WINONA, Minn. – The Watkins Company, famous for its vanilla extract, won a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for its 260-layer birthday cake in 2018 on the company’s the 150th anniversary. But the cake perhaps got more attention this week on the television program CBS Sunday Morning. The program’s wide range of Guinness records included a segment on the 73-inch tall cake. CBS, however, had a hitch. The script read by correspondent Lee Cowan talked about the Watkins Company of Winona, Wisconsin. Wisconsin? Whoops. Viewers from the real Winona lit up the web. CBS fixed the error before posting the segment online.
Cake facts
260 layers, upright on its own for 60 seconds
1,250 pounds, 73 inches tall, 32 by 24 inches base
5,000-plus servings at the 2018 celebration
Flavor: vanilla buttercream
Previous record: A 230-layer cake in Arkansas in 2006 in Arkansas
The baking
Bakery: Wuollet Bakery of Minneapolis
10 bakers
145 hours
Recipe
900 eggs
480 pounds sugar
150 pounds flour
102 pounds shortening
45 pounds butter
32 pounds oil
45 pounds milk
30 pounds water
2-1/2 pounds of salt.
Seven pounds Watkins’ All Natural Baking Vanilla Extract
73 inches. Leaning but upright for Guinness’ required 60 seconds