Hey cupcakers! There’s a fun, new cupcake challenge out there you’ve just got to try. And it’s getting ready to start up for August – so get those baking pans a ready!
The Sweetest Kitchen has a new Mystery Box Cupcake Challenge. On the 1st of the month (every month) their challenge opens. They list a mystery ingredient and cupcakers need to compete by creating yummy cupcakes from this ingredient. Oh the possibilities we can see! This sounds so exciting and fun! We know many of you cupcakers are getting ready as we speak.
Cupcakers have 20 days to create their cupcakes. After that, all entries are posted on the blog and there is a poll for visitors to vote on their favorite cupcakes. The voting is open for five days, lots of time for fellow cupcakers and cupcake fans to pick and select their favorites from the month’s mystery batch.
When the voting has ended, 5 top cupcakes will be selected (that have received the most votes). These yummy cupcakes will go into a random drawing. And a lucky winner will be chosen from these great and scrumptious 5.
Our Top Tips for Cupcakers:
Know your ingredients. If you haven’t baked with something (a new ingredient), be patient with yourself and let yourself try a few batches to get it right. The better you know your ingredients – the stronger chance you’ll have of success.
Cupcakes don’t always have to be cute and sweet. We’ve seen lots of original and sometimes quite unusual cupcakes out there in contests and competitions. Every cupcaker has their own unique take on what a cupcake should taste like. Pair ingredients with complimentary ones and you could have a winner on your hands. Pair them with ingredients that clash – or simply don’t melt in your mouth – and you’ve got a cupcake mess instead.
Presentation matters. It’s a fact that cupcakes are often “cute.” Remember this when creating your cupcakes. Cupcakes don’t always have to be cutesy but they should be presentable. People may want to make them for a party or a special occasion. Your recipe is more likely to be chosen when it has a bit of eye-appeal.
Read the rules. Every competition or challenge has rules. One competition we saw recently put “ease of preparation” at 50% of the judge’s possible vote. Keep the rules of a competition or challenge in mind as you create your recipe. Your cupcake could be delicious and yummy but if it doesn’t follow the rules – it just doesn’t fit their qualifications and sadly – it probably won’t get picked.
So August 1st is just a few days away – get excited and put your thinking caps on! That mystery ingredient will be posted shortly and you can get to creating those great cupcakes. Good luck to all of the cupcakers and let us know if you enter – and let us know if you win the Mystery Box challenge!
