Despite toppled cupcakes, Karina Wong triumphs in Battle of the Bakers

Excitement was in the air at Hong Kong's first Battle of the Bakers competition final on December 14. Or perhaps it was adrenaline, as many of the contestants pulled all-nighters to ensure that every drizzle of icing was as it should be.

The five finalists, whittled down from a group of 16, were tasked with presenting a table of festive treats for the last challenge, comprising a savoury pastry, tiered cake and cookies to showcase skills they learned over the past seven weeks.

The treats were polished enough to be professional, even though most of the amateur bakers had never worked with fondant.

Founded and judged by Anouska Mutreja of The Rose Petal Cakery and Nolan Ledarney of Umami Concepts, the social media-based competition involved contenders learning a new skill each week in the lead-up to the finale. These included mastering the technique of macarons to perfecting cookie dough. Helen Scott, founder of Mango Menus, was selected as the third member of the panel.

Karina Wong triumphed with her entry, "'Tis the Season". Her winning submission consisted of brie and walnut eclairs with fig jam and fresh figs, gingerbread stockings and stained-glass windows, and a green tiered cake speckled with bright yellow stars.

She won a HK$5,000 Cuisinart voucher and the opportunity to use the Umami Concepts space to showcase her creations to 40 people.