And that's all they wrote!

CupcakeCamp NYC is now in the history books, but I wanted to take a moment to quickly thank all of you who participated this year. Also, we have the all important business of announcing this year's contest winners...

Only in its second year, CupcakeCamp NYC grew from 230 attendees in 2009 to almost 800 participants in 2010. That's a lot of growth if you ask me. We were stoked with the turn out and are already brainstorming ideas on how to make the 2011 event better. For example, we are brainstorming ways on how to handle a better baker to eater ratio for next year. In 2009 we threw away quite a few cupcakes at the end of the night, but this year, we ran out before 8:30 p.m. As someone who hates throwing away food and was excited to not have any waste at the end of the night, I still understand that some eaters were disappointed that we ran out of cupcakes.

This brings me to my next point. As the producer, I think it's important I explain the point of CupcakeCamp once again as I have received a rather nasty e-mail from an attendee that I would like to publicly address. CupcakeCamp is completely community driven. There is a team that handles the back end organization part of the event, but we rely on the community to actually MAKE the event i.e. bring cupcakes. The only people that make any money off of CupcakeCamp NYC are the owners of Happy Ending and that is only through alcohol sales since they are generous enough to let us use their space for free. As the event producer, I make absolutely nothing off of the CupcakeCamp NYC name. None of the bakers who graciously bring cupcakes make a profit. So, it's fair to say that nothing pisses me off more than someone complaining about how they didn't get any free cupcakes at a completely free event that they didn't contribute to in the least bit. It makes me angry on behalf of the bakers that worked so hard to make CupcakeCamp awesome, to the folks at Happy Ending that handle everything from bartending to clean-up duties without a single complaint, and yes, it makes me angry personally for the late nights I've spent making Excel sheets and answering hundreds of e-mails every day. It's sad that someone can complain about an event centered on something as fun as cupcakes, but that's life.

With this in mind, my goal is to make CupcakeCamp 2011 even more amazing and fun just to prove the author of the nasty e-mail I received wrong. So you better believe I'm already planning for an event that is about 365 days away.

Now, onto to the more important business at hand: the winners of our design contest and the Best in Show competition.

I'm happy to announce that Anny Cakes is the winner of our design competition. Her sparkly cupcakes were almost too beautiful to eat (even though our judges devoured them). As the winner of this contest, we'll be giving away a copy of The Icing on the Cupcake by Jennifer Ross and Martha Stewart's Cupcakes by Martha Stewart.

Best in Show went to Audrey Criss from New Jersey with her spice cake cupcakes topped with whipped cream cheese frosting. All six of our judges were in cupcake heaven upon tasting Audrey's creation and decided that for CupcakeCamp 2010, she deserved Best in Show. 

On a personal note, I chatted to Audrey at the event and she shared that her dream is to open up her own bakery in New Jersey. I was beyond pleased to award Audrey the Best in Show prize and believe that this woman is going to succeed in the bakery business. To be blunt: Girl can bake!

Also, special shout out to Kathy "Metalcakes" Bejma for putting together the Best in Show prize. It was amazingly cool and I know everyone was impressed with your efforts!

To all the other bakers, the judges each told me that it was a hard decision to narrow down the cupcakes and that everyone should be proud of their submissions. As a baker myself, I understand how much hard work and effort goes into everything you put in your oven, and I can't express how much it means to me that you wanted to share your passion with CupcakeCamp NYC.

I also want to thank our sponsors and special friends for attending. Jennifer Ross and Elizabeth Bellanti from Austin, TX, Kathy Bejma and her mom from Chicago (you might have met Kathy's mom downstairs - she was the awesome lady selling her knit cupcakes!), Jennifer Appel and the Buttercup Bakeshop Crew (we also owe them a big high-five for supplying the Cupcake Cocktail at the bar!), the lovely ladies at Clarkson Potter who donated copies of Martha Stewart's Cupcakes, and last but not least, the guys at Happy Ending for helping me with everything from set up to clean-up. You guys rule on so many levels. Also, a special shout out for all our judges and volunteers - you make my life so much easier. I wish I could take you all on a trip to Hawaii for your efforts!

Lastly, if you have photos from the event, please upload them to our Facebook group page!

See you in 2011!

Cookbook paradise at CupcakeCamp NYC

Do you love cookbooks? Are you attending CupcakeCamp NYC this Friday, April 9th? If so, bring some extra cash and/or good luck charms because we're going to have foodie books galore to give and for sale.

