As a part of the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) in Las Vegas, cake designers from around the world competed in Pillsbury’s Creative Cake Decorating Competition.

At a ceremony on Tuesday afternoon, Love Cakes by Dorothy Lane Market designers Lee Ann Parsons and Kaytlyn Stanuszek were announced as the grand champions of the multi-day competition and awarded the 21st Pillsbury Bakers’ Plus Grand Champion Trophy.

Six two-person teams from bakeries around the world came to compete, including designers from Quebec, Mexico, and other United States teams representing bakeries in Baton Rouge and Illinois. Parsons has been with Love Cakes by DLM, the boutique cake division of Dorothy Lane Market, for seven years. Stanuszek joined the Love Cakes team just three years ago. Judges evaluated everything from artistry and skill to imagination.

Starting on Sunday, the competitors completed cakes live on the exhibit floor, working for several hours both Sunday and Monday. Winners were announced at the award show on Tuesday in each of the four categories: Wedding cake, rolled fondant, buttercream, and hyper-realistic. The Love Cakes team came in first place in the Wedding Cake and Buttercream Cake categories, in addition to being honored for their cumulative points as the overall grand champion.

“I am so very proud! Lee Ann has wanted to participate in this international competition for so long, so her dreams have come true. This is a new experience for Kaytlyn that took her outside of her box, and I just couldn’t be more thrilled for them both,” says Sabrina Fiffe, Love Cakes by DLM manager.

Live competitions

Winners were announced Tuesday for the 2022 Creative Cake Decorating Competition, which took place live in the RBA Bakers Center, located on the International Baking Industry Expo show floor. The highest-scoring team, as determined by a panel of judges, was awarded the coveted Pillsbury Bakers’ Plus Grand Champion Trophy. Gold, silver and bronze medals, along with cash prizes will also be awarded for the highest three scores in each category.

“This is where the joy of this industry happens,” says Chip Levers of General Mills Foodservice.

The event featured six teams of two competing in four categories:

  • Wedding Cake
  • Rolled Fondant
  • Buttercream
  • Sculpted: “Everything is Cake”

The results were determined by a panel of judges including Jorge Amsler, Kathleen Lang, and more.

Global trends

Dawn_GlobalBakeryTrends.jpgImage courtesy of Dawn Foods

Global bakery manufacturer and ingredients distributor Dawn Foods., unveiled its new Global Bakery Trends Report and announced its latest product innovation, Dawn Exceptional Pak Perfect™ Non-Sticky Glaze at IBIE.

"Our new Global Trends report and donut glaze are the latest examples of Dawn’s commitment to provide industry-leading insights, high-quality products, and innovative solutions to our customers,” said Carrie Jones-Barber, chief executive officer of Dawn Foods. “These offerings provide a greater understanding of consumer wants and needs and drive efficiencies for our customers. Dawn continues to inspire new ideas and fresh thinking to help bakeries succeed every day, and we look forward to demonstrating our industry leadership at IBIE.”

What’s Trending: Trends & Insights Impacting the Bakery Landscape

For the past three years, Dawn Foods’ Global Market Research & Insights teams researched the most significant changes in consumer behavior, including fielding a global study to create first-of-its-kind proprietary research. The team interviewed more than 3,000 consumers and visited hundreds of bakeries, grocery stores and food service establishments globally to observe how these trends come to life. 

Dawn's 2023 Global Trends include:

Technology Transformation: Technology has forever changed the consumer eating experience, transforming how we choose, receive, and consume food – whether it be via touch screen ordering or sharing food experiences virtually. This trend will only accelerate in the years to come – 57% of global consumers* plan to order more food online in 2023 than they have previously. 

Experience Exploration: Consumers seek foods that not only enhance their nostalgic memories but incorporate fresh and new flavor experiences from other cultures. For example, while 56% of global consumers* have tried American baked goods – like chocolate chip cookies and apple pie – 30% of consumers* actively plan to try traditional African baked goods.

Daily Delights: Tied to the growing importance of mental wellness, consumers are finding ways to bring moments of joy into their daily routine with smaller-sized, high-quality sweet treats. This trend will continue in the years to come – 77% of global consumers* will continue eating sweet baked goods regularly moving forward. 

Mindfulness Matters: Acutely aware of how their choices affect their personal health, their community and their planet, consumers are looking for authenticity and want to make a positive impact on the world. When it comes to the environment, 71% of global consumers* are willing to pay a premium for sweet baked goods that are made sustainably.

Jenna Rae Cakes

One of the most popular cake demonstrations on the IBIE show floor turned out to be twin sisters who are cake decorators, designers, and entrepreneurs from Jenna Rae Cakes in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Identical twin sisters Jenna (a cake designer) and Ashley Illchuk (a graphic designer) are best-selling authors, judges on Food Network Canada’s Wall of Bakers, best friends and co-owners of Jenna Rae Cakes. Together, they’ve built their company with a focus on a love for celebration, family and quality, and have expanded to three bakery locations and a namesake collection that includes party goods, baking essentials, apparel and jewelry with the same sweet whimsy that Jenna Rae Cakes is known for.

“Adding gold really elevates a design,” Jenna said during their IBIE demonstration. “I’m always on the hunt for decorations that are edible. Find your favorite and stick with it.”

The pair of decorators are an integral part of Manitoban’s celebrations for the past 8 years, from everyday treats to milestone events like weddings and birthdays. Every macaron, cake, cookie sandwich and more is lovingly created by our team of talented bakers in our commercial kitchen in Winnipeg, led by head baker, Jordain Houdayer.  Jenna Rae Cakes is committed to working with local vendors whenever possible, and feel fortunate to be able to support the local community with JRC Gives Back, a charity initiative where we choose a local charity to donate 5% of all cupcake sales every month.