The local farmers all bring in their best cattle, the chickens are pampered and given a good rub down with lotions and chest rub, everyone has stripped their gardens of the best blooms and the home cooks are covered in a fine coating of flour and sugar.
In my previous post, I set myself the challenge of entering the cookery sections at the 100th Wauchope Show and the 129th Kempsey Show.
At Wauchope, my trial run, I entered a Peach Blossom Cake, a Madeira Cake and 2 sets of Six Plain Scones. When we hit the show on the opening night, I eagerly sought out my cakes, to find that I was only in the running for a participation certificate.
So, after hitting the shops and buying another small mountain of butter, sugar, flour and eggs, I prepared for another night of baking for the Kempsey Show.
This time I was making an improved Peach Blossom Cake, another set of Plain Scones, and an artery clogging White Chocolate Mudcake that weighs in at 2.5g and contains 1 ½ blocks of butter and 2 blocks of white chocolate, along with a heap of cream and sugar.
Peach Blossom Cake:
Scones: I was up early to bake these, at that hour of the morning anything would have looked fine. (recipe)
When I reached the show on opening night, I casually did a lap of the entire show, avoiding the main pavilion. I didn't want to seem too eager to see my results, however curiosity finally got the better of me and I made my way to the long glass cabinets.
Aaaand... I won first place for my Peach Blossom Cake!

Show highlights:
Sausage Sandwich from the Westpac Helicopter BBQ:
Pampered chicken: This one likes his legs rubbed with lanolin, and promotes chest rub for a strong crow:


It wouldn't be a good show story if it didn't finish with fireworks! The awesome display at Wauchope went for ages, and as we were only about 20 metres away from the explosions you could feel the shockwaves.


White Chocolate Mudcake:
200g Chopped White Chocolate
2 ¼ Cups Caster Sugar
1 ½ Cups Water
2 Cups Plain Flour
2/3 Cup Self Raising Flour
3 Lightly Beaten Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Preheat over to 120°.
Place butter, chocolate, sugar and water in a saucepan over a medium heat, and stir until mixture is smooth.
Pour into a large bowl and whisk in flours, then whisk in eggs and vanilla.
Pour into a 22cm round cake tin.
Bake for 2 hours or until golden and cooked through.
Once cool, spread with White Chocolate Fudge Icing.
White Chocolate Fudge Icing:
Place 200g white chocolate, ½ a cup of cream and 70g of butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.
Stir until melted and smooth.
Set aside until completely cool (do not chill), then beat with electric beaters until thick and fluffy.
Spread over cool cake.