St. Joseph's Students Bake Cakes Like You've Never Seen Before

The names said it all -- Gummy Mountain, Layers of the Sea, Lollipop Land, to name a few.

In all, students at St. Joseph the Worker School in Orefield entered 18 cakes in eight categories in the school's annual Bake Off held recently in the parish center. 

Begun eight years ago by parents Francine Galassi and Nancy Clee, the Bake Off helps usher in a new school year as students team up to make the cakes, socialize and enjoy some friendly competition.

The cakes can get very elaborate, Galassi said. And the students -- both boys and girls -- can spend hours, over several days, putting together their creations.

"The kids look forward to it," she said.

Parent Katy M. Mangold, who helped coordinate the Bake Off this year, said her daughter Hanna and her friends had a lot of fun creating their entry, spending about two hours baking their cake and three hours decorating it. (That doesn't include time on the Internet for research and a trip to the candy store to buy Gummy bears for their creation, Gummy Mountain).

The effort resulted in a Baker's Choice award for Best in Show for the fifth- graders -- Hanna Mangold, Lauren Lakata, Riley Loz and Mackenzie Lambinus.

Baker's Choice awards also went to:

• Most Technical Cake: Layers of the Sea, created by seventh-graders Alyssa and Emily Deschler and Grace Baroun.
• Most Original: Making a Difference at Breakfast, created by sixth-graders Michael Galassi, Chance Krohn and Matthew Simcoe.

Celebrity Baker Chris Polk, sponsored by Stokesay Castle, made the selections.

Awards were also given -- by popular vote -- in all eight categories, which this year included Most Colorful and Most Detailed. A full list of winners in available in the St. Joseph the Worker's latest newsletter.

Galassi said the Bake Off is a good way for students to build friendships, especially those who might be new to the school.

"It's a fun-filled family event," she said. 

Awards include ribbons, wooden spoons and rolling pins.