Cupcake Camp 2011 Recap!

Cupcake Camp 2011 was a HUGE success! I was so proud to be involved in such a great event. As part of the planning committee, along with Elizabeth and Anita, we tried to incorporate feedback we got from last year’s event to make 2011 bigger and better. I think we succeeded!

Cupcake Camp was held at the Armory for the Arts in Somerville. The location was large with tables in the middle for the professional bakers and tables along the outsides for the amateurs. There was a balcony with tables for people to sit and enjoy the cupcakes they had collected. On the stage, King Arthur Flour had a setup where they did some demos and answered baking questions.

As the focal for the amateur bakers, I had fun learning about who the other bakers were and what creative things they were doing in their kitchens. I have to admit that the amateur bakers really brought it this year – especially on the creativity front. They brought a great variety of flavors that I didn’t see from the professional bakers, including cupcakes with bacon and chiles.

I brought the Frito cupcakes that I posted last week, and a mini version of the cookie dough cupcakes I posted a couple weeks ago. To make them mini, I ordered this 1.5 tsp scooper from Amazon. I used it to make the balls of frozen cookie dough and the cookie garnishes. I then used my regular cookie scoop to portion out the cupcake batter before dropping in the frozen cookie dough. I did press the cookie dough into the batter this time around since it didn’t sink down like with the full sized cupcakes.

I brought 16 dozen cupcakes (8 dozen of each flavor) and they were all gone in less than an hour – I’d say they were a success!!

I honestly didn’t eat a TON of cucpakes at Cupcake Camp. I had been snacking throughout the day while I was baking and I was being picky about which cupcakes I wanted to try.

I had a vanilla mini and part of the chocolate birthday cupcake from O’Sugar. Both were great. We also tried the cupcakes from Chocolate Tarte. I had a chocolate one and Hubby had red velvet. We both really liked these cupcakes. They were really fluffy and the frosting was great. Hubby even went back for seconds.

I didn’t try the Cupcake Mojo cupcakes since I have already had theirs, but it was good to chat with Maureen for a few minutes since she was set up at the table across from me.

We also split one of these banana’s foster cupcakes. The frosting was pretty amazing. Cara’s cute Bailey’s chocoalte chip cupcakes were also a tasty little bite.

Even with the rain and cold, we still had a great turnout. At one point I poked my head outside to see if there was a line, and sure enough, there was! While Cupcake Camp was free, we did take donations. We raised over $2300 for Lovin’ Spoonfuls thanks to the generous donations of the people in attendance!

I had a blast and can’t wait for Cupcake Camp 2012. Hopefully it will be even bigger and better than this year. If anyone has feedback about the event, feel free to let us know! You can email us at BostonCupcakeCamp@gmail.com or just leave a comment here and I’ll make sure it gets documented.

We also set up a flickr pool for people to upload their pictures from the evening. Please check it out for the collection of photos and to add your own!

Thanks to all of you who came and introduced yourselves! I loved getting the chance to chat with some of my readers.

Don’t forget about Bloggers Bake for Hope – Bloggers Bake. You Bid. 100% of proceeds go to Komen for a Cure. Register to bake by April 30th, come back for bidding May 4-6.