The wonderful team at Clarkson Potter are going to be on hand, and they are bringing two copies of Martha Stewart's Cupcakes with them, which we'll be giving away to two lucky cupcakers. We've also got copies of The Icing on the Cupcake by Jennifer Ross to give way to two attendees, and Jennifer will be on hand to sell her book and sign copies as well. Buttercup Bake Shop are bringing copies of their various cookbooks too - we weren't kidding when we said it's going to be a cookbook paradise.


And for those of you that need a little inspiration for your cupcake recipes this Friday, we've got a great recipe to share with you. The ladies at Clarkson Potter e-mailed us an amazing Meyer lemon cupcake recipe from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes - happy baking!

Martha’s Meyer Lemon Cupcakes

The mild and sweet flavor of Meyer lemon is one of Martha’s favorites; these -zest--flecked cupcakes are filled with Meyer lemon curd, which peeks out from the tops. The fruit, which is actually a -lemon--orange hybrid, is generally available at specialty stores in winter and early spring. If you can’t find Meyer lemons, use regular lemons instead. The recipe yields a lot of cupcakes, so you may want to consider these for a bake sale or large gathering, such as a shower or special birthday celebration. makes 42

3 1/2 cups -all--purpose flour, sifted
2 tablespoons finely grated Meyer lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh Meyer lemon juice (from 1 to 2 Meyer lemons)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2teaspoons coarse salt 
1 3/4 cups ( 3 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
7 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting 
Lemon Curd (made with Meyer lemons; below)

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, zest, baking powder, and salt.

2. With an electric mixer on -medium--high speed, cream butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in cream cheese. Reduce speed to low. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in lemon juice and vanilla. Add flour mixture in three batches, beating until just combined after each.

3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each -three--quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 28 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

4. To finish, dust cupcakes with confectioners’ sugar. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a coupler and a medium round tip (#8) with curd. Insert tip into top of each cupcake, and squeeze some curd below top to fill the inside, then lift the tip and squeeze more curd in a pool on top. Filled cupcakes can be kept at room temperature up to 1 hour (or refrigerated a few hours more) before serving.

Lemon Curd
A high proportion of lemon juice gives curd its intense flavor. As an acid, the juice also prevents the yolks from curdling when heated (unlike when making pastry cream, which requires the extra step of tempering). You can substitute an equal amount of juice from other citrus, such as lime, grapefruit, or blood orange. makes about 2 cups.

2 whole eggs plus 8 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature

Combine whole eggs and yolks, sugar, and lemon juice in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Add butter, a few pieces at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Strain through a fine sieve into another bowl, and cover with parchment paper or plastic wrap, pressing it directly on surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and firm, at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days).

Remember to RSVP!

 

It's almost April, and you know what that means? It's time for CupcakeCamp NYC!

Now in its second year, CupcakeCamp NYC is bigger and better than ever. Featuring the NYC girls from Cupcakes Take the Cake, Chicago's very own Kathy "Metalcakes" Bejma and Austin's Jennifer Ross, CupcakeCamp NYC is taking over Happy Ending once again for 2.5 hours of cupcake awesomeness. And this year, we'll be featuring a complimentary cupcake inspired cocktail thanks to Happy Ending and our sponsor Buttercup Bake Shop.

To RSVP, it's simple: use the little green Register button to the left of this blog post to register you and your guests. THEN, if you plan on bringing cupcakes, e-mail us at cupcakecampnyc@gmail.com for an official baker registration form. You MUST register your cupcakes in order to participate. If you plan on simply showing up with your appetite (sans cupcakes), then all you need to do is RSVP here and you're done. Easy!

This is a 21+ event (it's at a bar, so apologies to the underage ground - this is a grown up shindig), and you will have to face a bouncer asking for your ID, so don't try to pull a fast one.

Any more questions? Shoot us an e-mail at cupcakecampnyc@gmail.com.  See you on April 9th!

It's official now - take a look at the 2010 CupcakeCamp NYC poster!

Based on a vintage World's Fair poster, I'd like to present the 2010 poster for CupcakeCamp NYC!

 

Extra special thanks to Brian Witte for taking on design duties again this year. Your work is always appreciated!

Author Jennifer Ross attending CupcakeCamp NYC

We're stoked to announce that Jennifer Ross, author of the soon to be released book The Icing on the Cupcake, will be attending this year's CupcakeCamp NYC!

The Icing on the Cupcake, is a multi-generational story about  a woman builds a new life for herself after a broken engagement by opening a cupcake shop in New York City.  Ross was inspired to write the book by her life-long passion for baking, which she developed in her grandmother's kitchen.

