So it was a huge success. My friend, and fellow baker, Carol has been forwarding me Iron Cupcake emails for a couple months now and we just haven't quite made it. But when she sent me the email saying this month's ingredient was "alcohol," I decided to clear the calendar, and made a batch of my Margarita cupcakes.
And lo and behold, everyone loved them - I won first place! Rumor was, these events don't usually go over 30 people, but this time there was an influx of contestants and taste-testers, which caused the hosts of the event Leland Tea Company to rent a space nearby to accommodate the 24 bakers and over 100 testers. And it was steep competition too! There were some very creative and tasty creations to choose between.
Some highlights were the Absinthe, "the Hangover" a Bloody Mary cupcake with maple bacon mimosa buttercream, coffee candy, and chardonay toasted sea salt (!), "The Dude" which was a White Russian a la Big Lebowski, Violet Beauregarde which was a port and chocolate cupcake with ganache and a Zinfandel soaked blueberry, and of course "Sex on the Beach", which was a very clever decorating experience. Needless to say, I was proud to be in such good company.
Thanks to everyone for being so friendly and welcoming, it was a wonderful experience and am totally jazzed about future competitions! Special thanks to the hosts, the donators of prizes, and my friend Tom who came out to help sway the vote in my favor by at least one more opinion!
