By Chanda Temple
Alabama food stylist Sally Wicker McKay and her mother, Amy Wicker, are winning hearts and bellies on Hallmark Channel’s new baking contest, “Baked with Love Holiday,” which airs on Monday nights at 8 p.m. CST.
The show, which debuted on Monday, Oct. 27 and is hosted by Emmy-award winning actress, producer and entrepreneur Tamera Mowry-Housley, features two cooking challenges per episode. The judges are Irish Chef Anna Haugh and New York Times cooking producer Vaughn Vreeland.
On Oct. 27, the mother/daughter team won the hometown Christmas pie challenge with their peach pie, which Anna said was “really nicely baked. The spices are so important. That’s what gives it length of flavor and complexity. It’s brilliant.”
Sally, who is based in metro-Birmingham, said the peach pie recipe is something they’ve made over the decades for family gatherings.
“We may look calm on the exterior but the wheels are always turning in my head,” Sally said on the show.
And on Monday, Nov. 3, there was a three-way tie that included the duo’s cookie wreath. In the second challenge on Nov. 3, the judges continued their love fest with Sally and Amy for their 3-D white Christmas tree cake, which was influenced by the 1954 movie, “White Christmas.”
“The piping is very crisp,” said Judge Vaughn, who is originally from North Carolina. “Your buttercream was at the right temperature , which I think is a sign of good technique there.”
The gingerbread cake featured a bourbon vanilla buttercream in the middle.
“It just reminds me of home a lot,” Vaughn continued. “… and the bourbon is coming through. I can taste it.” Anna added that the cake has ” such gorgeous finish on it.”
When it came time to announce the winner on the Nov. 3 episode, Vaughn commended Sally and her mother, who is a retired school teacher from Jefferson County, saying, “One team really excelled in both bakes today, … and their decorations were pretty top notch. So, the winner today iiiisssss Amy and Sally! Roll Tide!”
Earlier this month, Sally took a break from baking to talk about the show. When asked how does she feel about how the judges are falling in love with what she and her mother are bringing to the table, Sally said Southerners really know how to come together and food is such a huge part of our culture.
“So, I hope that we represent Alabama and the South well,” she said.
Sally said she learned about the show after someone encouraged her to apply. She had to have a family member to be on the show, and her mother was a natural choice.
Every day when Sally would come home from school, she’d sit in the kitchen and do her homework while her mother cooked.
“I always loved being in the kitchen with her,” Sally said. “And from an early age, I Ioved to bake. She’d always let me make cupcakes or do things that kids can do. She was just very encouraging and very hands on.”
“We have a good relationship, and I’m glad she encouraged my interest in baking and cooking.”
The recipe for their Christmas tree cake recipe can be found on the show’s contest page here.
The recipe for the red velvet yule log they made on the first episode can be found on Sally’s website, http://www.sallysconfections.com. It features a red velvet sponge cake that is filled with a toasted almond whipped cream. The log is topped with marzipan decorations. Anna said the almond cream is “really quite elegant,” and Vaughn said the cake reminded him of a pound cake, which he loves, but the presentation was “stunning.”
The recipe for the peach pie is not yet on Sally’s website, but it is on her Instagram page, @sallysconfections and in the screenshot below. The online recipe features canned peaches, but Sally said she loves to use fresh peaches in the summer when they are in season.
Sally said she’s excited and happy to be on the show, which started out with 10 teams. It’s now down to seven teams and the next episode will air tonight, Nov. 10. The winning team will earn $50,000 and a chance to have one of their bakes featured in a Countdown to Christmas movie on Hallmark.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me and mom. For us to get to do something like that, I still can’t believe it happened,” Sally said earlier this month in an interview. “It’s a pinch-me-moment for sure.”
Chanda Temple is an award-winning writer living in Birmingham, Ala. She blogs at http://www.chandatemplewrites.com. If you have a food story idea, email her at chandatemple@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram at @chandatemple.
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