Heirloom cake recipes may be old, but the Lee County Historical Society made sure they didn't become stale at its first heirloom cake contest Saturday in Loachapoka.
An heirloom cake must be made from a recipe handed down through at least three generations or one that is 100 years old.
"Each entry had to have some kind of documentation from where it came from," said Deborah McCord, secretary of the Historical Society Board and chair of the education program, "either a recipe book or a handwritten recipe if it was from a family member, passed down from generation to generation."
This is the first year the contest has been held, and McCord said the idea came about when board members were trying to figure out ways to increase awareness of the community's history and culture.
"We were trying to think of other things we could do to demonstrate our heritage," McCord said. "Someone thought about the old recipes that our grandmothers and great-grandmothers used to bake."
Eleven cakes were entered, the baker of each hoping to win the $25 grand prize. While most recipes were passed down through family members, some were found elsewhere.
"This recipe is from a book that my daughter and I got when we were in Indiana," said Mary Ellen Farrington of Auburn. Her entry, which took third place in the competition, is called a "cup cake." Farrington said the recipe is from the 1830s.
"It only has butter, sugar, flour and eggs in it," Farrington said. "I'm sure they cooked it in skillets and stuff over the fire, but of course I didn't have anything like that, so I just cooked it till I thought it was done."
The first place cake was baked by Peggy Mitchell of Auburn. Her "Lane Cake" included cherries, pecans and, surprisingly, Scotch whisky.
McCord said while not everyone could take home the grand prize, she hoped it was a fun activity for those involved and helped raise awareness about the Historical Society.
"We thought it would be a good way to get people to come out and see what we have to offer," McCord said. "There are still a lot of people in Auburn, Opelika, Lee County and surrounding counties that don't know about us, and we've been here since 1968."
The Historical Society is planning to collect all heirloom recipes used in the contest and compile a book by the end of the year.
"We're hoping that in a couple of months we'll have a pie contest," McCord said. "We might have other kinds of contests during the year on second Saturdays trying to collect these recipes for an heirloom cookbook."
The entry fee for each cake was $5, and slices were sold for $1 following the judging. All proceeds went toward renovating parts of the museum, like the cook house.
"Apparently, the building is in need of repair and a new oven," Farrington said. "So one of the things that this cake contest is supposed to do is start raising money for that."
While the cake contest was the main attraction Saturday, other activities included open-hearth cooking, Valentine's Day card-making, spinning and weaving classes and an open house at the blacksmith shop. These activities take place throughout the year at the museum.
"A lot of parents and grandparents come out with their children," McCord said. "It's something that's educational, it's fun and it's free."
Through the museum and reenactments, the Historical Society aims to educate residents on the history of the area.
"Loachapoka was three times as big as Auburn 150 years ago," said Deena Rowell, board member and Loachapoka resident. "This was the hoppin' place. Auburn was nothing."
With various upcoming events, including the 39th annual Historical Fair, Syrup Sopping Saturday and the heirloom pie contest, members of the Historical Society board said they hope local residents will become more aware of all the Historical Society has to offer.
"This is a secret that we don't want kept," Rowell said.
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