Clinton mom and son win big on TLC's 'Ultimate Cake Off'

CLINTON — Rising food celebrities Cheri and Mike Elder’s latest fondant foray found them winning $10,000 in Discovery Studio’s premier of the “Ultimate Cake Off.”

The episode aired Aug. 31 on TLC and will air again from time to time.

The mother-and-son cake baking duo from Clinton competed against two other contestants, Bob Brougham of East Aurora, Ill., and Susan Carberry of Murtrieta, Calf. The challenge for these land lubbers was to create a pirate-themed cake for the Pirate Invasion Faire and Festival in Long Beach, Calf.

Cakes had to be at least five-feet tall and needed to be created within nine hours at a studio in Glendale, Calf. To do this, the Elders had to ship almost the whole bake shop to Los Angeles.

“We had to transport the cake from here to California,” Cheri said. “We had to take everything down to our spatulas.”

This included all the cake they would need to create their piece — all 200 pounds. The cake was baked, frozen solid, packed into Styrofoam-lined boxes and taken on the plane with the team. The baking supplies, including electrical devices, knives and a liquid raspberry filling were packed onto wooden pallets.

Needless to say, upon arrival at LAX International things didn’t go as planned. Most of their supplies were held and inspected by the National Transportation Safety Board, the Discovery Studio contact didn’t arrive, the rental van didn’t arrive, and the motel wasn’t ready.

But through it all, with Mike as the team leader, the team persevered to create a complete pirate ship festooned with sails and a fondant crew. The pirate ship sailed on a fondant ocean alongside a sinking ship that broke apart by remote control. Their armada also had a motorized manned boat that rocked back and forth on the “sea.”

The 12-man fondant crew was created by Mike’s sister, Tammy Haddix, of Platte City.

“She said it was like sculpting bubblegum,” Mike said. “She does Keepsake Ornaments for Hallmark. She’s no slouch in the art field.”

Their team was also assisted by Darby Picasa, of Los Angeles.
Judges awarded Mike for his “attention to detail,” the sculptured fondant figures and the cake’s degree of technical difficulty.

After the cake was judged, it had to be transported to Long Beach by large van for the Pirate Invasion celebration. The studio told Mike their “special effects guru” would take care of transport.

“It was the most horrific trip ever,” Cheri said.

“He said, ‘I’ll be careful, I’ll be careful,’ ” added Mike. “I called him Evel Knievel — he was insane! He tore up the cake pretty good — we spent four hours fixing the darn thing.”

Although Mike and his team experienced a lot of stress while traveling to and working on the set of the competition, they are eager to go back next year.

“I’m dying to go back and do it again. Anything good must be earned, and we earned that one,” said Mike.

Due to exposure on the TLC show, Mike had a cake featured in USA Weekend’s Labor Day issue. His Ultimate End of Summer cake was a fondant replica of a 1947 Chevrolet “woody” sitting beside the ocean with surfboards in the back. The cake took 65 hours to create and has small details such as a cooler with ice and soda bottles, a radio, a sand castle and a bikini top lying on a towel.

The Elders are no strangers to sugar art competitions. In 2006 they appeared on the Food Network Challenge and won second place beating Ace of Cakes star, Chef Jeffrey “Duff” Goldman.

“It was totally different than the TLC show,” Mike said.

The team for this competition only included Mike and his mother. The theme was a birthday cake for Elvis that had to be created in seven hours; it was shot at Graceland in Memphis, Tenn.

Cheri has been creating cakes for 42 years. Mike, a certified auto mechanic, has only recently entered into the cake decorating field. Their decorating styles differ; she’s more traditional, he’s more daring.

“He takes the risks with all the strange stuff,” Cheri said.
During one week of cake decorating the Elders use over 100 pounds of rolled fondant.

The weekend of Oct. 3 they competed in the Oklahoma State Sugar Arts Show in Tulsa, Okla. The show, an international wedding cake competition, featured competitors from places such as Hong Kong, South Africa and Sri Lanka Cheri said.

“They have a theme every year,” Mike added. “This year it was Sea to Shore. She took sixth place and I took eighth, so she still beat me!”

Mike’s cake stood six-feet four-inches and looked more like an elaborate Hawaiian themed sculpture than a cake.

Named after the tiki god of the sea, Kanaloa, the cake was created with several tiers and sculpted with colorful fondant. Intricately hand- decorated with “wooden” tiki gods, palm trees, tropical hibiscus and frangipani flowers, seashells, surfboards, Hawaiian petroglyphs and a sea turtle resting on brain coral, it almost didn’t make it to the show.

Mike was so busy filling cake orders and creating a five-foot ocean liner the week before that he considered not competing.   

“It was about half done and I was thinking about throwing it in the Dumpster because I didn’t have time to finish it,” he said.

Cheri’s multi-tiered cake, showcasing a delicate lace and pearl effect, was created by hand painting and a brushed embroidery technique.

“This is what you’d call a drop-string extension cake,” she said. “Everything is made out of icing, the narwhales, the pelican, (and) the seashells. It held up pretty well to travel all the way to Tulsa and back.”

“She’s known as the best at extension work,” Mike added.

Both cake styles took approximately 40 to 50 hours to create.

The second weekend of October was also busy for the Elders. They deliver 95 percent of their cakes and many clients are in the Kansas City area. They had 15 orders for that weekend including a cake for retired Kansas City Chiefs running back Priest Holmes.

“He’s being inducted in the football hall of fame in Kansas City this weekend, and I get to be there,” said Mike.

“You should try driving around on Saturday with three wedding cakes and five to six party cakes in the van, hoping someone doesn’t pull out in front of you,” he added, smiling.

The Elders charge $5 per serving for smaller specialty cakes. The more complicated cakes cost usually cost $10 per serving. Some of their party cakes run $60 to $80, but typically most cost $85 for 24 servings. Depending on the technical difficulty and time involved, a large, elaborate wedding or event cake may cost $1,500.

Mike said he sometimes spends four hours creating one life-like flower.

“Each piece is cut, dried and put together with sugar. We do not do sheet cakes.”

No delivery fee is charged unless they have to drive more than 150 miles, Cheri added.
   
Cheri and Mike’s ultimate white cake
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk (whole)
5 egg whites (beaten until peaks form)
1 box white chocolate
pudding mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (I actually bake slower than that at 325 degrees). Combine flour, baking powder and salt. In mixer, beat shortening, vanilla, sugar and pudding mix until fluffy; then add alternating, dry ingredients and milk. Once mixed, add beaten egg whites and mix on low.
Grease two nine-inch pans, fill half full. Bake until they bounce when touched (approximately 20 to 25 minutes).  

Quick take
What: Cakes by Cheri and Mike
Phone: 660-885-3707
Web site: cakesbycheri.com