Join us Saturday October 23 @ 3 p.m. for the 6th Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest Awards Ceremony! You can watch the online event by clicking on this Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81811024207

The 2021 awards ceremony will celebrate all the amazing 24 contestants who entered the contest this year! They baked cupcakes and then shared photos, stories, and even some videos of their delicious creations!

The Mighty Mickie Quinn will present the awards and prizes to the winners. The ceremony will feature words from our community partners, and musical performances by Kenneth McLaurin & SingTrece, Nellia Mattson & Savannah Loiacono, and the Mozart Group Class at Ithaca Talent Education.

The contest finalists will be judged by our panel of VIP judges:

Yuko Jingu, Akemi Food

Racquel Riccardi, Sinfully Delicious Baking Co.

Melissa Kenny, Sweet Melissa’s Ice Cream Shop

Ashley Case, Case Sera Sera

DONATE TO OUR COMMUNITY PARTNER: The Learning Web

Every October, The Sophie Fund along with students from Cornell University and Ithaca College organize a “Cupcake Button” fundraising campaign during the cupcake contest to support a local nonprofit focused on community wellbeing.

This year, the campaign is raising funds for The Learning Web, an organization that supports our local youth making the sometimes difficult transition to adulthood.

If you would like to help us support The Learning Web, please click here to donate to our GoFundMe campaign:

gofundme.com/f/support-the-learning-web-ithaca-ny

The cupcake and frosting recipe are both favorites of mine from two different friends. Friends + chocolate = just what you need in the year 2021 (and let’s be honest—2020 and probably 2022). The frosting recipe is especially close to my heart, as my best friend’s mother used to make me chocolate cake with this frosting for my birthday each year. It’s a very old recipe from a Hershey’s chocolate baking book, and I was amazed at the specificity of the recipe. There is a direction within the recipe that requires you to simmer cream and sugar for exactly six minutes—I loved that! So combining food recipes I love from friends I love seems to me the perfect combination for baking and sharing.

—By Holly Taylor

I thought that lemon orange and thyme would be a good flavor combination because the thyme adds a savoriness, the orange adds a sweeter flavor, and the lemon makes everything brighter. When I first made the buttercream the thyme was not strong enough, so I had to make a second batch. After making a second batch the balance between thyme and citrus was much better. I think that adding herbs to cupcakes gives them a slight savory taste, making them less sweet and also making the other flavors stand out more.

—By Takoda Warner

Fall in upstate New York is my favorite baking time. The crisp, cool air just feels me with the anticipation of comfy nights and a warm fire. Apple picking has always been a favorite time for me and my family to go apple picking together. We started when my four children were small and now they are grown with kids of their own. The tradition hasn’t stopped but the “brood” has outgrown the “Brady Bunch” moniker that my second eldest gave our family long ago. It still makes me laugh.

Applesauce, apple breads, apple pies were all part of the triumphant reward for bringing home baskets full of apples. There’s always that one person in the family that has to have things their way so we added cheesecake to some of the desserts. My grandkids love it though!

Our overall fave is soft, “fall smelling” spiced cake filled with cheesecake, apple pie filling and a light fluffy cream cheese whipped cream topping. Oh, we can’t forget the homemade caramel drizzle though! All of the “kids” love to watch the “volcano-like” caramel “erupt”! Best apple picking memory, you ask? The time my youngest daughter “had” to climb the tree to get the huge apple at the top and ripped her pants! She however didn’t find it funny (and still doesn’t) because we always go to lunch after apple picking! Did we? Of course!!

—By Ann Phelan

My cupcake decoration theme is “Finger Lakes Picnic.” The idea came together from my love of sharing charcuterie boards and local wines with friends. One of my best memories from this year was when a friend and mentor came to town, and we spent the day visiting different wineries on Keuka and Seneca Lake. I baked a fresh loaf of bread that morning, and we had a picnic lunch, pairing different cheeses and charcuterie with the wines we picked up along the way!

The most challenging part of making the cupcake was piping the basket weave—the angle was tricky, and it took more buttercream than I expected! Making the mini picnic foods was my favorite part, especially the cake truffle salami. I originally planned to make all the picnic foods out of chocolate but using a mix of ingredients ultimately created much more interesting textures!

—By Rachel Allison