The 2024 N.C. State Fair Home Chef Challenge is ON — and drawing big crowds and delicious foods from North Carolina’s most passionate home chefs to the State Fairgrounds. Each day of the 2024 N.C. State Fair features a different challenge, in which participants cook their entries at home and bring them to the fair for the competition.
The Bake It ‘Til You Make It Cheesecake Challenge was held Tuesday, and this writer was one of four judges who got to sample and score each one based on presentation, creativity and flavor. There were 25 entries to try — a tough job, but it had to be done.
A crowd gathered in the lobby of Dorton Arena, and the judging began. It worked like this: First, the cake was paraded by us so we could judge its presentation on a scale of one to five — one being the lowest. I awarded the most presentation points to cakes that were overall visually appealing: neat, clean layers (if there were any) and free of inedible garnishes. I docked points on cakes that were messy, busy or, say, adorned with light-up cake toppers.
Next, we were asked to judge the cake on its creativity — uniqueness, originality, etc. And there were some unexpected combinations. From dill pickle and ranch to ube (purple yam) coconut to espresso martini to lobster andouille cheesecake, there was no shortage of creativity among these 25 cakes. Perhaps the most creative, in my opinion, was an orange marmalade ginger sweet potato cheesecake. It was unique, no doubt, but ultimately fell short for me in terms of flavor and texture.
Finally, we were served a slice — of a slice — of cheesecake. Because no one could handle 25 slices of cheesecake in one sitting… right?
To say the least, the cakes were delicious. Most of them, anyway. From simple, perfectly executed classic cheesecakes to elevated takes on classic flavors like pumpkin, lemon and white chocolate, to unique combinations like orange and chocolate — these cheesecakes came to compete.
First place on my personal scorecard went to an apple baklava cheesecake. It was perfection — a light, crispy baklava crust filled with an apple cheesecake. The cake ultimately won the blue ribbon, rightfully so. On points alone, there was a tie for the second and third place cakes. In the tie breaker, second place went to a white chocolate cranberry cheesecake, which I noted felt incredibly balanced and festive. Third place went to a maple brown butter pecan cheesecake, which I wrote on my scorecard was a “creative twist elevating the humble pecan pie to a cheesecake.”
Just to note, my personal second favorite was a hot pepper jelly cheesecake, which I found reminiscent of my grandmama’s affinity for a hot pepper jelly spread over a block of cream cheese and eaten with crackers. I also really liked the lobster andouille cheesecake, which tasted more like a savory cheese dip than a cheesecake. My fellow judges said while it was delicious, it lost points from them for not feeling enough like a cheesecake.
Here are the results:
FIRST PLACE: Dahsohm Baxley “Apple Blossom Baklava Cheesecake”
SECOND PLACE: Megan Morgan “Cranberry White Chocolate Cheesecake”
THIRD PLACE: Lisa Jolley “Maple Brown Butter Pecan Cheesecake”
Congratulations to the winners and all the participants! Here’s the Home Chef Challenge schedule for the rest of the week:
Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024 – 11 a.m.
Curry in a Hurry Challenge
presented by the N.C. State Fair
Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 – 11 a.m.
Pig in a Pot Crockpot Challenge
presented by Smithfield Foods
Friday, Oct. 25, 2024 – 11 a.m.
Ain’t No Thing But a Chicken Wing Challenge
presented by House of Raeford Farms
Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024 – 11 a.m.
Not Your Mama’s Pimento Cheese Challenge
presented by the N.C. PTA
Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024 – 11 a.m.
Ultimate Country Ham Biscuit Challenge
presented by the N.C. State Fair
Entries are due by 10:30 a.m. — 30 minutes before judging begins.