By Leslie Collins
Northeast News
April 6, 2011

Forget your diet April 17.

Just tell yourself you’re sampling cakes for a good cause.

Newhouse, a domestic violence shelter, is hosting “Icing on the Cake” Sunday, April 17, from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. to raise funds for its general operations. All proceeds will benefit Newhouse.

Icing on the Cake will feature a sugar art and baked goods exhibition, decorating demonstrations and a live cake challenge at the Sheraton Overland Park Hotel, 6100 College Blvd., Overland Park, Kan.

Kansas City’s Mike Elder, three-time undefeated champion of TLC’s “Ultimate Cake-off” and owner of Black Sheep Custom Cakes, helped organize the event and will feature his own cake – a 5-foot tall cake shaped like a black sheep riding a bull.

“It’s meant to be fun,” Elder said. “The theme for the entire event is Kansas City, and of course, Kansas City is known for its cow town history. And I just thought it would be fun to have a big rodeo bull when people walk in.”

Elder will also serve on the panel of celebrity judges that include local “Survivor” competitor Yve Rojas, NBC Action News’ Curtis Jay and Keith King, and the Pitch food critic Charles Ferruzza to judge the live cake challenge, which begins at 5 p.m.

Four teams will participate in the challenge to create a Kansas City masterpiece, led by nationally renowned chefs, which include Brian Stevens, Austin, Texas, of TLC’s “Next Great Baker;” Debbie Gourd, Oakland, Calif., of “Food Network Challenge;” Bob Brougham, North Aurora, Ill., of TLC’s “Ultimate Cake-off,” and Ruth Rickey, Oklahoma City, Okla., of WE-TV’s “Wedding Cake Wars” and TLC’s “Ultimate Cake-off.”

“I’m just excited to see what all the chefs come up with and all the creativity involved with it,” said Emily Randall, Newhouse development coordinator.

“What we do goes so much beyond cake decorating,” Elder said. “Cake decorating is when you go to Wal-Mart and buy a sheet cake with somebody’s name on it.

“We have lots of cake sculpture, lots of really highly detailed cakes that are far above what most people would consider a normal cake.”

Elder stressed the Newhouse event won’t be a stuffy, standard cake show.

“We want it to be more fun and uplifting,” he said. “We’re not going to have judges that are going to critique everybody and knit-pick at things. So, if you’re new and you want to enter and want to support Newhouse, you can.”

Display entries for adults range from $50 to $125, depending on the display area size. Cost also includes one admission to the live cake challenge. Children can display their baked creations for $5. To sign up for a display, visit http://www.mikeelderonline.com/icingonthecake.html.

“The chefs we have coming are really excited to come out,” Elder said of the celebrity chefs. “They’re taking it even a little further than I thought they would. They’re just going big and crazy like you see on TV.

“Even though we’re not giving them a whole lot of time to do it, they’re not holding back. They’re pulling out all the stops for us.”

Other activities

In addition to ogling cake displays and savoring samples, attendees are also encouraged to drop off their used cell phones.

“This is one of the big fundraisers we do year-round,” Randall said.

Some of the cell phones Newhouse recycles and collects a profit. Other cell phones are refurbished and given to women in the shelter to use in an emergency to dial 911.

A Johnson County Girl Scout Troop will lead children’s activities and a raffle drawing will be held, featuring “baking kits.”

“Mike is a big thinker and he had a big goal,” Randall said. “This is going to bring so much more attention to Newhouse and our cause, and hopefully, raise a lot of money.”

To purchase tickets in advance, visit www.newhouseshelter.org/events or www.mikeelderonline.com/icingonthecake.html

Cost to attend the sugar art/baked goods demonstration is ^$10 for adults (^$12 at the door) and ^$5 for children. Cost to attend the exhibition and live cake challenge is ^$35 in advance and ^$40 at the door.