When Tara Met Blog: The Cupcake Challenge Take 2

On Sunday, I once again was one of the official judges at the annual L.A. Cupcake Challenge sponsored by Nesquik and organized by Drink Eat Play. Basically, 37 cupcake flavors compete for Best Traditional, Most Original and Best Cupcake Overall. I had tried many of these shops before, but there were many cupcake delivery services that were new to me.

As always, I enjoyed the red velvet from SuiseCakes and HotCakes Bakes, loved the super moist berry cupcakes from Sugar Jones and Polkatots and found the Lavender cupcake from Melli Belli desserts unusual and new.

Anyway, after tallying up the judges results and the picks from all the attendees, the following are this year's winners:

Best Traditional
1st: Susie Cakes: Red Velvet
2nd: Two Parts Sugar: Raspberry Red Velvet
3rd: Blue Cupcake: Chocolate

Best Original
1st: Polkatots: Dulce De Leche (which the LA Cupcakes MeetUp group got to try two weeks ago!)
2nd: Sugar Jones: Blackberries and Cream
3rd: Southern Girl: Sweet Potato Pie

Best Overall
1st: Polkatots: Dulce De Leche
2nd: Sugar Jones: Blackberries and Cream
3rd: Sugar Jones: Casanova's Kiss

Also, you can read more cupcake challenge coverage from the other judges at:

Now get ready for some photos or as I like to call it, cupcake porn. And if my camera could take a picture of itself it would reveal how sticky and dirty it got from my frosting licked fingers. I literally had to clean my camera off with a sponge when I got home.