Along with her appearance at CupcakeCamp NYC, Ross is embaring on an eight city book tour this spring, hosting events at both bookstores and cupcake shops.

Ross will be signing copies of her new book at CupcakeCamp NYC and we'll have copies available for purchase. Also, we'll have a few to give away as prizes, so keep your eyes peeled for contest announcements!

Buttercup Bake Shop sponsoring CupcakeCamp NYC

 

This year, I'm happy to announce that the great folks over at Buttercup Bake Shop are one of CupcakeCamp NYC's official sponsors. Not only are they donating some of their yummy cupcakes, but they are also paying for an open bar during the first hour of the event (or whenever the tab runs out - whichever comes first). So, be sure to get to CupcakeCamp NYC on time and enjoy a free drink while raising a toast to Buttercup Bake Shop and their generosity.

Also, if you haven't checked it out already, swing on by Buttercup's revamped web site and their brand spanking new cupcake community - My Cupcake Day.

Holy Moly! Metalcakes Bejma attending CupcakeCamp NYC!

If you are a fan of cupcakes and aren't already reading Metalcakes, you don't know what you're missing. For those of us that are already fans, I'm so excited to announce that Kathy "Metalcakes" Bejma (and her mom!) will be in attendance for CupcakeCamp NYC 2.0!

These two awesome ladies are flying in all the way from Chicago for this awesome event, so let's make sure to make this event a bazillion times more amazing than last year!

Date confirmed for CupcakeCamp NYC 2.0!

Great news! We are confirmed to host CupcakeCamp NYC 2.0 on Friday, April 9th, at Happy Ending! In the coming weeks, I'll be contacting participants from last year, so if you are interested in being added to the mailing list, shoot us an e-mail to cupcakecampnyc@gmail.com.

Start planning those recipes!

CupcakeCamp NYC 2.0 is in the planning stages!

I'm happy to announced that in the coming weeks, the CupcakeCamp NYC team will be organizing ourselves and starting to pull together the details of Cupcake NYC 2.0! We're hoping to make it bigger and better than last year, so be sure to stay tuned for more details!

CupcakeCamp NYC 2 - Who's in?

We're trying to get a general idea if everyone/anyone is interested in a summer CupcakeCamp. The one we are currently brainstorming is another 21+ event (it's a venue issue - all ages places are hard to come by). But, we are also thinking about an all age shindig sometime this summer too. So, tell us your thoughts/opinions/gripes/suggestions/etc. in the comments section. We are here for the cupcake lovin' New Yorkers, so tell us what you want!

Literary Death Match TONIGHT at Pianos in the L.E.S.

Tonight, CupcakeCamp NYC is a sponsor of Opium Magazine's Literary Death Match in the Lower East Side, so I encourage all of you to come out and support the cause of spreading amazing literary/comedy awesomeness in New York City. Hosted by Todd Zuniga and Erin Hosier, the lineup boasts Heidi Julavits (The Uses of Enchantment) Cheryl Wagner (Plenty Enough Suck to Go Around), Amy Lawless (Noctis Licentia), B.C. Edwards (Evitative), all to be judged by 30 Rock's Scott Adsit, Gawker's Richard Lawson and Scribner's Anna deVries!


When: Thursday, April 23; Doors at 7:00, show at 8:00 p.m. (sharp)
Where: Pianos, 158 Ludlow St., (212) 505-3733
Cost: $5

All proceeds support Opium Magazine.

CupcakeCamp NYC 2 planning under way!

Hello Cupcakers! CupcakeCamp NYC 2 is already in the planning stages for a summer event, so for those of you interested in helping out with the behind the scenes pre-event work, let me know. I know a few of you expressed interest via e-mail a while ago, but send me another note and I'll organize a meeting for us. Inspiration struck this morning in the form of my friend Adam Leir, so I've got a great theme to share with you all! Get ready - this CupcakeCamp is going to be awesome!


Image courtesy of NatalieDee.com.

Bakers - are you interested in participating in a bake sale?

Hey bakers! I've been in conversations with another event organizer who would love to have a bake sale at his upcoming literary/comedy show. If you're interested and would like to sign up, e-mail me at cupcakecampnyc@gmail.com. We only need between 5 to 10 bakers who can commit to making 2 to 3 dozen cupcakes each.

And if you need an additional reason to join in the fun, Scott Adsit from 30 Rock will be the judge of the show, so come on out and get your cupcakes in front of a television star!

Image courtesy of NatalieDee.com.

Are you a blogger or baker who wants to be featured on our site?

If you participated in CupcakeCamp NYC this past Friday and have a web site, blog, etc. you would like to have posted on our site, e-mail cupcakecampnyc@gmail.com. We'll add you to the "Sweet Links" section!

