Announcing the Winners of Our 2024 "Claw-some" Crab Cake Bake-Off!

Early last spring, Oregon’s Adventure Coast kicked off its 2nd Annual “Claw-some” Crab Cake Bake-Off , inviting amateur and professional bakers to showcase their creativity with crab-inspired cakes (not actual crab dishes). We chose this theme to celebrate the historical significance of Dungeness crab in Oregon’s fishing industry—and to add an extra layer of fun to the competition!

Each baker was tasked with crafting a crab-themed cake representing Oregon’s Adventure Coast: Coos Bay, North Bend, and Charleston. They documented the entire process, including a video showing someone taking a bite to prove the cake was edible! After receiving dozens of incredible and creative entries, our judges faced the nearly impossible task of selecting winners in three categories: Professional, Amateur Bakers (ages 18+), and Amateur Kids Bakers (ages 10-17). Each cake was judged on creativity, incorporation of the theme, crab imagery, and coastal style.

With so many incredible entries, and after much deliberation, our independent judges have chosen our grand prize winners. Congratulations to the following bakers who have each won a complimentary two-night stay on Oregon’s Adventure Coast: Coos Bay, North Bend, and Charleston, complete with lodging , activities , and delicious dining options :

• 1st Place Winner Professional Bakers Category: Kayla Brown for Oh How The Tides Have Turned
• 1st Place Winner Amateur Bakers Category (Adults 18+): Megan Benedict for Let the Good Times Boil
• 1st Place Winner Amateur Bakers Category (Kids Ages 10-17): Cohen Benedict for Catch of the Day

Second and third place winners in each category received a goodie basket of Oregon’s Adventure Coast products. And, for the first time, our judges came up with a tie for third place in the Professional Bakers category, the entries were all just that great!

Keep reading to see the full list of our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners and their outstanding crustacean-inspired creations!

2024 Winners for the Professional Bakers Category

1st Place Winner: Kayla Brown - Oh How The Tides Have Turned

Congratulations to Kayla Brown from Portland, OR, the first-place winner in our Professional Bakers category for her cake, Oh How the Tides Have Turned! This decadent vanilla cake with sea salt buttercream features house-made marshmallow fondant, rice crispy claws, and a graham cracker sea complete with a white chocolate broth. “Meet Crabatouille, the cutest, most monstrous chef-eating crab in the sea,” Kayla says of her creation. “Try to cook him, and he’ll steal your treasured recipe and use you for the main course! Argh [in your best pirate accent]!”

2nd Place Winner: Chelsea Baker- On the Dock at Kelly’s

Aptly named Chelsea Baker from Beaverton, OR, placed 2nd in our professional baking category with her cake On the Dock at Kelly’s, featuring vanilla sour cream cake with lemon buttercream, and banana cake with chocolate buttercream and vanilla pastry cream, all iced with vanilla buttercream. Inspired by her 2022 trip to Kelly’s Marina in Rockaway, the cake reflects cherished family memories of crabbing. The top tier depicts a crab trap being dropped into the bay, while the bottom tier shows ocean waves, shells, and a crab. All details, including crabs, buoys, ropes, and shells, were handcrafted with gum paste and painted with petal dust.

3rd Place Winners (our first ever tie!): Kaitlyn Barnette for Mother of Pearl & Thalia Chavez for Patchy the Peg-Legged Pirate Crab

Mother of Pearl

Kaitlyn Barnette, a professional baker from Bealton, VA, drew inspiration for her cake design, Mother of Pearl, from the Swarovski Spring/Summer 2024 Idyllia jewelry line. “The rich teal and sapphire tones, pearls, and gold evoke the essence of summer on the ocean for me,” says Barnette. The centerpiece is a bejeweled blue crab encrusted with pearls and trimmed in gold, resting atop an island of treasures, including isomalt gems, gold coin sprinkles, and pearl sprinkles. The white sand effect is achieved using toasted coconut crumbs.

Patchy the Peg-Legged Pirate Crab

Thalia Chavez from Dayton, NV, says her cake design was inspired by visits to her mother in Brookings during the Pirates of the Pacific Festival. She shared, “It’s especially fun because after we’re done, we head down to the docks, purchase fresh crab from local fishermen, and enjoy our crab buffet for the rest of the night!” Her cake is built from a classic white 1/2 sheet cake, custom-cut into pieces, with a lemon curd and blackberry preserve filling. Thalia used a classic white vanilla buttercream, sculpted with pallet knives, and hand-painted with food coloring and gel. There is no fondant, gum paste, or modeling chocolate; everything is made from cake, icing, and metal wires for 3D effects. The centerpiece of her design is Patchy, an angry peg-legged pirate crab, along with the Cape Arago lighthouse sculpted from cake. Thalia’s family supported her by providing pirate outfits and decor. She hopes everyone enjoys her creation and finds it amusing, emphasizing that the cake features only buttercream, with no fondant at all.

