PLAYOFF BAKE OFF

Alums battle it out in the kitchen while Crusaders head to Championship

In four ultimate baking battles each week leading up to the Cru football championship game, alumni rolled up their sleeves and whipped up their most creative culinary confections, vying for a chance to be named “Playoff-Bake Off Champion.”

While the Cru was gearing up for its first-round championship win against Trinity University Nov. 20, guest judges were lining up to tackle some of the best cookies in Central Texas, with the winning wafer going to Brenda Hoelscher ’96. The “Cookie Champion” recipe she used was one her children had won with at the Bell County Youth Fair, and it paid off with the win!

On the second match-up, as the Cru took on Birmingham-Southern College on Nov. 27, bakers battled for the title of “Breakfast Champion,” with the winning whisk going to Rose Morales ’00 with her secret banana bread recipe.

“I have made many banana breads to raise money for going on mission trips or for doing a toy drive,” she said as the reason for not sharing the prize-winning recipe. “Everyone loves my banana bread and greatly supports the cause. It brings me great joy to be able to bake for others and hear that it is one of the best they have eaten!”

In round three on Dec. 4, as Crusaders were creaming Linfield University on the field, 2020 graduate Charlotte Miller’s homemade banana pudding pie was racking up the most points for the W and title of “Pie Champion.”

Dec. 11 was a bye week for the Playoff-Bake Off (since UMHB was playing Wisconsin-Whitewater in Wisconsin). With that easy win for the Crusaders, the fourth and final Playoff-Bake Off round was set for the championship game Dec. 17 during the watch party. While UMHB fans gathered to watch the Cru take the cake on the field, Maegan Loya ’15 was scoring points with the judges to be named “Cake Champion” for her “Cake for the Cru.”

“We could not be prouder of our alumni for showing up for our Playoff-Bake Off each week,” said Jeff Sutton, director of alumni engagement. “All of the participation from our alums just made winning the national championship game that much sweeter!”

AND THE WINNER IS...

BRENDA HOELSCHER '96 COOKIE CHAMPION

ROSE MORALES '00 BREAKFAST CHAMPION

CHARLOTTE MILLER '20 PIE CHAMPION

MAEGAN LOYA '15 CAKE CHAMPION

Chewy Coconut-Lime Sugar Cookies

Recipe from America's Test Ktichen Cookbook www.littlebitsof.com

ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut, chopped 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1 oz cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces 1 tsp grated lime zest 6 tsp unsalted butter, melted and hot 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 large egg 1 Tbs milk 1 Tbs lime juice 1/2 cup pure cane organic sugar (large sugar crystals) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Whisk flour, coconut, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Place granulated sugar, cream cheese, and lime zest in large bowl. Pour butter over mixture and whisk until combined. Whisk in oil until well incorporated. Add egg, milk, and lime juice and continue to whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture with a rubber spatula until soft dough forms.

Divide dough into 24 equal pieces (about 2 tablespoons each). Using hands, roll dough into balls. Working in batches, roll balls in cane sugar to coat and place on prepared baking sheet (12 balls per sheet). Bake one tray at a time until edges are set and just beginning to brown, 11-13 minutes, rotating sheet after 7 minutes. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes and transfer to wire rack.

Banana Pudding Pie

Recipe from Southern Living ingredients

1 (12-oz) box vanilla wafers ½ cup butter (melted) 2 large bananas (sliced) 4 egg whites ½ cup sugar

Vanilla Cream Filling ingredients

¾ cup sugar ½ cup all-purpose flour 2 large eggs 4 egg yolks 2 cups milk 2 tsp vanilla extract Set aside 30 vanilla wafers and crush the rest. Stir together crushed vanilla wafers and butter until blended. Firmly press on bottom of 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Let cool 30 minutes.

Arrange banana slices over bottom of crust. Prepare vanilla cream filling and spread half of hot filling over bananas. Top with 20 wafers. Spread remaining hot filling over wafers.

Beat egg whites at high speed with mixer until foamy. Add sugar (1 Tbsp at a time) and beat until stiff peaks form and sugar dissolves. Spread evenly over hot filling, sealing the edges.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Let cool for one hour. Coarsely crush remaining 10 vanilla wafers and sprinkle over top of pie. Chill for four hours.

Whisk first five ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly for 8-10 minutes until it reaches the thickness of chilled pudding. (Mixture will just begin to bubble and will be thick enough to hold soft peaks when whisk is lifted.) Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Use immediately.

Maegan's Chocolate Cake

ingredients

1/2 cup sour cream 1 cup buttermilk 3 large eggs 1 1/2 cups strong hot coffee 3/4 cup vegetable oil 1 Tbs Mexican Vanilla extract 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 2/3 cup sugar 1/2 cup cocoa powder 1 Tbs baking soda 1 tsp kosher salt Vanilla Buttercream Icing

I used Sweet Tooth Fairy’s purple-colored powdered sugar instead of food coloring for this cake, but you could use regular powdered sugar and add your choice of food coloring!

1 1/2 lbs powdered sugar (sifted) 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream 1 tsp Mexican Vanilla extract 1/4 tsp salt Food coloring of your choice (optional)

**To make it a chocolate buttercream add: 1/4 cup cocoa powder 1 tsp espresso No food coloring