Cupcake Camp OC 2012 Postponed

According to their Facebook page, Cupcake Camp OC is on hold. Originally it was scheduled for December 1, 2012. No reason was given for the postponement, but I'm personally happy for the change because I wasn't going to be able to attend on that date. The only other detail given is that it will possibly happen in the spring. I will keep you posted.

Cupcake Camp OC 2011: The Winners

Although I LOVE being a judge at cupcake competitions, it's no easy job. Sometimes there is a clear-cut winner, other times I have a hard time choosing. This was one of those times. There were so many delicious cupcakes at this year's Cupcake Camp OC, so picking my overall favorites was hard.

There were three categories at Cupcake Camp OC: Most OC, Most Childhood-Inspried, and Spirit of 9/11. Here are the winners for each category:

Most OC Winners
1st: Bubba Sweets - Sea Salt Caramel
2nd: Hollicakes - Chocolate Orange
3rd: Design Cakes and Cupcakes - Churro

Cupcake Activist's picks for Most OC
1st: Sweet September Cupcakes - French Toast
2nd: Design Cakes and Cupcakes - Churro
3rd: Bubba Sweets - Sea Salt Caramel

Most Childhood-Inspried Winners
1st: Michelle Chang - Banana Split
2nd: Hollicakes - Grandma's Chocolate Chip Cookies
3rd: Bubba Sweets - PB&J

Cupcake Activist's picks for Most Childhood-Inspired
1st: Hollicakes - Grandma's Chocolate Chip Cookies
2nd: Michelle Chang - Banana Split
3rd: Judy Nguyen - S'mores

Spirit of 9/11 Winners (design only)
1st: Hollicakes
2nd: Hey Cupcakes
3rd: Design Cakes and Cupcakes

Cupcake Activist's Picks for Spirit of 9/11
1st: Hey Cupcake
2nd: Michelle Chang
3rd: Hollicakes

The Winners: Bubba Sweets, Hollicakes, and Michelle Chang

Of course I snuck a few of my favorite cupcakes home with me, to share with my husband of course....well, mostly just so I could eat them when I got my second wind. Turns out my baby belly is the perfect cupcake stand. Pretty soon I'll be big enough to hold a jumbo cupcake!

Thank you to all of the bakers at Cupcake Camp OC. It seems like this year the best of the best came out. Keep baking and I'll keep eating!

Cupcake Camp OC 2011: The Cupcakes

Cupcake Camp is all about the cupcakes. Couldn't be a better way to raise money for a good cause then getting together to eat lots of cupcakes! Although this year's Cupcake Camp OC had less entries, the majority were of high quality. (Sadly, last year I had to spit out a few.)

This year's event had a few familiar faces, but mostly new ones. My favorites from last year (Meringue Bake Shop, My Delight Cupcakery) did not attend this year. I don't know if this was due to poor advertising for the the event or what, but that doesn't mean there was a shortage of great cupcakes.

The Best of OC category

Best Childhood Inspiration category

Several entries from the Spirit of 9/11 category

How can you possibly choose a favorite? That's a job I don't take lightly. Results to be posted on Friday.

Charity Never Tasted Sweeter!

I attended the 2nd annual Cupcake Camp OC last Sunday and had a great time! Any time I can get together with other cupcake lovers and eat lots of cupcakes is always a success. This year's event benefitted Children of the Night, a non-profit organization that helps fight child prostitution.

This week I'll be highlighting the event, introducing you to the winners, and of course sharing my favorite cupcakes with you.

Cupcake Camp OC 2011: The Judges

The 2nd annual Cupcake Camp OC is only a few days away and I'm so excited! Not only do I get to taste the best cupcakes in Orange County, I get to hang out with some awesome people too.

I was asked to judge again this year and I'm honored to be judging alongside some amazing people. Here are the other judges:

Annette Starbuck, founder of Goodie Girls Cupcakes and winner of Cupcake Wars.

Stefanie Gaxiola, aka "Red Velvet Stefanie" and "Platinum Blonde Chef." She also appeared on an episode of Cupcake Wars.

Jason Iehl and Kim Nelson, editors of Saturday Night Foodies and food connoisseurs. I've judged with Jason and Kim at several other cupcake events. They are fun and know their food.

You can read more about the judges here.

Cupcake Camp OC Tickets on Sale

Cupcake Camp OC 2011 is less than three weeks away (9/11)! Who's going to join me in eating lots of cupcakes and raising money for Children of the Night? Tickets are $15 and are available in 2 time slots: 12p-2p or 3p-5p. You can also purchase VIP tickets for $30. Tickets available for purchase here. See you there!

Announcing Cupcake Camp OC 2011

It's that time of year again, time for Cupcake Camp OC!!

I had such a blast eating way too many cupcakes last year and I can't wait to do it all again! The details have been announced and we will be eating cupcakes together on September 11, 2011 from 12p-5p at the Atrium Hotel in Costa Mesa, CA.

