Tina's Cakes

My favorite thing about the Wheeler county fair is the giant bake sale that occurs after the baked goods are judged. The fanciest bakery in the world couldn’t possibly compete with the entries at the Wheeler county fair. The cakes and decorated cakes, cupcakes, cookies, pies, yeast and quick breads, biscuits, rolls and cinnamon rolls and brownies all sparkled with love. We have some talented bakers here in the middle of nowhere!

My first experience of the county’s giant bake sale occurred in 2021, the first year I was here. I accidently stumbled into the exhibition hall just as the judging was complete and the bake sale was underway. I wandered around but kept eyeing one of the champion winners which was an unusually tall layer cake covered with banana slices and fluffy whipped cream. I must have this cake, the sweet star of the show! Yes, it belongs to me! Home it went and every time I ate a slice, I felt like I was at a party, even if that party was just for me. Who is this Tina Adams that baked this dazzling cake? Several months later our paths finally crossed at the Baptist church’s annual Thanksgiving potluck. I told her I was the one who bought her cake and instantly we became friends.

In 2022 and 2023, the same thing happened. Her cake was always the queen of the show and I just had to have it. By now buying Tina’s cake has become a cherished tradition. However, I wasn’t able to go to the bake sale until the end of the day so I dashed my hopes in advance. Someone else was going to whisk my cake away! Darn! So I was pleasantly surprised to see the festive white cake waiting for me in the refrigerated case. Was that cake silently warding off all the other interested buyers? This year’s cake was a luscious Hummingbird cake, made with pineapple, bananas and pecans. As I took my first bite, I was reminded of why I buy Tina’s cake every year. The flavors melded together in perfect harmony, each bite had a “just right” texture. The frosting was smooth and rich.

How do Tina’s cakes win champion awards year after year? She wants her cakes to be just like the ones grandma made and uses the highest quality ingredients possible. Those include fresh, locally grown eggs, sugar made from sugar cane, not sugar beets (when available) and homemade vanilla extract. She likes to use recipes for unusual cakes such as last year’s Italian Cream cake. I look forward to next year’s fair and already wonder what kind of award-winning cake Tina will make. Stay tuned!

Editor's Note: Last week we misidentified the church in Fossil - the correct name is the Global Methodist Church. We apologize for the error.