CafeMom Cupcake Contest: The Winning Recipes!

on November 4, 2009 at 12:00 PM

First Place: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

We had a Cupcake Contest in the CafeMom office last week in which many, many cupcakes were consumed. All entries were delicious, but some were better than others—it was a contest after all! Here are the three winning cupcake recipes!

First Place (photo above):

Brian won first place in the cupcake contest for his Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting—both Martha Stewart recipes. However, the decorations—marshmallow snowmen dressed in Halloween costumes—were all his own; they're "painted" with food coloring. So cool!

Second Place:

Anthony took home second place for his cream-filled "Tastefully Sweet" Cupcakes. It's a modified Emeril cupcake recipe (recipe after the photo), so you know it has to be good.

Second Prize: Tastefully Sweet Cupcakes

Cupcake mix:

6 large eggs, separated

2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In the bowl of a mixer, beat the egg whites on low speed until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually with the mixer running and peak to stiff peaks. Add the egg yolks 1 at a time, beating well after the addition of each. Sift together the flour and baking powder and add to the egg mixture, alternating with the milk. (Do this quickly so the batter does not lose volume.) Add the vanilla.

Cream topping:

1 14-ounce can evaporated milk

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup heavy cream

In a blender, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream and blend on high speed. Remove the cupcake from the oven and while still warm cut off the tops of the cupcakes. Pour 3-4tsp of the cream mixture over it. Let sit and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Icing:

3 tablespoons water

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 large egg whites

Once the cake is completely chilled, in a saucepan combine the water and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Cook until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage, 235 to 240 degrees F. Remove from the heat. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. While beating, add the hot syrup in a stream. Beat until all the syrup has been added, the mixture cools, and a glossy icing forms.

Remove the cupcakes from the refrigerator and spread the icing across the top. Finish it with some rainbow dots.

Third Place:

Hollylynn13 (Holly) won third place for her Maple French Toast and Bacon Cupcakes, which she found on the Food Network. And oh yes, that is bacon dredged in brown sugar on top of the cupcakes. Yum!

Third Prize: Maple French Toast and Bacon Cupcakes

Please join me in congratulating the winners of the CafeMom Cupcake Contest!

Which kind of cupcakes would you bake for a cupcake contest?

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes

About the author Kim Conte

has shoes that make people stop her on the street and ask "Where did you get those?" but it doesn't work for taxi cabs as she was hit by one ... and lived to tell the tale. She has more freckles than Lohan but way less attitude. And she's a fierce cook with tons of recipes to share -- and wishes she could share some with Bourdain.