One entry per person per section
Open to non-professional cooks & Artisans (professionals)
Oven baked goods only *except for Novelty
Cake size 20cm diameter maximum
Festival cake recipe will be supplied
Iced or Un-iced allowed
Supply 4 biscuits for judging
Supply 4 small cakes for judging (section #11)
Exhibits to be on firm white paper/plastic plate/glad wrapped
Exhibit ticket must be attached to entry

Delivery time: Friday 28  July 8am-10.30am
Pick up of goods Sunday 30 July 4.30-5pm

Almond ingredient variations permitted
Whole Almonds
Crushed Almonds
Almond Essence
Almond Meal
Flour variations any grain
Self-Raising Flour
Plain Flour
*Disclaimer: Please be aware all exhibits on display will not be refrigerated. It will be the individual’s responsibility if consumed
*Judging: No discussions will be entered into if exhibitors wish to question the Judge’s decisions

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cup almond meal
150g butter
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
¾ cup caster sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ cup desiccated coconut
1 ½ teaspoon lemon zest
¼ cup flaked almonds
(to top before cooking)

DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 180″c or 160″c (fan forced).
Place butter into a bowl and melt in the microwave allow to cool back to room temp before using.

Whisk in your eggs. Vanilla and sugar until combined well. Whisk in your almond meal (if your using whole almonds you will need to blitz then into a fine powder/ crumb first. Don’t over mix or they will turn into an almond butter) followed by the coconut, baking powder, salt and lemon zest and mix until combined.

Pour it into a 20cm/8″ lined round cake pan.

DO NOT skip lining the pan Even greasing very generously is not
enough to stop it from sticking to the pan.
Sprinkle the surface with almonds then bake for 40
minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Once cooled allowed to cool for minimum 1 hour before removing from tin. I like to leave mine in the tin overnight and place a clean tea towel on the top and remove from the tin in the morning.

NOTES
Willunga almonds work fantastic in this recipe. Just grind your almonds
down until they reach a fine crumb consistency. Make sure all your
ingredients including butter and eggs are at room temperature before using.

During the warmer months of February and March is harvest time or commonly known as’ knocking time’. Until recent years the method used was to knock the base of the boughs with a rubber waddy and the almonds would fall through onto a hessian sheet spread on the ground. The odd remaining almond on the tree was knocked off by using a long wooded pole. After completion the hessian was pulled into a long trailer called an almond boat or shovelled into bags. Now modernised ‘knocking’ is done with a hydraulic tree shaker which clamps to the tree base and vibrates. A mobile sweeper then forms rows of almonds on the ground for collection.

Mr. G Max Herriot of Willunga invented and patented an almond cracking machine in 1942. His cracking machine was made locally and sold to almond orchardists world wide. The cracker consists of revolving discs with stuyds which the almonds pass through in turn cracking the shell.

The festival has been the Willunga Recreation Park’s major fundraising event since 1969, when a local committee decided to raise money to build the Festival Hall. Today, proceeds from the festival continue to fund the maintenance and the continual upgrading of our park facilities. This week long event continues to be influenced, managed and powered by the generous donations of time, knowledge and dedication of volunteers within the Willunga community.

The Willunga Recreation Park is “home” for many sporting clubs, markets, service and social organisations. These include the Willunga Football, Netball, Tennis, Cricket, Basketball and Table Tennis sporting clubs, the Willunga Quarry, Green Light and Artisan markets, Willunga Girl Guides, Meals on Wheels, Willunga RSL and CWA and Cinemallunga.

Part of the land is leased to Willunga CFS and the park is designated as an emergency centre when the need arises, as was recently the case with the fires in the Willunga Hills. It also provides sporting and Festival Hall facilities for the Willunga Primary School.

The idea for such a park in Willunga was conceived in 1855 when the first Willunga Show was held on the land later earmarked for the Recreation Park. In 1875 a meeting of residents determined that a public park be provided for the use of local residents and, in January 1876, eight (8) acres of land was purchased for the sum of 96 pounds ($192). This land eventually became known as Willunga Recreation Park.

In 1876 the oval was established and the Show Hall was built for 360 pounds ($720), followed by the oval pavilion in 1903. The Almond Blossom Festival began in 1969, with the aim of raising funds to build the Festival Hall [basketball stadium], which was opened in 1979.

Willunga Recreation Park has maintained its status as a multi-purpose park for the use of the residents of Willunga. Its management is the responsibility of the Willunga Recreation Park Incorporated (WRPI) volunteer committee on behalf of the community.