I wanted to create a cupcake that represented two family members who have passed away. My grandmother was always an avid baker and I am fortunate to have many of her recipes including this chocolate cake recipe. Although I never got to meet her, my grandma’s memories live on through her recipes. 

Her daughter, my aunt, was diagnosed with ALS at an early age but always found beauty in everything that was around her. The three of us have always shared a passion for baking and I will always feel a connection with them whenever I am in the kitchen. I dedicate the frosting of this cupcake to my aunt. When I would visit her in Florida, she would always have a box of cherry cordials. During the day, we would walk along the beach and collect seashells. We would then make picture frames out of the seashells we collected. Building these picture frames captured one of my favorite memories with my aunt.  The frosting is piped on the cupcakes to look like seashells to reflect these cherished times. 

Every part of this cupcake is dedicated to my grandmother and aunt.  When I bake this cupcake, it feels like they are with me in the kitchen.

—By Shauna Defone

During the pandemic, I was not able to visit my grandparents in Taiwan for almost two years. I miss the tropical air, fruits, warm weather and nice people there. This is the original idea behind my design of this cupcake.

My favorite fruit from Taiwan is mango. It is the most flavorful, most colorful, and most exotic fruit in the world. For some reason, it goes so well with coconuts. Both remind me of those good memories with my family in Taiwan, where is a tropical paradise!

Of course, no cupcake can be done without a piece of chocolate! I made my chocolate pieces into the shapes of ice cream cones and pineapples to resonate with the tropical atmosphere I am trying to create.

—By Debbie Barbash

Based on JoJo Siwa… Be yourself and love who you are.

—By Patti Meyers and Hudson

I love to bake, and decorate cakes and cookies. That’s why I entered the Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest. My cupcakes are a moist chocolate cake with a vanilla buttercream frosting, with a combination of teal and blue swirl food dye. I made the waterfall design with pretty blue candy melts. I used a spoon to brush them onto a tray. The design on the top of my cupcakes is supposed to look like a waterfall, inspired by the beautiful ones in Ithaca. I love to take walks on gorge paths near streams and, of course, waterfalls. I used rocks and pebbles found on Cayuga Lake for decoration.

—By Eleanor Gabler

Ever thought that it would be hard to turn something as beautiful as the ocean into food? Here in front of you have something exactly that! Here you have several different stages of the ocean from a simple wave to a tornado.

—By Dina S.