LA Cupcake Challenge 2012: The Competitors Part 1

18 competitors, some new, some familiar, some winners, some TV stars. Here's the rundown of each competitor and cupcake. I've broken them down into four posts, so it's not overwhelming to see them all at once.

[Desi]gn Cakes & Cupcakes

Riverside, CA (cater)

3rd place winner of Sugar Rush cupcake competition 2011

Buffalo Chicken: Maybe it was because it was the only savory cupcake I ate, but I loved this cupcake. The buffalo chicken that topped the cupcake was awesome!

Churro (not judged)

Bake You Happy

Valencia, CA

Winner of Food Network's Cupcake Wars

Chocolate Cherry Licorice: cupcake created on Cupcake Wars. I tried a similar cupcake from them last year and loved it. Still a great cupcake!

Spiced Chocolate: Great cake and great frosting. Loved all the chocolatey goodness!

Butter Sweet Minis

Los Angeles, CA (cater)

Red Velvet: Their cupcakes looked the yummiest! I was excited to try them and they didn't disappoint.

Mint Chip: I liked the flavor combination of the mint and chocolate. Yum!

The Cake Mamas

Glendora, CA

Winner of Cupcake Camp IE 2010

Chocolate Salted Caramel: The butter toffee that topped this cupcake was to die for! I wish I could eat this cupcake every day!

Girl Scout Samoa: tasted just like the cookie. I wish the frosting would have been less whipped and more creamy, but otherwise great.

LA Cupcake Challenge 2012 Recap

My favorite cupcake event of the entire year is the LA Cupcake Challenge. It is always well-organized and showcases the best of the best cupcakes in LA and Orange County. This year boasted some of the best cupcake shops, including several that had been on Food Network's Cupcake Wars.

This year's event took place on February 4, 2012 at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel from 4p-7p. I arrived around 5:30p with my mom and little guy in tow. I was giddy with excitement. My excitement quickly turned into sadness as I approached the first table and was greeted with an empty display. No cupcakes. Lame.

As I began making my way around the room, I was greeted with more and more sad faces. Over half of the cupcakes were gone and the event was barely half-way over! Lucky for me, several cupcake shops had set aside cupcakes just for me. Out of 36 possible cupcakes to try, I personally ate 23, 5 of which were saved for me. So if I would have been a paying ticket-holder, I would have only gotten 18, half of the promised cupcakes.

After talking with the event organizer after-the-fact, he said the problem was with people taking more cupcakes than they should have. The event was ran exactly the same way as it has been in the past, so I was surprised this happened. I think the problem is that each vendor was not crossing their name off the ballot like they've done in the past. There was no regulation.

If something doesn't get fixed, I might not be supporting this event in the future. I think it's a great way to try lots of different cupcake vendors, but if you are not getting what you pay for, then it's not worth the drive.

Over the next few days, I'll be highlighting the vendors and cupcakes I did try. Stay tuned for some cupcake goodness!

Homer Cupcake by B Sweet Catering

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B Sweet Catering created this "Homer" inspired cupcake in honor of The Simpson's 500th episode airing this Sunday. I love the creative cupcakes they come up with!

Sour Patch Kid Cupcakes from Cookies and Cups

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I bookmarked this recipe about a month ago and have been waiting for the right moment to make for my friend Carrie who LOVES sour patch kids. Cookies and Cups' recipe even includes how to make the sour sugar. Check out the full recipe here.

Closed: SweetSpot Baker's Workshop

This weekend my husband and I were at the Irvine Spectrum and noticed that SweetSpot Baker's Workshop is gone. To be honest, I was actually surprised it lasted as long as it did. They had a fun concept idea (I wrote about it back in 2008), but I just didn't see too much potential for it at the Spectrum. SweetSpot replaced Sweet Lorraine's, another failed cupcake shop, so I wonder what will be the next replacement?