Roast pecans in a 350-degree oven for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown, stirring once.

Bring butter, brown sugar and cream to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add toasted pecans and stir gently for 3 minutes or so until frosting begins to cool and thicken slightly.

Assemble the Chocolate Bourbon Ball Cake: Level each cake layer by cutting off the domed top with a long serrated knife, if necessary. Place on level flat side down on a cake board or plate. Spread a small amount of ganache evenly over top of later, followed by approximately one-third of the praline crunch frosting.

Position the second layer on top and press to adhere. Repeat with ganache and one-third of the praline crunch frosting.

Place top side up and repeat with small amount of ganache and last third of the praline crunch frosting. Put a crumb coat on the sides of the cake and refrigerate for 15 minutes, then frost with remaining ganache, reserving some if you would like to add any decorative details or borders.

Bourbon Ball Garnish

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
2 1/2 tablespoons bourbon or to taste
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
15 whole pecans toasted and cut in half
2 cups chocolate chips
2 teaspoons shortening

Toast pecans in a 350 degree oven for 5 to 7 minutes until golden brown.

Combine butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract in an electric mixer on medium speed until fully combined. Add salt and bourbon and mix until just combined. Place mixing bowl in the fridge for at least one hour.

Take half of the mixture out of the fridge and scoop into very small marble-sized balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the mixture. Place baking sheet in the freezer for at least one hour or overnight.

Melt chocolate and shortening in microwave for up to 3 minutes at 50% power. Stir every 30 seconds until fully melted.

Take half of the bourbon balls out of the freezer. Use a toothpick to dip frozen balls in chocolate. Place each on parchment paper and top with a pecan half.

Repeat with the other half of balls. Chill in refrigerator until set.

Reach features editor Kathryn Gregory at kgregory@courier-journal.com.

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