A Bishop Auckland bakery’s attempt to crown its own Bake-Off champion has prompted a light-hearted controversy after customers were asked to weigh up whether the winning cake really deserved victory.
Village Cakery hosted the first-ever 'Great Cakery Bake Off' after a rare free weekend gave the staff the chance to step away from their busy programme of markets and bake some of their favourite creations.
Five members of the team spent Friday night baking and decorating cakes before putting them on sale the following day, with a simple challenge in place - whoever sold out first would be crowned the winner.
Village Cakery's Great Cakery Bake Off sparked a light-hearted debate after the winning cake sold out first despite having fewer slices than a rival. (Image: Village Cakery)
The contest proved a hit with customers, with cake slices flying off the shelves and the bakery selling out by lunchtime.
But just when victory appeared settled, a twist emerged.
After Claire Blakey's Mint Chocolate Drip Cake was declared the winner, Village Cakery took to social media to question whether the result should stand.
In a tongue-in-cheek post, the bakery wrote: “Claire’s Mint Chocolate Drip Cake technically sold out first yesterday… BUT there were only eight slices”
“Meanwhile, Brad’s Lemon Drizzle Drip Cake had 12.
“Was it a legitimate victory?? I’m thinking we need a rematch to decide!?!”
The light-hearted debate quickly added another layer of fun to what had already become a memorable day for the bakery and its customers.
Explaining how the competition came about, Bradley Skeen from Village Cakery said the idea arose during an unusually quiet weekend for the business.
He said: “We usually have multiple markets on a weekend, but we had a free weekend which meant both Andy and I could have a very rare weekend off.
“We’re always so busy baking and preparing to take our usual menu of brownies, blondies, cookies, scones and muffins across the North East and Yorkshire that we don’t usually have time to bake our favourite cakes.
“Five of us managed to bake and decorate different cakes on Friday night.”
The bakery was overwhelmed by the response from customers, who quickly embraced the friendly rivalry between staff members.
Mr Skeen added: “We were overwhelmed with how popular our cake slices were on Saturday, and it was so much fun on the day.
“Our fantastic customers were definitely entertained by the friendly competition amongst the staff.”
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And while the debate over the rightful winner may never truly be settled, the team has already agreed on one thing: there will be a rematch.
Round two of the Great Cakery Bake off is set to take place on Halloween, when staff will once again go head-to-head, this time with a spooky twist.
Whether the champion can defend her title, however, will depend on one thing; exactly how many slices are deemed worthy of victory.