Registration is open for cupcake bakers. Make sure you register early (by July 31st) to get a discount. Registration is not yet open for ticket "sales" (donations). You can find updated info on the Cupcake Camp OC Facebook page and through Twitter.

You can also check out my coverage of last year's event here:

Cupcake Camp OC Event Summary
Cupcake Eating Contest
The Judges
Featuring The Cupcakes
Cupcake Camp OC Results
The Aftermath

I'll keep you updated with all the latest information. But for now, mark your calendars and practice using that sweet tooth.

Other Cupcake Camp OC Recaps

Cupcake Camp OC was a big hit, not just with cupcake eaters, but with bloggers too. Check out these other blogger's experiences at Cupcake Camp OC:

She's Cookin'

Foodie in Disguise

Saturday Night Foodies

When Tara Met Blog

My Delight Cupcakery

The Food Librarian

Two Parts Sugar

Angry Julie Monday

Laura Bray katydiddys

NADS Bakery

Living the FABulous OC Life

Life with My Little Peanuts

The Cupcake Activist: The Event

The Cupcake Activist: Eating Contest

The Cupcake Activist: The Judges

The Cupcake Activist: The Cupcakes

The Cupcake Activist: The Winners

The Cupcake Activist: The Aftermath

Cupcake Camp OC: The Official Website

I'm fully recovered from Cupcake Camp OC and ready to judge my next competition: the OC Fair's OC Cupcake Classic on Saturday. Come out to the fair and watch the competition at 1:00pm. I'll join you in eating some tasty fried food afterwards.

Cupcake Camp OC: The Winners

Judging cupcake competitions is like a dream to me! It's so much fun to get to eat a lot of the things I love -- cupcakes. At the beginning, I am generous with the amount of each cupcake that I taste. By the end, I'm eating a small sliver of each one.

At Cupcake Camp OC, I judged the cupcakes in the professional category. Two other women also judged the category with me: Priscilla from She's Cookin' and Tiffini from Yummy Cupcakes.

But the competition started off with the amateur category. I was surprised at how well decorated the amateur cupcakes were. On the whole, I thought the amateur cupcakes were decorated better than the professional ones. I didn't get to taste any of them since I was on cupcake overload from judging the professional cateogry. Here are the winners:

Most Unique/Exotic Flavor or Ingredient
Sue Ann Molina - Ube (purple yam) and Macapuno (coconut) cupcake

Most Orange County Inspired
Stacie Chan, Hannah Wollmann, and Sadia Naqvi - In N Out Burger cupcake

Most Childhood Inspired
Elaine Heisinger - Peanut Butter and Jelly cupcake

Picking my favorite cupcakes is always a hard task. Do I pick my favorite based on which one I could eat every day for the rest of my life or do I pick one that is very unique or do I pick the most classic one? Luckily, we had three categories to help me separate my favorites.

The ones that won were definitely my favorites, but most of the cupcakes were just ok. I would have expected a lot more, since it was the professional category, but there were a lot that disappointed me. BUT I'd rather focus on which cupcakes excelled. Here they are:

Most Unique/Exotic Flavor or Ingredient
Winner: Sugar Tart Desserterie - Chicken & Waffles Cupcake

Wow, what a cool idea! I've never tried a cupcake with these two flavors together, but it was definitely a winner (think Roscoe's). The cupcake was a maple cake with pieces of chicken in the cake. My only suggestion would be smaller pieces of chicken.

Photo: Saturday Night Foodies

Most Orange County Inspired
Winner: Meringue Bake Shop - Orange Crush

I am not a citrus fruit cupcake kind of girl, but this cupcake blew me away! The cake was made with Orange Crush soda and was topped with a swirled creamsicle buttercream frosting.

Most Childhood Inspired
Winner: My Delight Cupcakery - Chocolate Sundae Surprise cupcake

Everything about this cupcake screamed perfect! Chocolate cupcake with caramel filling, topped with vanilla American buttercream frosting (my fav!), chocolate ganache, a cherry, and sprinkles. I think I need to review their shop soon.

Judging was finished and our table was total cupcake carnage. Despite having the feeling that I wouldn't be able to eat another cupcake for a long time, I was craving cupcakes again about an hour later. That's just how I am.

Cupcake Camp OC: Eating Contest

I've been to many cupcake competitions before, but this was the first time I've seen a cupcake eating contest. Eight contestants were recruited via Cupcake Camp OC's Facebook page and Twitter a few days before the event. Each contestant was given a plate of 23 mini cupcakes and a glass of water.

Crystal was declared the winner of the cupcake eating contest. She devoured 23 mini cupcakes in less than two minutes. Congratulations! I've never seen anyone eat cupcakes that fast!

