Archive for the ‘Contests’ Category
For the last two years, I’ve had the opportunity to be one of the judges for the Threadcakes Cake Contest and I’m happy to say that I’m back to judge for the third year in a row! The cake contest challenges people to create edible works of art in the form of cakes inspired by Threadless t-shirt designs (such as this popsicle t-shirt I recently featured in a giveaway!). Threadless, if you’re not familiar with them, is a t-shirt company that uses amazing user-submitted art for their clothing.
The rules for the contest are very simple. You must bake and decorate a cake inspired by one of the MANY Threadless t-shirt designs, take lots of photos and post your entry to the contest by Monday, August 15th, 2011. Entries will not be judged on the quality of the photographs, but it is important that the photos allow the judges to clearly see how cool your cake is. There are both 2D and 3D cake categories, and there are lots of amazing prizes to win.
So, browse through the designs at Threadless for some inspiration and take a peek at last year’s gallery to see how people interpreted the tees into cake then. There is no limit to the number of entries you can post and there will even be some “surprise” weekly prizes given out to make things more exciting. Good luck – and I can’t wait to see the final entries!
Eating a popsicle on a hot summer day is a great way to cool down, and wearing a t-shirt printed with a big popsicle design will also help keep you cool – although you still might want the real popsicle to go along with it. This Summertime Treat t-shirt features a huge chocolate-dipped, multi-flavored popsicle on a bright blue background. There is even a little joke printed on the “stick” of the popsicle – although unfortunately, you can’t eat the rest of the pop to find out the punchline. I picked up two of these cute Threadless t-shirts (which are now out of print) some time ago to give away and never got around to it. But better late than never – especially when it comes to a giveaway!
To enter the contest, just leave a comment with your favorite type of popsicle or ice cream bar – whether it is a simple fruit juice pop or a decadent chocolate-dipped number – below. The contest ends Sunday at midnight (7/10/2011) and two winners will be randomly selected from the entries. Don’t forget to fill in your e-mail on the comment form (it will not be public), as that is how I will contact the winner, and good luck!
Here are a few homeade popsicle recipes for inspiration:
Update: Thanks for playing, everyone. This contest is now closed. Congrats to Shannon and Lisa on their wins!
Ice cream cakes are a delicious dessert and can be even better when they come in a smaller, cuter cupcake size. This is party because you can actually be more creative with cupcakes than you can with full sized cakes, as my own Root Beer Float Cupcakes demonstrate because they work perfectly in a cupcake package. So, I was honored to be asked to judge Cupcake Project and Scoopalicious‘s 2011 Ice Cream Cupcake Contest, where I had to sort through 60 entries of over-the-top ice cream cupcakes to pick out my favorites.
All of the entries were fantastic, and I have to encourage you to check them all out (or at least most of them!) when you have a few spare moments or are looking for some inspiration for a summertime treat. As a judge, I had to pick out my top three cupcakes and they’re presented here in no particular order. My picks were based on the combination of flavors and the overall concept of the cake. Thanks to everyone who participated and thanks to Cupcake Project and Scoopalicious for asking me to judge, along with Jessie Oleson from CakeSpy, and Naomi Robinson from Bakers Royale. I only wish I could have made everyone a winner! Since I’m only one of three judges, the grand prize winner will be chosen out of the narrowed field of favorites by the end of the month.
My first pick is the S’mores Cupcake Ice Cream Sandwiches, pictured at the top of this post, made by by Stephanie of 52 Kitchen Adventures. I’m a big s’mores fan and thought that this combination was a very imventive way to combine s’mores and cupcakes. No traditional frosting here, but definitely a lot of flavor in a very easy-to-eat package.
Cake Flavor: Chocolate
Ice Cream Flavor: Marshmallow
Frosting Flavor: N/A
Toppings: Graham cracker crust
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Not sure what to get Mom for Mother’s Day? A copy of Small Batch Baking for Chocolate Lovers might be just the thing. This cookbook features 150 chocolate recipes that have all been scaled down to meet the needs (and treat the tastebuds) of bakers who don’t need 4 dozen cookies or a whole 9-inch layer cake every time they want to bake something. Most recipes make just two or four servings – and without sacrificing any of the flavor or quality that you’d find in a full-sized dessert. I reviewed this book recently and now I’m giving away a copy of Small Batch Baking for Chocolate Lovers. If you win, you can give the book to Mom for Mother’s Day or keep the book for yourself and use it to bake a chocolatey treat.
To enter the contest, leave a comment naming your favorite chocolate dessert below. The contest ends Saturday, April 30, at midnight and the winner will be randomly selected from all of the entries received. Don’t forget to fill in your e-mail on the comment form (it will not be public), as that is how I will contact the winner. Good luck!
Update: This contest is now closed. Congratulations to Patty for winning the copy of the cookbook! Thanks to everyone for participating and stay tuned for the next Baking Bites contest!
The odds of winning the lottery are slim, so if you like to bake and want to increase your odds of taking home a big cash prize, you just might want to think about entering the 45th Pillsbury Bake-Off. The contest is the biggest, longest-running cooking contest in the US and it is so popular that what was once an annual event now takes two years to organize because there are so many entries. Every recipe that is entered is screened (to make sure it meets the requirements of the contest), tested and retested to narrow the field down to 100 entries that are baked live, for judges at the Bake-Off itself to determine the million-dollar winner.
The general rules are simple: you must include two qualifying products in an original recipe that fits into one of the contest’s categories. The categories are Breakfast and Brunches, Entertaining Appetizers, Dinner Made Easy and Sweet Treats. You can enter each recipe only once, but you can enter multiple recipes. Entries will be accepted at Bakeoff.com from until 11:59 a.m. (central time) on April 18, 2011.
Some of the qualifying products are packaged foods that are designed to allow you to be creative with some convenience, but many of them are things that you would use regularly in from-scratch baking, such as flour, spices and peanut butter. When I attended the Bake-Off a few years ago, I found that the finalists were mostly very avid home cooks that came up with recipes specifically for the contest, streamlining favorites to make them easier and use a few of the qualifying products. Last year’s top prize winner was a recipe for Mini Ice Cream Cookie Cups – a great idea, but one that was so simple you’ll wonder why you didn’t come up with it first. The round before, the winning recipe was for some peanut butter-stuffed Double Delight Peanut Butter Cookies. I made a from-scratch Double Delight Peanut Butter Cookies after the contest.
So, flex your culinary muscles and come up with something amazing. At worst, you’ll have some fun and come up with some tasty dishes. At best, you could be the one who walks away with the grand prize during the 2012 finals in Orlando, FL! If you need a little inspiration, check out some of the finalist recipes from past Bake-Offs:
