Sun
06
Feb
2011
Cupcake Challenge LA
Cupcake Challenge hosted by @drinkeatplay was another fabulous cupcake event in Hollywood. It was held at theRenaissance Hotel in the Hollywood & Highland Center this past Saturday night. I was so excited for the chance to taste all of the MINI cupcakes (my favorite) from about 20 different cupcake bakers.
The competing bakers brought in 2 different flavors each.. 20 X 2 = 40 cupcakes.. and yes I had free roam to taste all of them. BUT to be completely honest, I was only a little over halfway through the room before I hit my cupcake intake limit. I didn’t know I had a limit.. now I know.
The cupcakes I DID taste were pretty fun and fantastic. Every baker had an adorable table set up with display , descriptions, and mini plates & napkins. FYI for next cupcake challenge: bring your own cupcake tray! Fail on my part, but lessons have been learned and life could be worse, right?
I want to share some of my favorite cupcakes and a few photos, so first I will start with this AMAZING jacket. Dressed to impressed and in it to win it! Great work Dylan, and congrats to Hollicakesfor having such an awesome boyfriend to support your work. I’m a fan of your “Cactus Cooler” cupcakes, great flavor and super moist.
First off, how cute are these "Root Beer" cupcakes? They were pretty tasty, not my favorite but I just had to share the photos. This cupcake tree display was no joke.
Double D Cupcakes will also be on Cupcake Wars February 8th so i'll be sure to tune in. You can tell they won't have any trouble with the 3rd round designing a cupcake display.
Next up, these “Candied Sweet Potato” cupcakes. They are a spiced sweet potato cake topped with toasted marshmallow and the tastiest little piece of bacon!
I was talking to Kirby fromFriandise Pastries about her cupcakes, she said the bacon was so tempting while baking, she played the “one for you and one for me” game, eating almost half of her designated
I was surprised to find a “Sparkling Strawberry Champagne” cupcake bySweet E’s. I’ve been dying to try Erica’s cupcakes since seeing her on Cupcake Warsand this is my cupcake! So it has nothing to do with the fact that my Pink Piper Champagne Cupcakes are amazing, but I was honestly a little surprised at how non thrilling these were. The cupcake was sweet and the frosting encapsulated strawberry flavoring, but all together, it tasted pretty artificial, something Candace Nelsonwould have been disappointed by.
Absent of any true champagne flavor, the only thing sparkling on this cupcakes was edible glitter. If I had a 5 cherry rating system like Dessert Darling, this one would get 2. As constructive criticism I recommend using real, good quality champagne like Piper Champagne, which possesses hints of strawberry and vanilla giving the cupcake a sweet champagne taste.
Stephanie Sparkles wins Most Original hands down in my diary for her unique frostings, edible flowers and real fruit filling.
I loved her “Sweet Picnic Chevre” cupcake with creamy goat cheese frosting and fig preserve filling. It was very different, almost like a savory cupcake, but still sweet and moist.
Wow! Next up, My Delight Cupcakerywith an over-the-top display for their “Late Night Breakfast” and “Southern Red Velvet” cupcakes.
I just HAD to taste how fried chicken on a cupcake would taste. The only way I can really describe it is to admit that I felt a little dirty after eating cold chicken off of a cupcake. That being said, I didn’t dislike it.. I just wouldn’t put myself through it again. Although, I do think it was a bold move that will hopefully pay off for them once the Cupcake Challenge ballots are tallied.
Overall I had a fabulous time and tasted some truly unique and tasty cupcakes. I also ran into the one and only Dessert Darling. Here’s Jenny (@dessertdarling) and Taryn Southern(@TarynSouthern) putting in work. We discussed the best and the worst of the selections, and I stand strongly behind my favorite baker of the night, Justin from Jus-Mini Cupcakes.
A well deserved win from last year’s Cupcake Challenge, Justin has my vote this year in Best Traditional cupcake for his "Red Velvet" cupcake, cheesecake filled and fabulous.
Now, it’s time for me to hit the yoga mat and work off (almost) 40 mini cupcakes! I’ll keep you updated when the winners are announced and if you were at Cupcake Challenge, tell me which was your favorite??
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