Wesley Friday has been baking cakes for 15 years.

Baylee Abrams doesn’t have quite as much experience, but her original recipe for a peach-themed dish, like Friday’s was good enough Saturday for top honors at the 2009 Chilton County Peach Festival Cook-Off.

Friday won the Adult Division with his Creamy Peach Cake, and Abrams won the Youth Division with her Peach Tiramisu.

“I made it up; it’s my own recipe,” Friday said about his dish. “I’ve been cooking cakes for 15 years. I enjoy it, so I just keep on cooking.”

Abrams said her dish was inspired by a tiramisu she ordered at a restaurant. Abrams substituted peaches for chocolate and wound up with a winning recipe.

The event was sponsored by the Chilton County office of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and held at Thorsby First Baptist Church.

During the judging, participants watched Joseph Mitchell, program director/instructor with The Culinary & Hospitality Institute at Jefferson State Community College, prepare crepes and a peach bread pudding with vanilla sauce.

Martha Thornburgh’s Peach Cream Cheese Danish was second in the Adult Division, and Shelley Barrett’s Glazed Buttercream Peach Cake was third.

In the Youth Division, John Gasson’s Peach Filled Cake won second place, and Mary Elizabeth McKinney’s Peach Crumble was third.

The winning recipes follow:

Peach Tiramisu

1 box angel food cake mix

12 peaches, diced

1 jar peach preserves

2 cups full almond liqueur

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1/2 stick unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/3 tablespoon freshly ground nutmeg

7 egg yolks

1 cup sugar for yolks

1/4 cup sugar for heavy cream

3 cups or 1 750-gram container of mascarpone cream

1 1/2 cups of heavy cream

1 large tub whip cream

Readymade caramel topping

Mix the angel food cake together as directed on the box then pour a thin layer of mix on a 9×11 sheet pan and let cook in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes or until golden on top of cake. When done take out of oven and let cool. While cooling heat up peach preserves and almond liqueur then spread over cake.

Combine diced peaches, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, lemon zest, butter and ginger into sauce pan and let simmer for about one hour on medium-low heat. Let cool completely and pour over angel food cake.

In a double boiler cook egg yolks for about 10 minutes stirring constantly; remove from heat and add 1 cup sugar. In a mixer with the whipped attachment, add mascarpone cheese and egg yolks whip until well incorporated. Then in a separate bowl whip heavy cream and 1/4 cup sugar fold into the cheese and yolk mixture and spread over the peaches. Spread the whip cream over finished dish and drizzle readymade caramel on top.

Creamy Peach Cake

1 white cake mix

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup water

1/4 cup oil

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup peaches, pureed

1/4 cup sugar

Combine cake mix, flour and sugar in large mixing bowl. Add water, oil, cream cheese, vanilla flavoring and eggs. Beat two minutes on medium speed. Puree peaches in 1/4 cup sugar. Fold peaches into mixture. Pour into three 9-inch cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Filling

2 cups thinly sliced peaches

1/2 cup sugar

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients and cook until tender. Cool.

Icing

1 8-oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

1 pound confectioner’s sugar

Combine cream cheese and butter. Add flavoring, Gradually add confectioner’s sugar. After cake is cooled, add filling between layers. Ice cake. Garnish with sliced peaches.