Announcing the winners of the Banana Baking Contest!

by Shannon Roszell

Well, Fenelon bakers, you really came through! You knocked the socks off our judges, Councillor, Mike Perry, and Cow & Sow/On the Locks owner, Haley Pickering!!

It was no easy decision but there are two winners of this year's Banana Baking Contest! 

Kirsten Meehan wowed judges (and the entire restaurant) with her stacked banana bread. It was stunningly iced and decorated in chocolate ganache and banana chips. Kirsten has obviously been spending some COVID hours in the kitchen because this creation was professional. 

Here’s what Kirsten has to say about her entry:

“This was my first time using this banana cake recipe. It’s from Sally’s Baking Addiction, which is my go-to blog for great reliable recipes. Chocolate drips are one of my favourite decorating techniques, which I use very often.

My #1 tip for fellow bakers is to relax, take your time, and be patient! Baking can go from a relaxing activity to absolute chaos very quickly, especially when you’re trying out a new recipe or technique. Be kind to yourself and know that you won’t always get it perfect on the first try.”

Dana Geyer aka Dana the Book Lady could also be known as Dana the Baking Lady because this banana loaf was off the charts. A classic recipe, it was dense, moist, very banana-y with a wonderful chocolate swirl throughout. 

“One sneaky thing about my prize-winning Chocolate Marble Banana Bread - it's vegan! I bake it whenever I need to use up some bananas and it always turns out well. It's easy to make any banana bread recipe into Chocolate Marble Banana Bread. 

Here's how: once your batter is ready, scoop one cup out into a separate bowl. In another heat-proof bowl, add 3 tbsp cocoa powder and 3 tbsp boiling water and mix those together. Stir this chocolate mix into the cup of batter you have separated to make chocolate batter, and then stir 3 tbsp of boiling water into the plain banana batter to keep the two consistent. Then, layer the plain and chocolate batters into your loaf pan, and swirl with a butter knife before baking as normal. Voila!”

Thanks to all of the talented bakers, to our judges, to Sobey’s for the free bananas, the Cow & Sow for hosting us, and the Butterfly Boutique and Red Rock Antiques for the prizes!

Shannon Roszell is a local singer-songwriter. She recently released five singles off her debut album, Within the Shimmering Darkness, which is slated for release in 2023. shannonroszell.com