Have you ever wondered what it'd be like to have a full-day event devoted to the spirit of cupcake bonding? Welcome to Cupcake Camp, where participants buy or bake cupcakes that are then distributed to the public in 15 minute intervals while a panel of judges pick out a few winners. Best of all, it's free of charge and open to any and all cupcake lovers.
I was always curious to see what Cupcake Camp was like, so I made it a point to stop by Pier 38 when I was in San Francisco the previous weekend. I quickly found myself caught in the whirlwind of cupcakes and cupcake fans alike as I tried to hunt down a schedule of the bakers. There were about 3,000 cupcakes from close to 100 bakers! In total there were over 730 attendees that day, which explains why cupcakes were flying off their little stands and carriers in a flurry.
Cupcakes ranged from savory, to beautiful, to creative, to even downright experimental. Here are just a small sample of the cupcakes that were at Cupcake Camp:
Blue Bottle Coffee and Krispy Kreme. I wish I'd gotten a taste of this. I'll take coffee and donuts as a meal-in-a-cupcake version any day.
Winner (Best Decorated): Popcorn with Carnival Toppings. The actual taste of all these flavor elements was as intriguing as the ingredients sound. Perfect for the big kid in all of us.
Winner (Best Halloween): Pumpkin Spice. I loved the presentation on this! Almost too good to eat. Almost.
How cute are these? No really, just try saying no to that face. See? There's no choice but to just nom it up.
Winner (Best Unique Ingredients): Strawberry Basil
Winner (Best Breakfast-inspired): Gruyere, Bacon, Mushroom with Cream Cheese Frosting. Who said cupcakes couldn't serve as a meal?
Yup, cupcake cones were also represented.
The judges deliberate. I can't imagine what it'd be like to have to pick the best out of these cupcakes.
There were more cupcakes than I could physically eat by myself, but I gathered up a small troupe and we got to sample quite a lot of them. I ended my Cupcake Camp experience with a wild experimental "Avocado Dreamers" cupcake. Anything is possible indeed.
You can check out the winners at Cupcake Camp's website, and a full set of photos are on my Flickr.
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Ann