Alternatives Federal Credit Union

Yes! It’s the 6th Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest!

September 11, 2021thesophiefund

The world is excited to see what Ithaca’s amateur bakers come up with in 2021!

The judges are still feeling deliciously gobsmacked by last year’s entries. Who can forget the Hidden Treasure or Kahlua Me Crazy cupcakes? Or the Apple Cider or Banana Split or It’s Fall Y’all Apple Crisp cupcakes? Or the creations celebrating blue dogs, roosters, Baby Yoda, and Wewe Bears? As Halloween neared, even Frankenstein came out of an oven and made an appearance.

With an abundance of caution and concern for everyone’s health amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2021 contest will again be held entirely online.

Click here for all the information on contest procedures and rules, and to download a registration form.

Contestants of all ages are invited and will be eligible for dozens of prizes including a Grand Prize valued at $250. (Open to amateur bakers only.)

To enter, you will bake and decorate cupcakes, of course. The judges are anticipating the sweet and spicy bouquets coming from your stoves!

Then you’ll take photos of your masterpieces and email them along with a brief description and your recipe to The Sophie Fund.

You will also tell us a brief story about your cupcakes—perhaps a person, place, or thing that inspired your recipe and decoration. Or what special techniques you used. Or what fun you had baking them. Or what challenges you had to overcome making your cupcake dream a reality.

The deadline for submissions is 11:59 pm on Saturday October 16.

Entries will then be judged by professionals from Ithaca’s bakeries and restaurants. Judging is based on decoration, originality, and the story about the cupcake.

Judges will announce finalists and choose winners during an Online Live Event on Saturday October 23. The Sophie Fund will notify the winners and mail prizes to them. The names of winners will also be announced on www.thesophiefund.org.

Additional Prizes:

Teens and Pre-Teens: A $100 gift certificate redeemable at dozens of downtown Ithaca shops will be presented with this year’s Youth Award!

Movie Makers: All contestants MUST submit photos and a story, but you can ALSO make a short movie about your cupcakes to win a separate $100 Video Award prize!

The 6th Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest is sponsored by GreenStar Food Co+op, Alternatives Federal Credit Union, and Well Said Media.

The contest is organized every year by The Sophie Fund, which was established in 2016 in memory of Cornell University art 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, while on a medical leave of absence from Cornell, Sophie was active in Ithaca’s vibrant culinary scene. According to her family, she hoped to open her own bakery after completing her Cornell degree.

It’s the 5th Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest (VIRTUAL EDITION!)

October 1, 2020October 4, 2020thesophiefund

If it’s October, then it’s time for the Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest. The 2020 event will be held entirely online, instead of at the Ithaca Commons, due to Covid-19 social distancing needs. We’re excited about the new possibilities!

As usual, contestants of all ages are invited and will be eligible for dozens of prizes including a Grand Prize valued at $250. (Open to amateur bakers only.)

To enter, you will still bake and decorate cupcakes, of course. We can already smell the sweet aromas coming from your ovens!

But instead of bringing them down to the Bernie Milton Pavilion for judging, you’ll take photos of your masterpieces and email them to The Sophie Fund.

We’re also asking you to tell us a brief story about your cupcakes—maybe about what inspired your recipe and decoration. Or what special techniques you used. Or challenges you had to overcome to make your cupcake concept a reality.

The deadline for submissions is 11:59 pm Saturday October 17.

Entries will then be judged by professionals from Ithaca’s bakeries and restaurants. Judging is based on decoration, originality, and story about the cupcake.

Judges will announce finalists and choose winners during an Online Live Event on Saturday October 24. The Sophie Fund will notify the winners and mail prizes to them. The names of winners will also be announced on www.thesophiefund.org.

Additional Prizes:

Teens and Pre-Teens: A $100 gift certificate redeemable at dozens of downtown Ithaca shops will be presented with this year’s Special Youth Award!

Movie Makers: All contestants must submit photos and a story, but you can also make a short movie about your cupcakes for a separate $100 Video Prize!

The 5th Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest is sponsored by GreenStar Food Co+op, Alternatives Federal Credit Union, and Well Said Media.

Click here for all the information on contest procedures and rules, and to download a registration form.

Cupcake Joy, 2017 Edition

October 18, 2017November 11, 2017thesophiefund

Enjoy a photo gallery from the 2nd Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest, held in the Commons on October 14, 2017.

Bernie Milton Pavilion, October 14, 2017

Let the Contest Begin: Angela registers Tamarynde Cacciotti’s entry, cream puff cupcakes with Earl Grey pastry filling that went on to win the Grand Prize.

Happy Halloween: Ali Strongwater’s 2^nd Prize-winning pumpkin and ginger cupcakes haunted by sugar ghosts.

Raspberries and Butterflies: Alexander Quilty’s 3^rd prize-winning chocolate raspberry-filled cupcakes with raspberry buttercream frosting.

Emerging Brightness: Monica Cotto’s vegan blood orange dark chocolate cupcakes topped with edible crystal geodes (Honorable Mention).

Forest of Cupcakes: Beth Goelzer Lyons’s chocolate chip cookie dough-filled vegan chocolate cupcakes topped with chocolate trees.

Fall Foilage: Melanie Hardy’s Campfire S’more Cupcakes with marshmallow fluff frosting topped with a Hershey bar (Honorable Mention).

