Glory McLennan, a St. Ignace cake maker, is pictured here with one of her wedding cakes. Her company, Tas TCreations, offers cakes for any occasion. (Photograph courtesy of Mrs. McLennan) Using her grandmother's lemon cake recipe topped with a special butter cream frosting recipe she created, Glory McLennan, owner of Tas TCreations in St. Ignace, won the cake contest held during Mackinac Bridge celebrations commemorating the 50th anniversary of the bridge Saturday, July 28.

"I couldn't believe it," she said of the win. She was awarded a certificate to mark the honor.

Four other cakes stationed under a covered picnic area at Bridge View Park competed in the contest judged by renowned cake makers Kevin Pavlina and James Aslanian from Pavlina Cakes in Fenton. Other entrants were Ronda McGreevey of Great Turtle Cake Company in Cedarville, Kim Sperl of Cheboygan for Bella e Dolce (Grand Hotel), Erin Sontag of the Detroit area, and Brenda Spencley of Bren's Cakes in St. Ignace.

The two chefs considered the entries based on how successful each baker was at capturing the anniversary theme. They also took into consideration the neatness of the decorations, overall appearance of the cake, and the taste.

Visitors to Bridge View Park in St. Ignace Saturday, July 28, appreciated the details in Glory McLennan's winning cake. The cake contest was held in conjunction with the 50th anniversary celebration of the Mackinac Bridge. While all entries were well decorated, Mr. Pavlina said its flavor was the deciding factor in choosing Mrs. McLennan's cake.

The sheet cake was decorated with two peninsulas made of fondant, using a sugar base, and dyed green. Creating the peninsulas, Mrs. McLennan said, was the most challenging part of her design. Getting them into the right shape proved more difficult than she expected, although she finally was able to work the material into the shape she needed.

Overall, her goal was to show how the bridge brought both of Michigan's peninsulas together. Atop the two peninsulas were lighthouses, the state capitol building, freighters, sailboats, trees, a teepee, seagulls, and markers naming Michigan State University and the University of Michigan.

"I definitely wanted to make sure I got both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas together on the cake," said the New Jersey native. "I learned a lot about Michigan from doing this."

Mrs. McLennan began her caking making business in 1999, when her husband, Ned, was hired to work at the Mackinac Bridge as a steeplejack. To replicate the bridge cables often climbed by her husband, Mrs. McLennan used floral wire on the cake. She also used toothpicks and dowel rods to provide support for the decorations made of gum paste.

The project proved to be a learning experience. Her first lighthouse, supported by toothpicks, collapsed.

"There was a lot of trial and error," she said, before she came up with the idea to use tiny dowel rods.

As a young girl, Mrs. McLennan started out helping her grandmother each summer in a New Jersey bakery.

"I decorated the cupcakes," she said. "They sold pretty well."

Now, she has her own cake company and has won the 50th anniversary cake contest.

"It's really, really exciting," she said. "I'm going down in the books."