The Sophie Fund extends its gratitude and heartfelt thanks to Visions Federal Credit Union, Cayuga Health, Well Said Media, Maguire Family of Dealerships, and Wegmans for supporting the 10th Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest. Thank you for once again championing the mental health mission in our community!
We’re celebrating 10 years of the Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest! Here’s a slideshow from the latest edition held in the Ithaca Commons on October 18, 2025.
Registration Team for 10th Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest
Madelyne entering her “Pumpkin Chai Cupcakes”
Kirstan Brodie’s “Apple of My Pie Cupcakes”
Jonica LeRoux entering her “Bear Paw’s Smoky Sugar Shack Cupcakes”
Katy Holloway’s “The Pineapple Doesn’t Fall Far from the Tree Cupcakes”
Lucia entering her “Halloween Cupcakes”
Anayeli Newton’s “S’mores Cupcakes”
Bethanie Keem-Calhoun’s “Mimosa Cupcakes”
Rebecca DeGroat entering her “Happy 250th Birthday Marine Corps Cupcakes”
Sadie Hays’s “Mount Merapi Cupcakes”
Kyra O’Toole entering her “Fall Forest Cupcakes”
Hudson, Paxton, and Gamay’s “Harry Potter Cupcakes”
Lydia Mentzer’s “Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes”
Megan Martinez’s “Pumpkin’ed Up Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cupcakes”
Alecia Sundsmo’s “Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes”
Isaac Ortiz’s “Dubai Chocolate Cupcakes”
Tabitha Gray’s “Orange Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes”
Village at Ithaca’s Razzmatazz Rainbow Cupcakes”
Dawn Kracht’s “A Taste of Fall Cupcakes”
Cupcakes awaiting the judges
Juju B’s Sweets’s “Joy Cupcakes”
Travis Bohmer’s “Apple Pie, Oh My! Cupcakes”
Sophie Fund giveaways for the contestants
Sophie Fund volunteers
Event planner Cara Nichols and friends
Awards Ceremony Emcee Gabriella da Silva Carr and sidekick-in-lederhosen Ben Sandberg
Wegmans pastry chefs Savannah and Natalie conduct a cupcake decorating workshop
Mastering the art of piping floral decorations
Wegmans decorating workshop cupcakes ready to eat
Let the judging begin (with a Corgi named Gnocchi standing guard)
So many cupakes, so little time
Drum roll, please, for the final round of judging!
Molly receiving the Autumn Magic Award
Kate Bagnell receiving the 3rd Place Award for her “Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes”
Sadie Hays receiving the Honorable Mention Award for her “Mount Merapi Cupcakes”
Katy receiving the Honorable Mention Award for her “The Pineapple Doesn’t Fall Far from the Tree Cupcakes”
Marina Mahashin and Amin Lopez Luna receiving the Honorable Mention Award for their “Coco-Mango Sticky Rice Cupcakes”
The Sophie Fund Team
Be Kind Ithaca finding new ways to spread the message
And that’s a wrap: “Elvis has left the Pavilion“
Contestants in the 10th Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest on October 18 dazzled the judges with their creations! Congratulations to these winners of Special Awards!
Special Awards
The Guac Star Award
Lydia Mentzer
The Sorting Hat Choice Award
Hudson, Paxton, and Gamay
Flavor Bouquet Award
Madelyne Myers
Slice of Pi Award
Kirstan Brodie
Autumn Magic Award
Molly Maher
Spooktacular Sweet Treat Award
Lucia O’Toole
Vivacious Vegan Delight Award
Juju B’s Sweets
Orange Explosion Award
Tabitha Gray
Spirit of Service Award
Rebecca DeGroat
Power in Every Bite Award
Alecia Sundsmo
Sky’s The Limit Award
Village at Ithaca
Lydia Mentzer’s “Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes,” chocolate cakes with guacamole-colored frosting.
Hudson, Paxton, and Gamay’s “Harry Potter Cupcakes,” vanilla sponge cakes with beer-flavored buttercream frosting topped with Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin scarves and pretzel stick wands.
Madelyne Myers’s “Pumpkin Chai Cupcakes,” pumpkin, ginger, nutmeg, and chocolate cakes, with brown sugar cream cheese frosting.
Kirstan Brodie’s “Apple of My Pie Cupcakes,” cinnamon-spiced cakes studded with juicy apple chunks topped with a “pie crust” of salted brown butter cream cheese frosting.
Molly Maher’s “Between Seasons Cupcakes,” chocolate spice cakes with orange marmalade filling topped with chocolate cream cheese frosting and grated candied orange.
