Mankato woman wins Hy-Vee Extreme Cake Challenge at the Empire Mall

The Empire Mall was filled with sweet smells Thursday morning during the Hy-Vee Extreme Cake Challenge.

Twenty-seven top Hy-Vee cake designers from Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota and Nebraska competed to earn a spot in the next level of competition in Des Moines on November 11.

First place winner Mindy Smith won $600, runner-up Stacie Hanselman from Sioux Falls won $300, third place winner Mara Brockman from Mankato won $200, and decorator's choice winner Kaitlin Hohenstein from Mankato won $500.

Smith and Hanselman will move on to compete in Des Moines.

The designers had four hours to decorate a specialty cake of their choosing and 12 cupcakes, and were judged on the cakes’ technical appearance, icing appearance, and level of difficulty.

The competition was held at Center Court between Younkers and JCPenney wings from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.