2024 Winners for the Amateur Category (Ages 18+)

1st Place Winner: Megan Benedict - Let the Good Times Boil

“Food has a remarkable way of bringing people together, fostering connections, and creating memories,” says amateur baker Megan Benedict of Kennewick, WA. “This cake reminds me of all the social gatherings growing up that encouraged conversation, laughter, and bonding. I imagine friends and family gathering to enjoy this crab feast, connecting on a personal level, and that brings me joy.” Her creation, Let the Good Times Boil, a delightful combination of coconut cake with lemon curd, coconut buttercream, and whipped raspberry filling, is our first-place winner in the Amateur Category (Adult)!

2nd Place Winner: Matilda Thomas - Dante the Dungeness Crab

Matilda Thomas from Portland, OR, dedicated two days to baking and shaping her creation, Dante the Dungeness Crab, finding it a delightful and rewarding challenge. Inspired by a recent visit to the Oregon coast where she saw a crab shell wash up on the beach, Matilda wanted to capture the adaptive nature of crabs living in the ocean and crawling onto the shore. She made “Dante” out of a yellow lemon cake, frosted with strawberry-raspberry frosting to mimic a red shell, and covered with fondant. His legs and claws, made from Rice Krispies treats covered in fondant, evoke the crunch of cracking crab legs. The crab is painted with food coloring gel to resemble a mottled shell. The beach features a chocolate and vanilla marbled buttermilk cake with lemon-orange frosting for the sand, and the waves are marbled fondant to capture the color variations of ocean foam and light.

3rd Place Winner: Amber Rothkamm - Waves of Color

Amber Rothkamm of Grants Pass, OR, created Waves of Color, inspired by the paint and sip classes she teaches along the Oregon Coast. “I wanted to combine my two loves: baking and painting,” she says. She hand-painted a coastal scene onto a crab’s back and made cake pops, creating an edible art piece enjoyed by her family, though her youngest, just one month old, had to sit it out. Amber hopes the vibrant colors bring smiles to others and looks forward to the next competition. The vanilla cake was topped with strawberry buttercream frosting. The cake pop legs, claws, and pearls were crafted from cake, strawberry frosting, and white almond bark. Waves and sand were artistically made using Jolly Ranchers and graham crackers.

2024 Winners Amatuer Category (Kids Age 10-17)

1st Place Winner: Cohen Benedict - Catch of the Day

Cohen Benedict of Kennewick, WA, took home first place in the Kid’s Category with his impressive creation, Catch of the Day. His masterpiece featured a vanilla cake with raspberry cream and vanilla buttercream icing, adorned with fondant, sprinkles, and graham cracker details. Baking must be a family passion (Cohen’s mom, Megan Benedict, won first place in our Amateur Baking Category for Adults, and his younger brother Turner placed 3rd in the Kids Category), but Cohen designed and baked his creation all on his own (there’s video to prove it)! His inspiration came from a memorable family vacation to the Oregon Coast: “A few years back, we got up early to go crabbing. After hours of catching crabs that were either too small or the wrong gender, we decided to do one more toss before leaving. We caught the perfect crab, which we cooked on site. It made all the waiting worth it for our catch of the day!”

2nd Place Winner: Alyssa Guido - Crab & Friends

Our 2nd place winner in the Kids Category is Crab & Friends, a delightful creation by Alyssa Guido from Rio Rancho, NM. Her cake features a vanilla white cake with almond buttercream and homemade fondant. Alyssa, who has culinary ambitions, shared, “I plan to attend Southwestern Oregon Community College for culinary school, and my desire to tour the school inspired this cake!” The ingredients used include flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, eggs, butter, heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, almond extract, powdered sugar, food coloring, and graham crackers. Alyssa’s dedication and creativity shine through in her charming and delicious creation.

3rd Place Winner: Turner Benedict - Don’t be Crabby

Turner Benedict from Kennewick, WA, placed 3rd in the Kids Category with his creation, Don’t be Crabby. Turner crafted vanilla cupcakes with raspberry cream, topped with fondant and blended graham crackers. When asked about his inspiration, Turner shared, “I have three brothers, and we fight a lot! My mom is always asking us to get along, and I often hear her say ‘don’t be crabby’ when I get punished. These daily experiences inspired my crabby creation.” Turner’s clever and humorous approach, combined with outstanding baking skills, made Don’t be Crabby a stand-out.

A huge thank you to everyone who entered our 2024 “Claw-some” Crab Cake Bake-Off! The creativity and craftsmanship displayed by our bakers were truly inspiring. If you missed out on this year’s contest, don’t fret - we have a feeling the Claw-some Crab Cake Bake-Off will return next year, bigger and better than ever! Stay tuned by following Oregon’s Adventure Coast Facebook, @travelcoosbay on Instagram , and TikTok and keeping an eye on our blog for the latest announcements!

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