Lucia O’Toole’s “Halloween Cupcakes,” dark chocolate cakes and chocolate frosting with Halloween decorations.
Juju B’s Sweets’s “Joy Cupcakes,” cocoa and apple sauce cakes studded with toasted almonds topped with coconut-flavored frosting, sweetened coconut flakes and almond slivers.
Tabitha Gray’s “Orange Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes,” chocolate cakes with orange filling and an orange buttercream frosting.
Rebecca DeGroat’s “Happy 250th Birthday Marine Corps Cupcakes,” carrot cakes with cream cheese frosting and gold and red sprinkles.
Alecia Sundsmo’s “Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes,” chocolate vegan cakes with chocolate icing and a vegan marshmallow on top.
Village at Ithaca’s “Razzmatazz Rainbow Cupcakes,” blue raspberry confetti cakes and Italian meringue frosting topped with meringue clouds and blue raspberry and sour candy.
The Sophie Fund thanks the 25 bakers who entered their showpieces in the 10th Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest. The judges selected 10 contestants to receive Honorable Mention Awards. Congratulations to all! Honorable Mention awardees were presented with $25 gift certificates from the Downtown Ithaca Alliance.
Honorable Mention
Katy Holloway
Dawn Kracht
Sadie Hays
Megan Martinez
Jonica LeRoux
Anayeli Newton
Bethanie Keem-Calhoun
Isaac Ortiz
Amin Lopez Luna and Marina Mahashin
Travis Bohmer
Katy Holloway’s “The Pineapple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Tree Cupcakes,” upside down pineapple cakes and tart cherry curd filling topped with decadent cocktail cherries under tropical umbrellas in brown-sugar sand.
Dawn Kracht’s “A Taste of Fall Cupcakes,” pumpkin cakes with maple frosting inspired by hikes at Taughannock Falls and other area parks when the temperatures cool and the leaves turn colors.
Sadie Hays’s “Mount Merapi Cupcakes,” purple-black sesame and rice cakes resembling volcanic sand topped by billowy clouds of coconut buttercream frosting with mango-passion fruit curd “lava” centers.
Megan Martinez’s “Pumpkin-ed Up Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cupcakes,” pumpkin cakes filled with cheesecake with a salted caramel Swiss meringue buttercream frosting and vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream flowers.
Jonica LeRoux’s “Bear Paw’s Smoky Sugar Shack Cupcakes,” brown butter vanilla cakes topped with maple frosting, smoky bacon and smoky salt—inspired by memories of a renaissance man making maple from sap.
Anayeli Newton’s “S’mores Cupcakes,” chocolate cakes with Reese’s Peanut Butter chips on a graham cracker crust foundation with toasted marshmallow frosting.
Bethanie Keem-Calhoun’s “Mimosa Cupcakes,” orange and champagne cakes in a sweet champagne cake soak with a strawberry flavored champagne frosting that bubbles to the taste.
Isaac Ortiz’s “Dubai Chocolate Cupcakes,” moist chocolate cakes filled with rich pistachio cream, finished with a pistachio buttercream frosting dusted with chopped pistachios and topped with chocolate-covered strawberries.
Amin Lopez Luna and Marina Mahashin’s “Coco-Mango Sticky Rice Cupcakes,” coconut and mango tres leches soaked sponge with coconut-mango whipped cream frosting and fresh mango and coconut flakes.
Travis Bohmer’s “Apple Pie, Oh My! Cupcakes,” cinnamon-infused cakes with apple pie filling topped with vanilla-apple cinnamon frosting and buttery crumble.
Hailey Ayres won 1st Place and the Grand Prize with her “Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice Cupcakes” in the 10th Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest organized by The Sophie Fund on October 18.
Hailey Ayres’s award-winning “Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice Cupcakes”
Her pumpkin cakes were filled with fluffy pumpkin mousse topped by a cream cheese frosting, caramel drizzle, and cinnamon flakes for a “baker’s touch.” Ayres said her goal was to create a “refreshing and nostalgic Fall treat.”
“When I think of baking, I think of cooler Fall temps and that leads me to the Fall flavors all around,” Ayres said, adding, “I find baking as a release to my anxiety.” She said she volunteers with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to “fight for mental health for my community, my family, and myself.”
1st Place Awardee Hailey Ayres
Kyra O’Toole took 2nd Place with her “Fall Forest Cupcakes,” an entremets-style dessert with a pumpkin-spice financier base, filled with layers of milk chocolate feuilletine, dark chocolate maple/bourbon ganache, pumpkin/ginger gelee, praline mousse, topped with maple Chantilly cream. Her magical forest was created with modeling chocolate, crumbled chocolate cookies (soil), honey sponge cake (green moss), and gelatin (fairy wings).
