Let’s rewind ourselves to about a month and a half ago. It was then that I got an email asking ME if I’d like to be a judge for the first annual Cupcake Camp OC!
I know what you’re thinking: what on earth qualifies YOU to judge a baking competition? You’ve been rarely making time to bake lately, plus you almost never go to Sprinkles as much as you probably give off vibes that you do. You still haven’t tried all 200 species or so of Red Velvet cupcakes found in and around the south land. What on earth are you doing at a cupcake judging contest?
Well the answer is this: there’s something that I happen to do better than most people. I may not bake nor cupcake crawl in every free waking moment of my life, but I do happen to be one bonafide cupcake lover PLUS the only person I know crazy enough to agree to sample 56 cupcakes in one sitting. But now that’s not even true anymore. Thanks to meeting cool gals Tara (behind When Tara Met Blog), Molly (behind The Sweets Truck), my pal Priscilla (behind She’s Cookin), Elise (the Cupcake Activist) and Tiffani (of Yummy Cupcakes), on August 1, 2010, I found out I was not the only one. These lovely ladies and I were all judges at the first annual Cupcake Camp OC, and yes, I daresay we made it out alive!
So what is Cupcake Camp OC? A full blown, balls-to-the-wall cupcake gorging fest held all in the name of charity, this year, in honor of El Pozo, an organization that works to prevent human trafficking in Mexico. For more information about Cupcake Camp OC, visit their website!
But in the meantime, what about those 56 cupcakes?
The cupcake competition was split into two main segments: an amateur bake off + a professional bake off. Tara, Molly and I were the esteemed amateur judges while Priscilla, Elise and Tiffani judged expertly judged the professional bake off. Within both segments, there were 3 categories:
- Most unique/exotic flavor or ingredient (based on creativity, overall taste, texture)
- Most “OC” (best encaptures the spirit of Orange County in the flavor or through the design)
- Most childhood inspired (cupcakes using flavors that remind you of your childhood or decorate cupcakes to resemble something from your childhood) — this category is to make us think of all the child victims of human trafficking and what they are deprived of.
And here, I present the amateur winners! See The Cupcake Activist and She’s Cookin for the full rundown on their experiences judging the professional competition.
1. MOST UNIQUE
>>>Ube & Macapuno (purple yam & coconut) cupcake (by Sue Ann Molina)
Simply put, this purple wonder was wonderfully dense yet still very light. Absolutely loved the purple yam & coconut combination. Very creative!
2. MOST “OC”
>>>In & Out Cupcake (by Stacie Chan, Hannah Wollmann, and Sadia Naqvi)
What the awesome? A cupcake that looks like an In & Out Burger. ‘Nuff said.
3. Most Childhood Inspired
>>>Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcake (by Elaine Heisinger)
A really cute take on a creme filled cupcake, except this one had jelly in the center! Nicely done.
Overall, Cupcake Camp OC was a smashing success helping to raise $9100 for El Pozo! Cheers to that! Here’s to another year full of cupcakes and to next year’s big event. Next year, may I suggest that they provide milk? ;)
Below, Google generated faux polaroids of all the cupcakes I tried. Sorry if yours isn’t on the top.