Cupcake Camp OC: The Event

When I first heard about Cupcake Camp OC I was beyond excited. I've been to and judged several other cupcake competitions before, but none as close as this one. The event took place at the Atrium Hotel in Irvine. I felt honored to be chosen as one of the judges for this event.

Since this was the inaugural event, the planners had no idea how many people to expect. They found out that Orange County LOVES cupcakes. The place was already full to the brim by the time I arrived at 4:00. There was no parking available and a line outside of the hotel. I saw many people leaving the event with boxes full of cupcakes (very tacky)!




This is how it worked: with your $10 donation you received three tickets to exchange for cupcakes from the professional bakers booths. The cupcakes from the amateur bakers were free. This explains why people were loading up on cupcakes, which I thought was very rude. Because of it, most booths ran out of cupcakes before the event was even halfway over.




As I mentioned before, the event planners had no idea how many people to expect at Cupcake Camp OC. The room was not big enough to accommodate all of the people waiting to come in. There were many complaints from attendees such as no air conditioning, not enough seats, no plates, and no drinks. Interestingly, these are similar complaints that I've seen at other cupcake competitions.




The judges had their own table at the front of the room. Our table was covered with plates of cupcakes for us to try. When the cupcakes started running out in the rest of the room, people attempted to take our judges' cupcakes. I don't blame them. The event was supposed to last three hours, but by the time the judges had the results, most of the room had cleared out.




In the end, Cupcake Camp OC raised $9,100! And since everything was donated (including the venue), all of that money will go to benefit the non-profit organization El Pozo. Obviously, the event couldn't have been a success without the support of all of the donors. Thank you to them.




Although there were a couple of hitches (as there always will be), on the whole, I believe the event was a giant success! The event organizers have taken notes on what to change for next year. I'm happy to hear they are already looking to next year. I can't wait!

Stay tuned. More pictures of what you've been waiting for...the cupcakes!

Cupcake Camp OC: The Judges

This was not my first time judging a cupcake contest, so I knew exactly what to expect. I knew I would start feeling a sugar rush around cupcake #10 and a sugar crash around #25. I was prepared: milk, camera, notebook, cupcake necklace.

Since there were about 90 cupcakes entered in the competition at Cupcake Camp OC, the judging was split into two categories: amateur and professional. The three judges for the amateur competition tasted 56 cupcakes, while the professional judges had to taste just 35 cupcakes. It's a hard job, but someone's got to do it. Meet the judges...

Judges for Amateur Cupcake Competition
Holly Wong: food blogger at the Michelin Project and writer for Examiner.com.
Tara Settembre: lifestyle blogger of When Tara Met Blog and founder of LA Cupcakes Meetup Group.
Molly Taylor: owner of The Sweets Truck.

Photo: Saturday Night Foodies

Judges for Professional Cupcake Competition
Priscilla Willis: writer for OC Family and She's Cookin'
Elise Wallace (me): founder and chief editor of CupcakeActivist.com
Tiffini Soforenko: co-owner and chef of Yummy Cupcakes

With so many delicious-looking cupcakes everywhere, I was anxious to start tasting. Stay tuned for more coverage and results.

Cupcake Art by Jeannine Marie Luke

One of the highlights of Cupcake Camp OC was seeing the artwork of Jeannine Marie Luke. I fell in love with the beauty and simplicity of her cupcake artwork and knew that I needed it in my home. My husband and I favored prints from opposite ends of the color spectrum, but I think they will go together beautifully in our home.

Here's My Heart

Unforgettable

Jeannine Marie Luke will be displaying her artwork this Thursday, August 5 at MARQUE in Laguna Beach from 6p-8p at Laguna's First Thursday Artwalk. You will be able to view Jeannine's artwork, as well as have to opportunity to purchase it for yourself. If you are unable to attend this event, you can also purchase prints through Jeannine's website.

Cupcake Camp OC: The Aftermath

Yesterday was Orange County's first Cupcake Camp. Wow! What a crazy and fun event! I can't wait to tell you all about it.

Cupcake Camp OC

Orange County is having it's first Cupcake Camp!

What exactly is Cupcake Camp? It is a gathering of cupcake lovers to share and eat cupcakes. It first started in San Francisco, but has been hosted in cities all around the world, including Buenos Aires, Montreal, Paris, Wellington, Bombay, and many cities in the USA.

Cupcake Camp OC takes place this Sunday, August 1 at the Atrium Hotel in Irvine (near the John Wayne airport) from 3p-6p. The event is free, but a donation of $10 will be greatly accepted. The donations will be given to El Pozo, an organization that works toward ending human trafficking and slavery in Mexico.

There will be a cupcake competition for professionals and amateurs. Registration is closed for entering cupcakes in the competition, but eaters are still needed. All of your favorite Orange County cupcakes will be there and someone needs to eat them! What could be better than spending an afternoon eating cupcakes?

Come join us for a sugar rush this Sunday. Hope to see you there!

More info available on Just Spotted.