“Baking is my safe space,” O’Toole said. “I enjoy the creativity and artistry that goes into it. At first, I didn’t have an idea for these. It kind of just came to me. The design is representative of things that make me happy.”
Kyra O’Toole’s “Fall Forest Cupcakes.”
The judges awarded Kate Bagnell 3rd Place for her “Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes,” vanilla cake with a cinnamon swirl, a brown sugar cinnamon buttercream center, and a tangy cream cheese frosting topped with a miniature cinnamon roll “as an added bonus.”
Bagnell certainly takes the cake when it comes to her cupcake inspiration. She fondly describes cinnamon rolls as an “ooey gooey center burning with molten sugar and warm spice… Christmas morning breakfast table with sweet music and warm laughter… a calm, soft cinna-sanctuary within a loud, bustling airport.”
Kate Bagnell’s “Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes”
Josie Bower received the Youth Award for their “Pumpkin Spice Ghost Cupcakes,” a moist pumpkin spice cake with sweet cream cheese frosting fashioned into ghosts. Just in time for Halloween!
Josie Bower’s “Pumpkin Spice Ghost Cupcakes”
The Sophie Fund announced a “Lifetime Achievement Award” for Aušra Milano in recognition of her outstanding contest submissions since the contest began in 2016. Said contest Emcee Gabriella da Silva Carr: “One year, Aušra submitted brown butter carrot cupcakes—her favorite—with a message that reflects the true spirit of the Ithaca cupcake baking contest: ‘Simple, humble cupcakes, nothing too fancy, pure comfort and love.’”
Full List of 2025 Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest Winners
Twenty-five bakers entered the contest this year bringing a range of themes including: grandmothers; fathers; Taughannock Falls; Hispanic heritage; Harry Potter; volcanic Mount Merapi; U.S. Marines; sticky rice; apple pie; Almond Joy; S’mores; Champagne bubbly; Mexican and indigenous flavors; Dubai Chocolate; diversity, love, and acceptance; and (of course, since it’s late October) Halloween.
Judging the finalists were professionals from Ithaca’s culinary community, Via Carpenter, of Via’s Cookies, Yuko Jingu, of Akemi Food, Melissa Kenny, of Sweet Melissa’s Ice Cream Shop, Ashley Case, of Case Sera Sera, and Ania Grodzinski of Ania’s Confections.
The Awards Ceremony was hosted by Carr and Ben Sandberg, and the event featured live musical performances by Joe Gibson and Rachel Beverly.
This year’s contest also featured a Cupcake Decorating Workshop with pastry chefs from Wegmans, and “10 Years of Ithaca Cupcakes!,” a photo exhibition of entries to the annual cupcake contest from 2016 to 2024.
The 10th Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest at the Bernie Milton Pavilion in the Ithaca Commons was sponsored by Visions Federal Credit Union, Cayuga Health, Wegmans, Well Said Media, and Maguire. All awardees received Downtown Ithaca Alliance gift cards accepted by more than 100 local shops and restaurants.
The contest was produced by Cara Nichols of CRN Events.
Volunteers from student organizations at Cornell University supported the contest: Alpha Phi Omega, Cornell Circle K, PATCH (Pre-Professional Association Toward Careers in Health), RISEUP Cornell, and Hotel Graduate Student Organization.
Numerous mental health organizations staged a Wellness Fair on the sidelines of the contest. They included: Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service; American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Greater Central New York; Mental Health Association in Tompkins County; National Alliance on Mental Illness Finger Lakes; Advocacy Center of Tompkins County, Tompkins County Bullying Prevention Task Force, Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services, Ithaca Welcomes Refugees, and Be Kind Ithaca and Free Hugs Ithaca.
The contest is organized every year by The Sophie Fund, which was established in 2016 in memory of Cornell University fine arts student Sophie Hack MacLeod to support mental health initiatives aiding young people. Sophie’s passion for baking cupcakes inspired the launch of the first Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest in 2016. At the time of her death by suicide at age 23, Sophie was on a health leave of absence from Cornell and active in Ithaca’s culinary scene.
1st Place and Grand Prize ($250): Hailey Ayres
2nd Place ($150): Kyra O’Toole
3rd Place ($100): Kate Bagnell
Youth Award ($100): Josie Bower
Lifetime Achievement Award ($250): Aušra Milano
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