Creativity, Talent Showcased in 'Cupcake War' Event

It was a tough job, but someone had to do it.

Buffalo Grove resident Howard Axe tasted his way through 21 cupcakes Friday night as judge in a “Cupcake War” competition organized by the It’s So Tara resale shop.

At first a reluctant judge — “I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. My wife volunteered me,” he said — Axe soon was won over by the flavors and appearances of the treats, which were baked and decorated by professionals and as well as general community members.

“There’s always room for more chocolate,” said Axe, after he had sampled the last of the entries.

The judges weren’t the only ones who weighed in on the sweets. The competition, which was open to the community, attracted samplers such as Buffalo Grove resident Laurie Projansky, who had definite opinions about the treats she tried. 

“I’m a big fan of Cupcake Wars on TV,” said Projansky, who bakes as a hobby and reads cookbooks in her spare time. “I’m looking at technique and flavor profiles and if there’s a ganache and whether it’s really authentic.” 

After tasting a variety of flavors, which included “Chocolate Avocado,” “Cotton Candy Crunch” and “Princess Bubblegum, she said her favorite was the S’mores cupcake. “Not only does it taste delicious, it’s gorgeous,” she said.

The contest, which was organized by It’s So Tara owner Tara Joseph, drew entries from 11 bakers in all.

“I wanted to do something to try to expose businesses around here,” Joseph said, explaining why professionals were invited to display their sweets alongside those created by community members who simply bake for pleasure.

Jolie Ring, 7, and her sister Sydney, 10, were among the youngest bakers in the competition. They created chocolate mint cupcakes topped with half of a Girl Scout Thin Mint cookie.

“I wanted to use Girl Scout cookies, so I thought that Thin Mints were the most popular,” explained Jolie, who recently sold 164 boxes of cookies for her troop’s fundraiser.

As she waited for the competition’s results, she said she hoped she’d win, but that she enjoyed baking and decorating her treats regardless of the outcome.

In the end, Axe and fellow judges Josh Joseph, Tony Balter, David Zucker, Debi Zucker, Jeff Goldberg, Lynn Blumberg, Sydni Axe and Zoe Oppman decided that the professional bakers came out on top.

The winners were a "Vanilla Chai" cupcake from Swirlcup (Best Taste), "Double Chocolate" topped with fondant purses by Stacie Cakes (Best Decorated), Busy B’s Sweet Treats’ "Piña Colada" (Most Original Ingredient) and a caramel-filled chocolate cupcake with caramel Swiss meringue butter cream by Stacie Cakes (Best Overall).