Chef Amanda Kawchuk, an instructor in the college’s culinary arts program, looks on as Stephanie Savage, alumni engagement manager, steals a maraschino cherry from a student decorating a black forrest cake at the LC kitchen Nov. 24, 2021.
Lethbridge College alumni have something extra to celebrate this holiday season.
For a second year, the college is hosting its popular Holiday Bake-off, Kodiak Coke Cake contest.
The event is sponsored by Coca-Cola, a long-time partner of the college and is free for all LC alumni.
Stephanie Savage, the LC Alumni engagement manager is heading up the contest again this year.
“What we’ve done is we’ve partnered with Coke. This will be our second year and we just were looking for creative ways to engage alumni while working with our partner,” said Savage.
Participants need to bake, decorate and photograph their own cake to be entered in the contest.
The cake recipe was designed by Chef Amanda Kawchuk an instructor in the college’s culinary arts program.
“We kind of settled on a chocolate recipe with Coca Cola in the mix, then I wanted to make it easy to make at home. You never know what kind of utensils and you know, equipment people have at home. I wanted to make it more versatile. If you don’t have a mixer at home, you can still easily make this recipe,” said Kawchuk.
The recipe is flexible and participants are encouraged to add other things like chocolate chips or whatever suits their fancy.
Savage says the event was started to help bring people closer for the holidays.
“We know that it’s been a challenging couple years for people…we couldn’t plan really a gathering or a get together of any sort. So, this was a way for people to take a little bit of that happiness home,” said Savage.
Kawchuk echoed the sentiment. “Especially around the holidays, you think of baking and it’s just kind of nice to bring people together.”
Last year over 90 people entered the contest with over 15,000 votes cast on Facebook to decide the winner.
This year, there is added incentive to try your best.
“The big change is that we are giving away a KitchenAid mixer as the prize this year,” said Savage.
A total of 200 ingredient kits are available to those who are eligible and wish to participate.
“Me and my students, we package up all the ingredients so it’s not just me packaging up all 200, I definitely have students helping me,” says Kawchuk.
The only thing not included in the ingredient kits are eggs and some oil.
Interested alumni can apply online and then pick up the ingredients and recipe on Dec. 8 between 4 and 7 p.m. at the front loop of the college.
Photos of the finished creations must be uploaded to lethbridgecollege.ca/holidaybakeoff by 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 19.
For more information go to: https://lethbridgecollege.ca/events/alumni-holiday-bakeoff-kodiak-coke-cake
