Vancouver baker takes home top prize in crab cake bake-off

VANCOUVER — Three area bakers, including Vancouver resident Stacey Tigner Loy, won the first-ever “Claw-some” Crab Cake Bake-Off, hosted by the Coos Bay North Bend-Charleston Visitor & Convention Bureau, also known as Oregon’s Adventure Coast. The organization invited amateur and professional bakers to bake and decorate a crab-inspired cake for a chance to win a two-night stay in the region, complete with lodging, activities and dining.

Bakers were asked to craft a Dungeness crab-themed cake and document the process and the finished product. Dungeness crabs have a long historical significance with Oregon’s fishing industry and are the current symbol of Oregon’s Adventure Coast.

“I’m originally from Eugene (Ore.), and since I can remember, I would go crabbing with my grandparents up and down the Oregon Coast,” said Tigner Loy, who won first place in the Adult Amateur category with her creation, “The Crab Feed Cake.”

“I’ve had crab from all over, and you still can’t beat the Dungeness, and this is the best way to enjoy them and what inspired my cake.”

Many entrants hailed from Oregon, though bakers from Virginia, Nevada, New Mexico, California and Washington entered as well.

“This is our first time organizing and overseeing a cake-baking competition, so we were not sure how successful this would be,” said Janice Langlinais, executive director of the Coos Bay-North Bend Charleston Visitor & Convention Bureau. “Turns out, the response was incredible. We could not believe how many wonderful and creative cake submissions we received! Choosing the winners of each category was not an easy task.”

A panel of six judges scored each submission by its creativity, ability to incorporate the theme, crab imagery and coastal style, before selecting the winners in the three categories: Professional, Amateur Adults and Amateur Kids.