Cupcake Challenge Winners (We Called It)

Cupcake Challenge took place Saturday in Hollywood. Read about the overload of sugar, butter, chocolate, frosting and wine here.

The winners have finally been announced - and they are....

Best Traditional
1st place: Vanilla Bake Shop Red Velvet (judges' choice)
2nd place: Yummy Cupcakes Red Velvet
3rd place: Hotcakes Red Velvet (public's choice)

(Above: Leyna's Strawberrilicious)

Best Original
1st place: Sugar Jones "Paradise" (judges' choice)
2nd place: The Oinkster Peanut Butter and Jelly
3rd place: Essential Chocolate Desserts "Blood Orange Fudge"

**Public's choice was Leyna's Strawberrilicious


(Oinkster's Peanutbutter and jelly)

Best Overall
1st place: Leyna's Kitchen "Strawberrilicious"(public's choice)
2nd place: Sugar Jones "Paradise" (judges' choice)
3rd place: The Oinkster Peanut Butter and Jelly

I just want to point out that my own favorites were Leyna's and Oinkster's, so I have hereby proven that my taste buds are both in touch with the public and sophisticated enough to match those of the judges as well. Actually, I don't even remember the Sugar Jones cupcake... and my notes are a mess of sugar-addled scrawls. Many photos follow:

Early in the day. Before the chaos began. Before things turned ugly...

Cake Girl offered maple-pecan cupcakes topped with a candied nut nestled in a butter-cream frosting.

Famous Cupcakes' all-organic red velvet, with chocolate sprinkles giving it a little crunch.

Lemon, Lucky Devils beer cupcake, chocolate and peanutbutter

Wine merchants pouring us some nice glasses of red in the 100 degree heat.

To find the best cupcake in L.A., one must eat a lot of them. And with proceeds from Drink:Eat:Play’s Cupcake Challenge going to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, we convinced ourselves that it was our duty to eat these cupcakes — it was for the children. Read the full article here.