Posted by The Idaho Statesman, ID on April 12, 2008 at 12:43:13:
Boise’s Karen Bowlden is ready to Bake-Off for $1 million prize
100 finalists will make their recipes on Monday
BY JEANNE HUFF - jhuff@idahostatesman.com
It’s Bake-Off time again. The Olympics of cooking, the Super Bowl, the World Series of baking — do you have goose bumps?
Karen Bowlden of Boise does.
Bowlden is one of 100 finalists in the 43rd Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest. On Monday, the finalists will be cooking up a storm to see who gets the $1 million grand prize. Winners will be announced Tuesday.
The recipes reflect today’s emphasis on fast, delicious and healthy. They range from so simple you could text-message them, to complex. Antioxidants and high fiber ingredients played plum roles.
We sent Bowlden, busy packing for her trip, a few questions via e-mail about what it is like to be a finalist:
Q: How did you get involved in the Bake-Off? What is your cooking interest/background?
A: Over the years I’d become a recipe junkie. I’ve always watched the Pillsbury Bake-Off contest, and a few years ago I decided to enter. This year I really felt I had a recipe that would make me a contestant ... and I was right!
Warm & Fudgy Raspberry Pudding Cake was the easiest of the four recipes that I submitted.
Growing up in a large family, we kids always knew how lucky we were to have a mom who was the best cook in the world. At Christmas, mom would bake about 15 different kinds of Christmas cookies so we could take a plate of them to our teachers. Cooking and baking was a constant in our home, and if you came to visit, mom was going to feed you!
We even catered our wedding receptions. Mom took cake decorating lessons, and as she got older, she turned over all her decorating tools to me. Over the years, my specialty has become decadent desserts and cakes. Q: How did you come up with the fudgy cake recipe?
A: When I saw the advertisement for this year’s contest, I found the list of sponsors’ ingredients and headed for the grocery store.
I love the combination of chocolate and raspberry, so I intended on making a raspberry-cheese-cakey-swirled brownie dessert. While mixing up the top layer, I realized it was too runny for a cheesecake texture, but decided to pour it over the brownie batter anyway, and take my chances.
After swirling the two layers together, I put it into the oven, knowing that my husband would eat it no matter how it came out. It turned out to be delicious with a totally different texture than what I originally wanted to bake. The title is exactly what it tastes like. Someone at Pillsbury must have loved it too! Q: Do you do a lot of baking and cooking at home?
A: I am always experimenting with new recipes. Staying home on a Saturday night and having friends over for dinner is one of my favorite things to do. My husband has accepted his role of taste tester over our 37 years of marriage. He especially loves all the desserts I make him. I just can’t figure out how he stays so slender. Q: What are your thoughts about going to the competition? Are you nervous, excited?
A: Being in the Pillsbury Bake-Off contest is a once in a lifetime chance!
There were “tens of thousands” of recipes submitted for the contest. I’m still in shock that my easy recipe was chosen from among all the others.
As a contestant, I even received a big GE convection microwave oven! Even if I don’t win, it’s been fun participating in the contest. The closer it gets, I really am getting nervous. My husband keeps telling me to “just get in there and do what you do best!”
Having a one in 100 chance to win $1 million for a recipe is better odds than trying to win the lottery! How lucky I am!
Q: What are you going to do if you win?
A: Everybody keeps asking what I’d do with $1 million. My husband and I have been blessed many times over. We don’t need a new house, we have beautiful grandchildren and I’m already going to retire in May, so life is good.
If I were to win the Bake-Off contest, my husband and I have decided to make it possible for my daughter-in-law to stay home and raise the children till they start school.
My mom was always at home, waiting for us to come home from school and I was fortunate enough to stay home till our son started school. Nothing would make me happier than making that possible for my grandchildren too.
Pillsbury Baking recipes
Warm and Fudgy Raspberry Pudding Cake
12 servings.
Prep Time: 20 minutes. Start to Finish: 1 hour, 40 minutes
1 box (19.5 ounces) Pillsbury Classic Milk Chocolate Brownie Mix
1/2 cup Crisco Pure Canola Oil
1/4 cup water
4 Eggland's Best eggs
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup Smucker’s Seedless Red Raspberry Jam
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 jar (11.75 ounces) Smucker’s Hot Fudge Ice Cream Topping
1/2 cup fresh red raspberries
Fresh mint sprigs
1 quart vanilla ice cream, if desired
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13-by-9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with Crisco Original No-Stick Cooking Spray.
In large bowl, stir brownie mix, oil, water and two of the eggs 50 strokes with a spoon. Pour into baking dish.
In medium bowl, beat cream cheese and jam with electric mixer on medium speed until well mixed. Beat in remaining two eggs, the sour cream and vanilla until well mixed (mixture will be runny). Pour over brownie batter.
Swirl mixtures slightly with a spoon or tip of knife for marbled design.
Bake 35 to 50 minutes or until edges are golden brown and center is puffed and set when lightly touched.
Warm jar of fudge topping as directed on label. Pour evenly over cake, spreading to cover if necessary. Cool 30 to 45 minutes before serving.
Garnish with raspberries and mint sprigs. Serve with ice cream.
Per serving: Calories 540 (calories from fat 210); total fat 24g (saturated fat 7g, trans fat 0g); cholesterol 85mg; sodium 300mg; total carbohydrate 74g (dietary fiber 1g, sugars 54g); protein 7g
Recipe from Karen Bowlden