Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Winners Announced for the 2009 L.A. Cupcake Challenge

The baker behind Sugar Jones holding up her Award-Winning Blackberries and Cream Cupcake.

Let's put a stop to the anticipation. In case you've been checking back to see who won the 2009 L.A. Cupcake Challenge on Sunday, the results are finally in. There were two categories - Traditional (you know, your red velvets, chocolates, vanillas, etc...) and Original (the more exotic, creative, unexpected flavors). An Overall Winner was also selected.

So without further ado...

Best Traditional
1st: Susie Cakes: Red Velvet
2nd: Two Parts Sugar: Raspberry Red Velvet
3rd: Blue Cupcake: Chocolate

Best Original
1st: Polkatots: Dulce De Leche
2nd: Sugar Jones: Blackberries and Cream
3rd: Southern Girl: Sweet Potato Pie

Best Overall
1st: Polkatots: Dulce De Leche
2nd: Sugar Jones: Blackberries and Cream
3rd: Sugar Jones: Casanova's Kiss

As you can see, Sugar Jones impressively won 2nd place for her original Blackberries and Cream cupcake, and then took home 2nd and 3rd place overall! I'm very excited to see Blue Cupcake made it to 3rd place in Best Traditional because I thought the quality of her cupcake to be outstanding and I was hoping the rest of the voters felt the same way. Polkatots's Dulce De Leche was certainly the talk of the room on Sunday; so many people came up to me and asked if I had tried that one yet because it was going to be a surefire winner. Those are some smart tasters, predicting the future like that! Southern Girl's Sweet Potato Pie was another I enjoyed, and there was nothing at all similar to it of the dozens of cupcake flavors submitted to the Challenge.

Southern Girl's Award-Winning Sweet Potato Pie

I am sad not to see a couple of my personal favorites on these winner lists, such as the Pineapple-Upside-Down cupcake from Susie Cakes or Buttercake Bakery's Chocolate, but I'm also not shocked and appalled by any of the winners, and I admit there were definitely a few cupcakes entered on Sunday that did not do anything for me and frankly, would have offended me and my taste buds if they had won.

Blue Cupcake's Award-Winning Chocolate

Congratulations to all the winners! Heck, congratulations to all who entered at all. I can't even imagine making HUNDREDS of identical cupcakes, keeping both flavor and presentation consistent, then lugging them in a vehicle to the event, setting up a display, and maintaining a smile as people (including myself) piggied their way from booth to booth. A lot was asked of you bakers, and I don't take any of it for granted!

So when is the 2010 L.A. Cupcake Challenge? :-)

3 comments:

Tobi said...

piggied "their" way from booth to booth

Marni said...

Tobi - Thanks. I must have been really tired at 7am when I wrote this! All fixed.

Carolyn Jung said...

Marni, are you bouncing off the walls from all that frosting? ;)
I sure would be -- but in a good way!

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