Fall Bake-Off Help

Hey! You guys were sooooo helpful on the S'mores post, I figured I'd ask for your help again. I figured I'd post on here since it's more about baking than party planning. We do a bake-off every Halloween and it usually is a disaster. People are always gung-ho in the beginning to participate and then when I confirm with them the week of, they don't want to do it anymore. I get it, life gets in the way, but then I'm scrambling trying to find more entries or (more likely) I wind up baking 4 different things just to get a variety going. Also, it seems everyone wants to make a graveyard cake. They're all over pinterest and google and are pretty easy because you can make a boxed cake or brownie mix and just use pre-made cookies and candies to decorate them. I appreciate those cakes, I really do, but we want a variety. The prizes are good, too- $75 visa gift card for 1st, $50 visa gift card for 2nd- so it's not really that. This year for St. Patrick's Day, we had done an Irish Soda Bread Bake-Off. It was like night and day. We had 15 people sign up from the get go and eventually wound up with 23 entries in total. I don't know why this is- maybe it's because we have a lot of Irish people here, maybe it's because it was our first St. Paddy's Day party, maybe it's because it was narrowed down to something specific. Beats me. Anyway, so our idea was to have the bake-off have a theme, and that theme can not be Halloween (tried that last year). I was thinking pumpkin or apple? Would you be more inclined to enter if it was a more limited scope for entries? Any other ideas to get people more excited? We can change the prizes, but nothing like a day off of work or anything, TPTB will NOT go for that.

Re: Fall Bake-Off Help

before i finished reading your entry i was thinking how you needed to be more specific and i think pumpkin is a great idea, i prefer pumpkin things- pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin pie, pumpkin breads, pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin chocolate chip brownie bars, etc.

with apples, its mostly like apple danish, apple pie, apple strusel pound cake, apple crisps. most things that need to be served warm and with ice cream in my opinion lol.

Re: Fall Bake-Off Help

I love the idea of a theme! I'd go with apple over pumpkin as I think apple is more liked than pumpkin...

But you could also do a "Breakfast Bake" theme.. coffee cakes, turn overs, donuts, danishes, cinnamon buns etc..

Or Pies... there are so many kinds... and allow the ice box pies too to add more variety

"Stuffed with a Candy Bar"... where they can make anything they want so long as it involves putting a candy bar in it... You'll get cookies, pies, brownies and all sorts of baked goods with that..

Re: Fall Bake-Off Help

What about Fall Flavors?

That to me could be apple, pumpkin, even pecan, or caramel YUMMMMM!!!!!

Message edited 9/19/2013 7:10:37 PM.

Re: Fall Bake-Off Help

thats true- it could be a pumpkin vs. apple theme. which flavor will be the winning fall flavor?

Re: Fall Bake-Off Help

Re: Fall Bake-Off Help

Re: Fall Bake-Off Help