Bringing Cupcake Wars to Work- June 2013



Velvet Princess - Rosanna








The Nugget - Jackie and Pam







Hydrangea Lemon - Julie




 Some workplaces host standard potlucks and gatherings…but not my workplace; we do Cupcake Wars…in true Cupcake Wars fashion! Official rules and all! Employees were encouraged to submit a cupcake entry as an individual or a team. Cupcake contestants were asked to bake 14 cupcakes; 12 for tasting, 1 for presentation; and 1 for final tasting. Cupcakes were judge 50% on taste and 50% on presentation (sound familiar?) by fellow colleagues on an official Cupcake Wars Scorecard. Eight cupcakes entered our workplace Cupcake Wars: Hydrangea Lemon, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Red Velvet, Salted Carmel, Vanilla Bean/White Chocolate Ganache, Bourbon Apple Pie, Meyer Lemon, and Firecracker! Roll out the red carpet! The event was amazing, unlike any other workplace activity…truly original! The room was decorated with incredible detail…cupcake pictures with recipes, cupcake lights, and the real “VIPs”… the cupcakes themselves. Cupcake War judges were greeted with a display table showcasing all the cupcake entrants with identification/description cards. Judges tasted each cupcake, and in the end, we had ourselves an official CUPCAKE CHAMPION…RED VELVET (pictured), submitted by our culinary expert Rosanna! My team cupcake, THE NUGGET, a vanilla bean cupcake with white chocolate ganache frosting topped with a pretzel, peanut butter, toffee crumble, was awarded second place (pictured). Hydrangea Lemon took third (pictured). I took the winning cupcake home with me that night and enjoyed it with a glass of Red Velvet Wine from Cupcake Vineyards (I know, I know, a perfect pairing). Rosanna’s baked goods have always been very special. She bakes with love and passion, and it shows. She always graciously shares her delicious, decadent desserts with colleagues. Rosanna named her cupcake VELVET PRINCESS. The Velvet Princess was “dress-up” in a purple and pink crown with sparkling jewels, coated with purple sugar and white pearl sprinkles, and adorned with a single white chocolate pearl…very elegant! The red velvet cake was a vibrant red color and was wrapped in a purple cupcake holder with yellow stars. The Velvet Princess was frosted with a buttercream icing with bits of pecans, which added a unique, and tasty surprise! Now if only every workplace had a Rosanna...that would be amazing! The Cupcake Wars event was fabulous, unique, and inspiring...a true crowd (and taste bud) pleaser! I encourage others to try it!

Cupcake a la Mode - Stuffed French Toast and ChocoLatte

Stuffed French Toast



ChocoLatte Cupcake



It’s officially Spring! Many of my Spring weekends are spent with family…Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, bridal showers, baby showers, and weddings…these celebrations are full good food, good drinks, and good times! It’s a time where many of us enjoy Sunday brunches, with made-to-order omelets, waffles, bacon/sausage, and fresh fruit/veggies; and not to forget the all important mimosa or bloody mary…YUM! YUM! My next cupcake, and in this case, CUPCAKES (woot! woot!)recommendation comes to you in a timely fashion to help you celebrate all that is Spring. Drumroll, please…Stuffed French Toast and ChocoLatte cupcakes from Cupcake a la Mode! Originally from Kansas, I first wrote about Cupcake a la Mode in a September 2012 blog post. Since that post, Cupcake a la Mode opened up an additional location in Roseville, CA (off Eureka, next to Paul Martin’s American Bistro)…and I am so thankful! Seems like cupcakeries are starting the follow the “Siukola Girls”…what do you think Jenn?!...they definitely know their market! The Stuffed French Toast Cupcake is a vanilla cupcake filled with cream cheese icing, topped with a swirl of maple cinnamon buttercream icing, and dusted with powdered sugar. I love to dual icing on this cupcake; not only is this combo visually stunning, the taste is incredible…the cake is so moist and buttery. Like the Stuffed French Toast cupcake, the ChocoLatte cupcake also showcases dual-frostings – it’s a chocolate cupcake topped with mocha java buttercream and a swirl of French vanilla buttercream icing (like the milk foam of a latte), and a chocolate covered espresso bean on top (my nephew Jax always orders the ChocoLatte cupcake). Together, the Stuffed French Toast and ChocoLatte cupcake sounds like the perfect breakfast to me! During my most recent visit to purchase cupcake for my birthday celebration, I scored an amazing shirt that says “I run because I eat cupcakes!” Each cupcake is regularly priced at $3.25; however Cupcake a la Mode offers its cupcakes for $2 on Mondays! Also, this cupcakery is open late night (‘til 9pm) Thursday through Saturday…perfect for an after-dinner/after-movie treat. Check out the website for more details…http://www.cupcakealamode.com 





Beautiful Birthday Cupcakes

 





TreyBcakes - Sacramento, CA

TreyBCakes - Carrot Cake Cupcake

My next recommendation is in…and it’s a local Cupcake Wars finalist – TreyBcakes (http://treybcakes.com/cupcakes). TreyBcakes is a gourmet bakery and eatery located in midtown Sacramento. The first time I tried a TreyBcakes cupcake was at my best friend’s wedding in July 2012. At that time, I sampled one…and then two, mini carrot cupcakes. Immediately, I knew this cupcake was one to share…its hard to resist a creamy, buttery cream cheese icing! The smooth, slightly tangy cream cheese icing sprinkled with crumbled walnuts is a perfect, satisfying compliment to the texture-filled carrot cake. The golden-brown carrot cake contains warm spices, a nutty crunch, and vibrant orange shredded carrots. A definite must for cream-cheese/carrot cakes lovers like me! Want to sample a cupcake featured on Cupcake Wars? I recommend the Hawaiian German Chocolate cupcake. The moist chocolate cake is topped with a yummy, shredded coconut and macadamia-nut frosting! Delicious! Sorry….I wasn’t able to capture a picture of this cupcake; I was too excited, and maybe even star-struck, that I missed this opportunity…maybe I have to go back! My husband enjoys the LuLu cupcake - a rich chocolate cupcake dipped in chocolate ganache and filled with a fluffy marshmallow cream. TreyBcakes cupcakes are $2.75 and can be enjoyed on the outdoor patio or indoor lounge with lunch, a cup of coffee, or a friend.