Timeless Designs 12th Goldilocks Intercollegiate Cake Decorating Challenge

Its that time of the year again when the most creative cake decorateurs from all over the Philippines face off for the most prestigious and perhaps sweetest competition of the year--The Goldilocks Intercollegiate Cake Decorating Challenge (ICDC).

From almost a hundred schools, only six made it to the live kitchen stage finale held at the SM Mega Fashion Hall last weekend. They include University of Batangas, Pangasinan State University, Holy Cross of Davao College, and the Western Institute of Technology Iloilo, and defending champions Saint Anne College of Lucena.

“For 2018, Goldilocks has gone back to the very heart and essence of the competition, which is the cake itself and what it represents,” explained Goldilocks Marketing Director Cherry Caluya. “Cakes are meant to celebrate sweet moments and special memories, which all become timeless. We have therefore made this the theme for this year, asking our competing students to interpret timeless aspects through their designs,” she emphasized.

Another big change this year for the ICDC was that the teams first needed to shop for some items and the theme of the contest was announced during the finale as well.

The competition was fierce, and as the clock wound down with around five minutes left, the audience roared with applause, cheering on the teams to add the finishing touches to their cakes.

I was really hoping Saint Anne College of Lucena would be successful in defending their title but after the last piece of topping was placed and the final bell sounded-- everyone knew it was going to be a tough decision for the judges.

Emerging victorious from this dazzling display of creativity and teamwork was the Lyceum of the Philippines Laguna; which previously took the category prize for the “Tribute to the Present” and “Tribute to the Future” themed cakes, before being awarded as the overall champion. With this feat, the talented students not only won considerable prizes for their school, but earned the right to take the travelling trophy back with them to the proud province Southeast of Manila. 

This is the 12th time that the ICDC has been held, and every year the stakes are raised higher. The skill-level of the participants has consistently increased, thus elevating the contest into one of the most anticipated events for culinary arts programs.

As always, the teams this year vied for more than the just prestige, but specifically a baking lab worth Php 250,000 for their school and Php 20,000 worth of Goldilocks gift certificates. After a pre-selection round wherein almost 100 schools submitted entries, the other schools that qualified for the live kitchen-stage were the University of Batangas, Saint Anne College of Lucena, Pangasinan State University, Holy Cross of Davao College, and the Western Institute of Technology Iloilo, which won the category prize for the “Tribute to the Past” theme. 

Being the country’s number one bakeshop for over five decades, Goldilocks is certainly the most qualified to stage an ICDC-style competition, providing the materials and ingredients along with co-sponsor Avoset Whip N’ Cream. Renowned chef and ICDC judge Jackie Ang Po noted that “for the past 12 years, Goldilocks and Avoset continue to reinvent this competition and make it fresh. They have really created something that Culinary Arts students aspire for, and competing on the kitchen stage at this level teaches the students so many lessons that go beyond classroom work.” Also serving as judges were exemplary pastry chef Penk Ching, Patrick Tong of Avoset, and Mille Dizon from the SM Group.

While the ICDC was the culminating activity of the day, loads of fun and educational activities were staged throughout the venue. There were numerous hands-on demonstrations and workshops by professional pastry-chefs, a Goldilocks decorate-your-cake (DYC) corner, amazing cake displays, and a chance to see Goldilocks endorser Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo, who graced the activity as the special guest.

Top Pastry Chefs mentor the 10th Goldilocks Intercollegiate Cake Decorating Challenge

 There are so many occasions that call for celebrations, so many rites of passage that require “something special” like birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, engagements, weddings, showers, new jobs, retirements, and more.  A homemade, home-baked, and handcrafted cake somehow makes these events feel even more joyful, but since most of us moms  dont have time to bake them cakes, and in my case I dont have the knowledge to bake one or even decorate with icings and all the trimmings, I might leave that to the professional or to the hobby baker- a person who bakes for the love of baking as a hobby.

