PA Farm Show recipes: Here's how to make Blue Ribbon apple pie, chocolate cake and lemon macarons from a Lancaster County baker

It was a sweet weekend at the PA Farm Show for some bakers.

Lucinda Donough, a dairy farmer from Port Royal, Juniata County, placed first in the 2024 Blue Ribbon Apple Pie Contest. Marie Miller of Mechanicsburg placed second, and Cindy Hendershoot of Danielsville placed third. They were followed by Sharon Karlheim of Patton in fourth place and Rita Davis in fifth place.

Madison Link of Erie County took home the blue ribbon in the Homemade Chocolate Cake Contest. Angelica Coneybeer, of Greene County, won second place; Kelly Wagner, of Schuylkill County, won third place.

Meanwhile, Lancaster County was represented in the PA Preferred Junior Baking Contest. Cameron Zook, a Solanco High School senior, won fifth place for Cam’s Lemon Macarons.

Want to taste some of the best desserts in the state? Try making one of the winning recipes below.  

The PA Farm Show continues through Jan. 13 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg. For more information, visit farmshow.pa.gov.

Lucinda Donough’s Pennsylvania Farm Show Blue Ribbon Apple Pie

Ingredients: 

For the crust:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons ice water

Directions: 

1. Mix together flour, sugar and salt. Add butter. Blend until it looks like course cornmeal.

2. Add shortening and blend less than with the butter.

3. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until good consistency.

4. Place in refrigerator and let it rest while assembling rest of ingredients. Makes two crusts.

For the filling:

Ingredients:

• 7 cups sliced apples
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 to 4 1/2 tablespoons or flour depending on juice in apples
• 4 tablespoons apple juice or cider
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions: 

1. Combine sugar, flour and salt. Add to apples.

2. Sprinkle in lemon juice and apple juice or cider.

3. Cut butter into small pieces and add to filling mixture. Cook until apples are soft.

For the crumb topping:

Ingredients: 

• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter, cold

Directions: 

1. Combine all ingredients but butter.

2. Then add butter, working in with fork.

For the apple blossoms:

Ingredients: 

• 3 large Pink Lady apples, cored and cut into 1/8 inch thick slices.
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of apple pie spice
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

Directions: 

1. Toss together apples, brown sugar, spice, granulated sugar and salt in a bowl. Let stand 45 minutes, gently tossing every 15 minutes until apple slices are soft and pliable.

2. Drain apples, discarding accumulated juice. Arrange apples in overlapping circular pattern on pie, starting on outside edge and continuing in snug spiral shape until reaching the center.

To assemble:

Fill crust with apple filling. Add top crust. Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes and at 375 F for 45 minutes.

Then add apple blossom slices and crumb topping. Bake for 15 minutes until brown. Top with jelly and sanding sugar.

J’S SLICE OF HEAVEN CAKE

By Madison Link of Erie County.

For the cake:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup hot coffee
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients.

2. Add oil, coffee and milk. Mix at medium speed for 2 minutes.

3. Add eggs and vanilla and beat for two more minutes. Batter will be thin.

4. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans.

5. Pour batter into pans and bake for about 30-45 minutes.

6. Cool in pans for about 15 minutes, remove and allow cakes to cool completely on racks.

For the Peanut Butter Frosting:

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1 cup peanut butter

3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions:

1. Combine butter and peanut butter, using an electric mixer to beat until creamy and well combined.

2. With mixer at low speed, add powdered sugar until combined. Stir in vanilla extract.

3. With mixer at low speed, add heavy cream, increasing speed to high. Beat until fluffy.

4. Spread between layers of cake and on sides.

For the Chocolate Ganache:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate

Directions:

1. Chop bittersweet chocolate into fine pieces.

2. Bring cream and corn syrup to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat.

3. Remove from heat and add chocolate. Whisk gently until smooth, about 30 seconds.

4. Let stand, whisking occasionally until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.

For the decoration:

• Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

To assemble:

1. Frost cake with peanut butter frosting.

2. Pour glaze onto center of cake. Use spatula to spread to edge of cake, letting excess drip down sides.

3. Garnish with peanut butter cups. Keep cake refrigerated until ready to serve.

CAM’S LEMON MACARONS

Recipe by Cameron Zook of Lancaster County.

Servings: 28 macarons.

Prep time: 45 minutes.

Rest time: About an hour.

Cook time: 12 minutes.

Ingredients:

For the macaron shells:

• 275 grams almond flour
• 250 grams powdered sugar
• 210 grams PA preferred egg whites (Weis brand Grade A large eggs)
• 210 grams cane sugar
• Food coloring

For the macaron filling:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemon extract
• Pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons lemon extract
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons milk
• Lemon curd (in the center)

Directions:

1. Prepare baking sheets with silicon baking mats or line with parchment paper.

2. Put the almond flour & powdered sugar into a bowl and whisk. Sift the mixture 2 times.

3. Whisk the egg whites in a stand mixer on medium low speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and whisk again on medium speed until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to medium low and add the sugar. After about 15 seconds, increase the speed to high and whisk until really stiff peaks form.

4. Once stiff peaks have formed, sift ½ of the dry mixture over the egg whites and fold. After combined, add the food coloring. Repeat until the mixture is combined and ribbons down from the spatula. Put the batter in a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch plain round tip.

5. Pipe mixture onto prepared baking sheets in 2-inch circles, 1 inch apart. Tap the sheets on a surface until air bubbles are released. Preheat oven to 300 F. Let the macarons sit at room temperature until dry to touch.

6. Bake 1 sheet at a time for 12 minutes, rotating halfway through. While macaron shells are cooling, make the filling.

7. To make the filling: Beat the butter with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and pulse until combined. Add the rest of the filling ingredients and beat for at least 5 minutes on high speed until the filling is fluffy.

8. Put into a piping bag and pipe onto the cooled macaron shells. Pipe lemon curd in center of each macron and assemble the macarons.

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