Winter Wonderland: Robin Schmitt’s vanilla cupcake topped by an edible peanut butter and nutella pine cone (Honorable Mention).

“Healthiest Cupcake” Award: Lianna White’s gluten-free carrot raisin walnut cupcake.

Land of Unicorns: Natalie McCaskill-Meyers’s unicorn cupcakes won an Honorable Mention Award and “Best Youth Cupcake” Award.

judges The Hard Part: The judging begins!

Tastes and Scents: The judging continues!

Cupcake Joy: Debbie Lazinsky of GreenStar Natural Foods Market samples the cupcake submissions.

Coloring Contest: Volunteers from Alternatives Federal Credit Union run the Coloring Contest for Under-8’s.

Jacob Parker Carver of the Mental Health Association in Tompkins County sets up an interactive mental health quiz for attendees.

Amy LeViere of the Community Foundation of Tompkins County welcomes the contestants.

Lee-Ellen Marvin, executive director of the Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service, thanks The Sophie Fund for being a catalyst for change in suicide prevention in Tompkins County.

Meet the VIP Judges: Yuko Jingu (friend and co-worker of Sophie)

Meet the VIP Judges: Daleila Norman of GreenStar Natural Foods Market

Meet the VIP Judges: Amelia Sauter of Felicia’s Atomic Brewhouse and Bakery

“Richest Cupcake” Award: Mary Sever Schoonmaker receives a GreenStar gift certificate for her chocolate zucchini cupcakes with meringue frosting garnished with cashew toffee bark.

She’s No. 1: Tamarynde Cacciotti with her Grand Prize award for her cream puff cupcakes with Earl Grey pastry filling and mocha buttercream frosting.

The Maestro: Event Producer Mickie Quinn

Alternatives and Us

October 13, 2017thesophiefund

The Sophie Fund is proud to announce that Alternatives Federal Credit Union is a sponsor of the 2^nd Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest held this Saturday October 14.

Besides helping underwrite the costs of the contest with a financial donation, the fantastic Alternatives team has been working with us behind the scenes to make the event even better than last year. Among the additional features: a coloring contest for the kids (up to age 8). Participants won’t be disappointed!

We’re glad to share in the uniqueness that Alternatives brings to Ithaca. Cornell University (’73) social psychology grad Bill Myers founded Alternatives in 1979 with a mission of serving low and moderate-income people and communities. It prides itself in providing access to safe financial services and education for underserved people.

As a Community Development Credit Union, Alternatives is member-owned, locally controlled, and self-supporting. According to its statement of purpose:

“We believe that by controlling the flow of funds within a small community, the community can build itself to suit its own needs and be more self-reliant. Our social mission is integrated into our economic mission, so for whatever reason, joining Alternatives is making a choice towards a more economically just community.”

Alternatives has been recognized for its social mission and standard of excellence. In 2014, the National Credit Union Association ranked Alternatives as the No. 1 Community Development Financial Institution in the United States.

In 2011, the Wells Fargo Next Awards presented Alternatives with its Advocacy Award for its policy and advocacy leadership on a living wage that began as a local effort and grew into a national movement.

The Sophie Fund is honored to work with Alternatives in our efforts to support mental health initiatives aiding young people in our community.

The Great Ithaca Cupcake Bake Off

September 25, 2017September 25, 2017thesophiefund

Warm up your ovens! The 2^nd Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest will be held in the Commons on Saturday October 14.

Contestants of all ages are invited to enter their tasty masterpieces, which will be eligible for more than $500 in prizes. The contest is open to amateur bakers only.

The contest is organized by The Sophie Fund, which was established in 2016 in memory of Cornell University art student Sophie Hack MacLeod to support mental health initiatives aiding young people.

The 2^nd Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest is sponsored by the GreenStar Natural Foods Market, Alternatives Federal Credit Union, and La Tourelle Hotel, Bistro and Spa. It is also supported by Waffle Frolic, Active Minds of Ithaca College, and Alpha Phi Omega, Phi Sigma Pi and Cornell Minds Matter of Cornell University.

Sophie’s own longstanding passion for baking and cupcakes inspired the launch of the contest. At the time of her death by suicide at age 23, while on a medical leave of absence from Cornell, Sophie was active in Ithaca’s vibrant culinary scene. According to her family, she hoped to open her own bakery after completing her Cornell degree.

To enter the cupcake contest, entrants are asked to bring their submissions to the Bernie Milton Pavilion in the Ithaca Commons from 10–11:30 a.m. on Saturday October 14. The winners will be announced and prizes awarded at a ceremony in the Pavilion later the same day at 3 p.m.

Last year, 57 contestants participated in the bake off, with Monica Lee Cotto taking home the top prize with a pumpkin cheesecake cupcake, set in a chocolate cage and topped with a confectionery yellow and coral rose and a butterfly crisp. The Best Youth Award went to 9-year-old Natalie McCaskill-Myers, who submitted a batch of lemon cherry cupcakes laced with lavender.

Sophie was born in Johannesburg and spent her childhood living in South Africa, then France, and eventually Egypt. But she adopted Ithaca as her hometown, spending five summers in the violin program of the Suzuki Institutes at Ithaca College and then enrolling at Cornell in 2010.

In conjunction with the contest, The Sophie Fund is organizing a fundraising campaign, with monies donated to suicide prevention causes in Ithaca and Tompkins County.

Click here for all the information on contest procedures and rules, and to download a registration form.