Who Won the First Great Dayton Cake Off?

When Downtown Dayton Partnership reached out to see if I would like to be a judge for the first Great Dayton Cake Off, I was pretty excited. I grew up watching competition shows on Food Network that blurred the line between food and art. This competition was no different. Each of the contributors poured their skill and artistry into their masterpieces and it was a joy to see them in person. Here are the cakes — and the results!

The Cakes

There were two official winners: the crowd favorite and the judges’ favorite. I’ll tell you who won (and my favorites) at the end!

1. Street-art Inspired Cake by Christine of Magic Gem Sweets

2. Starry Night with Houses by Benjamin Stuckey of Baker Benji’s

3. Art City Cake

4. Stained Glass by Samineh (Sama) Faramarzi of Sama’s Sweet Kitchen

5. Crimson Barocco by Nakia Ard of N’Dulge Pastry Cafe at 6888 Kitchen Incubator

6. Textile arts-inspired Cake by Catherine Bauer of Tenderhearted Treats

7. Dress-inspired Cake by Christine Clarke of Christine’s Custom Cakes

8. Wegerzyn Gardens Discovery Tree by Roxanna Diaz of The Cakery

9. Wright Brothers, Eagles, and Cultural Arts Cake

10. Dayton Arcade by Sydney Joslin-Knapp of Love Cakes by Dorothy Lane Market

11. Starry Night by Savannah Ruby

12. Impressionist Floral

13. Alice in Wonderland x Dalí

14. Dayton Art Institute by @Story_O_Books

Drumroll, please…

Audience Favorite: #2 Starry Night with Houses by Benjamin Stuckey of Baker Benji’s

Judge Favorite: #8 Wegerzyn Gardens Discovery Tree by Roxanna Diaz of The Cakery

Audience Honorable Mention: #10 Dayton Arcade by Sydney Joslin-Knapp Love Cakes by Dorothy Lane Market

Judge Honorable Mention: #6 Textile arts-inspired Cake by Catherine Bauer of Tenderhearted Treats

My personal favorites: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 all got perfect scores from me!

Congratulations to everyone who participated! It was an amazing show full of incredible talent.

The Judges

Here are your fabulous judges for the first Great Dayton Cake Off. (Thanks, Megan, for sharing these judge photos!)

Megan Smith

Renowned writer, event planner, baker. Owned the beautiful St. Anne the Tart. Curator of stylish things.

Sean Mitchell

Big fan of all things Dayton, social justice, and Hugh Jackman.

Me

Blogger behind Girl About Dayton. Huge fan of Dayton, art, and food-based competitions.

The Details

The Great Dayton Cake Off took place Saturday, August 2, 2025 at the Schuster Center Wintergarden during Art in the City in downtown Dayton. Contestants were tasked with creating a cake decorated to fit the theme “you art what you eat” made out of exclusively edible materials.

And to answer my #1 most FAQ: No, we were not allowed to eat them. But I bet they all would have tasted amazing!

Want to participate next year? Keep an eye out on DDP’s social media in the spring for the announcement that applications are available. Or check their website at DowntownDayton.org. Art in the City takes place the second weekend in August each year.