Last Feb 4, I, together with selected blogger friends had our fair share of decorating a cake at Goldilocks Shaw Blvd branch.  It requires a lot of techniques, creative ideas, a fork, spoon, pastry bag, and colorful flavored frostings to make up a delicious looking edible cake. Cake toppings are a simple way to add texture and polish to cover up a less-than-perfect frosting job, that I learned during the cake decorating session.

If you are passionate about baking and decorating your cake,  then its time to witness the 10th Goldilocks Intercollegiate Cake Decorating Challenge at SM North Edsa’s The Block Activity Center.

My cake from scratch

Exactly ten years ago, when Goldilocks was celebrating its 40th anniversary, the country’s number one bakeshop decided to launch a truly innovative competition to highlight the artistry involved in cake decorating. Dubbed as the “Goldilocks Intercollegiate Cake Decorating Challenge (ICDC),” it has since grown to become a nationwide activity that is highly anticipated by both participating schools and audiences  alike

The format of the ICDC is unlike most baking events: it isn’t a staid demonstration, a submit-display and-judge setup, or anything of the sort. it is an exciting extemporaneous competition that requires not only familiarity with techniques; but a definite originality and creativity to set the winning team apart. On contest day, ten teams share one stage and one central supply bin. They decorate their cakes within a given time frame, based on themes that are revealed to them at that very moment. This is all done in front of a live audience and a panel of judges composed of the leading authorities in the culinary arts industry.

This year, almost one hundred schools from far and wide submitted their entries in hopes of being chosen as one of the ten finalists. Aside from the obvious distinction and the opportunity to pit themselves against the best and brightest of their peers, the winning school will receive a baking showcase worth a quarter of a million pesos, while the team itself will receive P20,000 in Goldilocks gift certificates.

After a comprehensive round of judging, the ten qualifiers are Calayan Educational Foundation, Colegio de San Lorenzo, DMCI College Foundation Dipolog, Far Eastern University, Lyceum of the Philippines Laguna, Lyceum Subic Bay, Pangasinan State University, Saint Anne College of Lucena, Trinity University of Asia, and the Western Institute of Technology lloilo.

Given that 2016 marks a milestone for the ICDC, however, the country’s number bakeshop has something considerably more demanding in store for the talented participants. “This is the 10th year of the ICDC, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Goldilocks,” explained Goldilocks Marketing Director Cherry Caluya. “Because of this, we’ve decided to add some major twists. In fact, we’re calling this year’s competition ‘ICDC Xtreme’,” she noted.

While these new elements (understandably) cannot be revealed, they are obviously challenging enough to warrant expert supervision. As such, Goldilocks has enlisted the help of ten of the country’s top pastry chefs to guide a randomly chosen team in the lead up to competition day.



Chefs Jackie Ang Po (Calayan Educational Foundation), James Antolin (Saint Anne College of Lucena). Joan Dela Cruz (Pangaslnan State University), Bryan Dimayuga (Lyceum of the Philippine Laguna), Tristan Encamadon (Trinity University of Asia} Jackie Laudico (Western Institute of Technology lloilo), Rizalino Manas (DMCI College Foundation Dipolog). Amador Mendoza (Lyceum Subic Bay). Pixie Seville (Far Easlem University), and Buddy Trinidad (Colegio de San Lorenzo) have been tapped to provide high-level, hands-on mentorship to the participating students.

“Having these renowned chefs on board early on will allow the students to learn from the best and most experienced professionals in the industry"  Caluya pointed out. “it‘s also worthwhile to note that every region is represented -— North and South Luzon, the NCR, Visayas, and Mindanao,” she concluded.

The 10th Goldilocks Intercollegiate Cake Decorating Challenge will be held on February 25, 2016 at SM North Edsa’s The Block Activity Center. Numerous activities and side attractions will on hand beginning at 10am. For more information, log on to wwwgoldilockscomph, or follow GoldilocksPH on Facebook and Twitter