My food science students had  a blast with our version of cupcake wars.

We started with all types of bases for the cupcakes and added layers of flavors. Culinary experts from William Sonoma did an excellent job of judging. At the end, the judges graciously gave feedback on each of the 20 different entries.

We learned a few things in the process of having tons of fun.  While experimenting with leavings and increased beating time we found that peaks really do form, and there is a reason some cupcakes come out flat.

Creating new flavor combinations was part of the fun. There happened to be three different teams who chose to add cardamon! The judge’s comments for the first was “overpowering cardamon,” the second cardamon entry was “too weak” in flavor, and the third . .  well, the third was a charm.  It combined cardamon and tea leaves steeped in milk  which were then cooled and added to the cupcake batter. It was pronounced “wonderful” in flavor even though the judges were not able to detect exactly what the flavor was that they were enjoying. That particular cupcake was one of the top winners and made the point that sometimes the blend of flavors are what makes a food shine.

I will post the most requested recipes from the cupcake wars, so vote on which recipe you would most like to try by pinning it.