This Sunday I am participating the annual Cupcake Bake-Off, a non-offical Yelp event that was created by my dear friend Kristina, the queen of all things Cupcake. I have the honor of being a judge, for the second year in a row - the big difference this year is that I am one of only four judges, with around 20 entrants. Last year was a lot of fun (despite some unnecessary bitterness) - we braved the wind at Walter Hass Park in Diamond Heights and ate a LOT of cupcakes. There were some that were good, some that were awful (brie + cake = ewwww!), and some that were super-delicious. The biggest surprise to me were the vegan cupcakes, which were every bit as moist and wonderful as their dairy-laden friends. Megan did a great job with her "Robin Williams' Knuckles" chocolate vegan cupcakes, and these were among my favorites of the day.
This year, there are all new people competing, and some new practices in place. Everyone will have the opportunity to buy a cookbook with the recipes, and pay a nominal fee which will go towards SF teachers. All good things.
I am going to need to fill up on savory foods early in the day to balance out the insane amount of sugar that I will be ingesting (I started tonight by eating a delicious dinner of Spanish tapas at Zarzuela - so good!). It is nice to take a break from my own baking adventures and see what others are whipping up in the kitchen - I hope to find some inspiration and recipes to add to my own.
Let the baking begin!