Check out all the photos from CupcakeCamp NYC!

New York City's first ever CupcakeCamp = SUCCESS!

Well cupcakers, with over 230 people in attendance and the bar making six times what they normally make on a Friday night between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., I think it's safe to say that New York City loves cupcakes (and drinkin').


To everyone who came out - thank you. Each and everyone one of you contributed to CupcakeCamp's success, and now you having bragging rights to say,"I was at the first NYC CupcakeCamp, you know..." Seriously, to everyone who brought cupcakes to the people who ate until their stomachs were going to explode, thank you for being an awesome crowd. I met so many fantastic people last night and am excited about all the new folks I can now call my friends.


Another big thank you to Buttercup Bake Shop, Magnolia Bakery and Baked by Melissa for donating cupcakes. And extra big thank you to Billy's Bakery, who not only donated cupcakes but had some live representation at the event who graciously handed out free cupcake coupons to the crowd (thanks Maggie!). Be sure to visit Billy's in Chelsea and their new second location in Tribeca (opening at the end of May!).


Another big thank you to the ladies at Cupcakes Take the Cake. Not only did they step up and help us with publicity efforts, they are just a super cool group of girls to work with. Talk about the best media sponsor you could ever possibly have!

And to Brian Witte, graphic designer extraordinaire - I keep the poster you designed open on my desktop because I STILL can't get over how great it turned out. For anyone interested in hiring this talented designer, get in touch. I'll connect you to him.



And let's not forget Happy Ending. Frank and Oliver - you guys rule. You guys treated us like royalty the whole night and were, hands down, the greatest venue folks I've ever worked with. Thank you thank you thank you thank you for letting us have CupcakeCamp at your fantastic bar.

Lastly, watching a large group of adults collectively go through a sugar rush then the subsequent crash on a Friday night in New York City was easily one of the highlights of my life thus far. I can't wait to see all of you out at future CupcakeCamps - they are going to be bigger and better than the first!

Cheers,
Mary Ann

P.S. Be sure to check out the photo's at Cupcakes Take the Cake (here). Also, if you have photos from the event, e-mail me at cupcakecampnyc@gmail.com. I want to upload your pics to Flickr!



All photos courtesy of Stacie Joy from Cupcakes Take the Cake.

CupcakeCamp NYC poster courtesy of Brian Witte.

CupcakeCamp TONIGHT!

Hello Cupcakers -

The day has finally arrived- CupcakeCamp NYC is tonight! Before you head out to stuff yourself silly with cupcakes, here are a few things to remember:

1.) The whole point of the event is to eat cupcakes. So, if you signed up to bring some, please do so and don't flake out. If everyone takes this approach, CupcakeCamp will be cupcake-less. And for those of you that hadn't planned to bring any from the get go, we strongly encourage you to pick up a dozen on your way over. If everyone does this, we'll have over 2,000 cupcakes! And that means more for you to enjoy.

2.) Everyone bringing cupcakes should arrive by 7:15 so we can register your cakes.

3.) YOU MUST BE AT LEAST 21 YEARS OLD TO ATTEND. The event is taking place at a bar - no exceptions to the age restriction can be granted.

4.) Have fun. If everyone who has signed up to bring cupcakes ACTUALLY follows through, the numbers work out to about 2 to 3 cupcakes per person (hence the reason it will be more fun if EVERYONE brings something to contribute). This isn't a guarantee though. Over 250 people have RSVP'd, so please keep in mind that your cup may not overfloweth with cupcake goodness.

5.) Tip your bartenders - Happy Ending did us a major favor by letting us hold the event at their bar, so show them some love.

See you all tonight!

Cupcake Registration Deadline Extended!

Good news! The deadline for cupcake registration has been extended to Monday, April 7th! If you haven't yet e-mailed us for a registration form, do so by shooting us a note at cupcakecampnyc@gmail.com.

Cheers!

CupcakeCamp NYC in the New York Times!

I want to give a big THANK YOU to Florence Fabricant for including CupcakeCamp in the New York Times' Dining Calendar today! My hope is this will encourage more people to donate cupcakes!

If you live in the New York area and want to join in the festivities, e-mail cupcakecampnyc@gmail.com.

Remember - Registration Deadline Next Week!

Just a heads up - next Wednesday, April 1st, is the deadline to register cupcakes or to volunteer for CupcakeCamp NYC. We are still in need of bakers and on-site volunteers, so shoot us an e-mail at cupcakecampnyc@gmail.com to get involved!