UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — With a 2–2 tie in the series, Penn State University Libraries needs the help of the University community to become the ultimate winner in the fifth and final Penn State–Monash Great Rare Books Bake-Off.
Penn State’s Eberly Family Special Collections Library is teaming up for a final year with Special Collections at Monash University for this unique, rare-recipe baking challenge. Bakers are needed to help Penn State pull off a final victory.
The Great Rare Books Bake-Off is a friendly competition between the two universities, with institutional pride at stake.
The bake-off will run Oct. 5–13. Penn State students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends are invited to discover the "hidden gems" of historical and rare recipes from the special collections of Penn State University Libraries and Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, one of Penn State’s international partner libraries. Each has, for a final time, combed through their rare cookbook collections and found some delicious recipes just waiting to be baked and eaten.
To join the competition, bakers are invited to bake any recipe they'd like and post a photo or video of their baking to social media (Facebook or Instagram) with the hashtag #TheGreatRareBooksBakeOff (add #BakePennState so your post will be counted in favor of Penn State). The university with the most entries will break the tie and be crowned the ultimate winner of the Great Rare Books Bake-Off.
Between the two universities, there are 30 recipes to choose from. Participants can try their hand at Pennsylvania specialties like Whoopie Pies or Australian favorites like Melting Moments tea biscuits. Newly added recipes include two tasty cake recipes: an almond-crusted Velvet Cake and whimsical Australian Pool Cake.
There are recipes for bakers of various skill levels with historical context provided along the way. Beyond the competition, the Eberly Family Special Collections Library continues to build their Historical Recipe Books Digital Collection to support ongoing interdisciplinary teaching and research.
To accompany the bake-off, the two libraries will host a free virtual talk by culinary historian Sarah Peters Kernan at 7 p.m. Oct. 10. Those interested in attending the online event can register at this link: Cooking, Cookbooks, and Community Event.