The Bake Fest is an online event that will be held from 8:30 AM to 8:00 PM CDT (GMT-5) on September 30, 2023 and October 1, 2023. We realize that based on your time zone you may not be able to attend the entire event. That’s why your ticket includes event recordings available for one year after the event so that you’ll be able to catch up on anything you miss and rewatch your favorites.
Loren Castle
ClearBags, FikabrΓΆd
Ever try your hat at royal icing? This comprehensive session will walk you through creating the perfect royal icing mix, mastering varied consistencies, troubleshooting those pesky issues, and storing it properly. Plus, get ready for an insightful decorating demo packed with top-tier tips to elevate your designs! Beginner level class: No prior knowledge needed; this is a beginner level class.
Devon Byerley, Heather Thomas, Reva Alexander-Hawk, Taylor Turner
aspecialtybox.com, ClearBags, FikabrΓΆd (table attendance prize), Retail Bakers of America
Are you marshmallow-curious? In this hands-on baking class hosted by Ally, you’ll learn how to make easy egg-free marshmallows from scratch and how to flavor them using Amoretti’s delicious fall flavors, including pumpkin spice, tart apple, or maple praline.
Learn all about the products and services that our sponsors offer, plus win attendance prizes from select brands.
Learn all about the products and services that our sponsors offer, plus win attendance prizes from select brands.
Learn all about the products and services that our sponsors offer, plus win attendance prizes from select brands.
Alexandria Murray, Ally Duncan (at the Amoretti table), Sofy Saavedra, Vannesa Ramirez (at the Bakers Express table)
Amoretti (table attendance prize), ArtesΓ£o Cookie Molds (cookie demo), aspecialtybox.com, Bakers Express (dipped chocolate demo), ClearBags, FikabrΓΆd (table attendance prize), Stover & Company (table attendance prize), Too Good to Go, Retail Bakers of America
Decorators of all skill levels are encouraged to join Julia in this hands-on session where she’ll show how to make a charming snow globe cookie perfect for special holiday gifts, party favors, and centerpieces. Along the way, youβll learn several decorating and construction techniques including contoured and embossed cookies, dipping, fondant appliquΓ©s, royal icing transfers, multicolor precision-control airbrushing and stenciling, fondant wraps, multi-level assembly, and more.
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NOTE: This class will be in two parts, taught on both September 30 and October 1, to allow cookies adequate overnight drying time between steps. Students will need to prep icings and cookies in advance if they want to follow Julia in real time.
FikabrΓΆd (table attendance prize)
Kala Boulard (at the LorAnn Oils table), Lindsay Deibler, Pete Tidwell, Renee Terry
FikabrΓΆd (table attendance prize), LorAnn Oils (cake decorating demo), Stover & Company (table attendance prize)
Carly Preston, Food Photography Corner, Julia M. Usher, Katelyn Brewer, Megan Knudsvig
aspecialtybox.com, Stover & Company (table attendance prize), Retail Bakers of America
Ashleigh Winterhalt, Brad Lamb, Chris Taylor and Paul Arguin, Precious Simons, Sally McKenney
aspecialtybox.com, ArtesΓ£o Cookie Molds (cookie demo), Stover & Company (table attendance prize)
Love s’mores but don’t love all the sugar? Bev Hansen is here with the skinny on low sugar baking. As you make the perfect (low-sugar) s’more, you’ll perfect the art of the Swiss meringue technique and craft delicious pΓ’te sablΓ©e. This class is designed for beginners who are familiar with using a stand mixer and practicing stove safety. Please note, young bakers need adult supervision to ensure safety, especially when working with hot liquids.
Decorators of all skill levels are encouraged to join Julia in this hands-on session where she’ll show how to make a charming snow globe cookie perfect for special holiday gifts, party favors, and centerpieces. Along the way, youβll learn several decorating and construction techniques including contoured and embossed cookies, dipping, fondant appliquΓ©s, royal icing transfers, multicolor precision-control airbrushing and stenciling, fondant wraps, multi-level assembly, and more.
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NOTE: This class will be in two parts, taught on both September 30 and October 1, to allow cookies adequate overnight drying time between steps. Students will need to prep icings and cookies in advance if they want to follow Julia in real time.
This year’s Closing Keynote Address will be hosted by Cheryl Day, one of the South’s most respected bakers. Cheryl will share how she built her legacy business from scratch, honoring the deep history of baking passed from generation to generation in her family. Cheryl’s great-great-grandmother was an enslaved pastry cook famous for her biscuits and cakesβand in her life, Cheryl has honed her own legacy from the conversations she’s had with grandmothers, great-aunts and sister-bakers, turning her passion for collecting local cookbooks and handwritten recipes into a career that preserves and celebrates the craft of from-scratch Southern baking.
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In addition to this inspirational closing keynote address, find out if you’ve won any of the prizes.
Bev Hansen, Cheryl Day
FikabrΓΆd (table attendance prize)
Cheryl Day is a New York Times bestselling cookbook author and a James Beard award finalist who enriches lives through the art of scratch baking and storytelling. Cheryl established the beloved Back in the Day Bakery in Savannah, Georgia in 2002 with her husband Griff, where they’ve built a loyal local and national following, and have become adored for their down-home baking style. Cheryl is the co-founder of Southern Restaurants for Social Justice, which has raised over 3 million dollars to support and amplify Black owned restaurants all over the country. She’s also the creator of the Lift Every Voice Series, which highlights emerging Black chefs. Be sure to look for her on Milk Street’s My Family Recipe and Milk Street Radio, and follow Cheryl on Instagram @cherylday, where she lives out her mantra to “slow down and enjoy the sweet life.”
Carly is a content creator who loves to constantly experiment and try new things in the kitchen. Carly has grown a large following via her blog and YouTube channel, where her 50K subscriber community enjoys her tie-dye mini cake videos, savory creations, drinks, food reviews and more. Carlyβs tie-dye buttercream is inspired by her familyβs love of tie-dye, and sheβs so excited to share her process at this fun & colorful bake-along class.
Heather is a passionate baker whose true calling is breads, an art she has perfected for over 25 years. She formerly owned and operated a successful home bakery business for nearly 10 years. Then, in 2020, Heather expanded her business to a baking blog, and began offering virtual bread making classes. She has since built a fun community of bakers through her membership, the Baking Academy. Heather also organizes and hosts amazing baking retreats. She loves to help others develop their breadmaking skills while having fun in the kitchen. You can follow her on social media @thatbreadlady and find her amazing recipes atΒ thatbreadlady.com.
If you haven’t yet been mesmerized by Katelyn’s stunning desserts, uplifting kitchen dancing, or elegant wedding cakes, allow us to introduce her: Katelyn, known as Sweet Kate Bakery, lives up to the nameβand her sweet and fun personality shines through in every dessert she bakes.
Katelyn has been baking up a storm for over 10 years now. She started off baking for friends and family, and then couldn’t stop the orders from coming in!
From baking, to decorating, to on-site assembling of uniquely designed, (often) sky high wedding cakes, everything she does draws you in for a closer look, because everything she makes is as much a feast for the eyes as it is for your stomach! Throughout everything she creates, she strives to bake up success in cake, business, and a happier day for all those that come across her content.