Taking The Cake

Taking The Cake

Posted on Feb. 16, 2017

Monika Stout of Truly Scrumptious Cakes, an Encinitas-based home bakery, was recently crowned the winner of Food Network’s Cake Wars, where she and her assistant Louise Pass competed against three other teams for the title of champion and a $10,000 cash prize.

Initially a graphic designer, Stout soon realized how much she missed working with her hands as the computer era evolved. She took a cake decorating class with the simple intent to make original cakes for her two children but quickly discovered her passion for creating one-of-a-kind cakes, and Truly Scrumptious Cakes was born.

When asked what was most memorable about competing on Cake Wars, Stout replies, “First is the friends I made. The other bakers I competed against in the final are very talented artists, and we bonded over this crazy adventure. The second is the incredible amount of fun we had. The main goal was to enjoy the ride as much as we could. We said if we won, it would be ‘the icing on the cake!’” She cites the tight timeframe as the toughest aspect of the competition. “I’m a bit OCD, and not having that time to really think things through was a challenge, but I learned that spontaneity might actually help in the creative process.”

Up next: Stout is serving as co-chair of the 34th annual San Diego Cake Show, March 18-19 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The show will feature celebrity appearances from stars of top TV baking competitions, classes and demonstrations, a vendor area, and hundreds of beautiful cakes on view, including Stout’s award-winning creation from Cake Wars. sandiegocakeshow.com