The results are in...

The finished product!

After receiving inspiration from some of you, I decided why not?  I entered the cupcake competition with a somewhat whimsical flavor.  I found a root beer flavor that smelled AWESOME, and decided to go for a cupcake that presented a very unique attribute…root beer float cupcakes!  I flavored the cake portion with the root beer flavor, and used a vanilla ice cream flavor for the buttercream icing.  I topped it off with some A&W root beer syrup that I found in the store, and a gumpaste straw for decoration.  The straw did not exactly look the best, but I did not want to fuss with it too much.  Like I said in the previous post, this competition was judged by locals who enjoyed very bland flavors.  The beautifully decorated cupcakes last year walked away with nothing, and so I did not feel the need to spend loads of time perfecting these.  To my surprise, I won an honorable mention!  I was beaten by a lemon meringue cupcake.  I may be biased, but I enjoyed my cupcakes better, because they were so unique.  The lemon flavor tasted very sugary and almost like that fake lemon flavor.  Again, I am no person to judge, since I could be biased, and I work with various food products and flavors all day.  Hence, my keen sense on picking out specific flavor notes and attributes in things.  My full time job can sometimes be a bit of a curse, when it comes to eating !

I made these cupcakes over my lunch break at work, and since I did not have any eggs, I could not stick to my standard white cake recipe that I always use.  Instead I did a quick search online for an eggless cake, and found a very easy recipe.  The cake came out very nicely.  Since I flavored it with rootbeer, I am not sure how the overall flavor profile would have been, but the texture and moisture seemed spot on to me.  I often times find that homemade white cakes are dense.  This cake was not as fluffy as a box cake, but not too dense.

Eggless White Cake:

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup milk + 1 Tbsp vinegar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tsp root beer flavor

 Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together, until just blended.
2. Scrape down bowl.
3. Mix 1 minute longer on medium speed.
4. Pour into cupcake tins.
5. Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes.

Adapted from momthecook #2 on food.com

Here I am with my prize!  My prize was certainly not desirable.  I am surrounded by candy all day at work and can receive it at my leisure.  So, what was my prize?  A BAG OF CANDY!!! I was still excited to receive something.  It was certainly not expected.

Have any of you entered baking competitions?

What kind of a cupcake would you have made for a competition?

Have any of you found fluffy white cake recipes made from scratch?

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