Five groups, five different cupcakes, only one can win. In Ms. Hansen’s FACS classes, just before Spring Break, groups of students competed in the ultimate challenge of creating the best tasting, and best designed cupcakes.
It all started one day during class when Ms. Hansen and her students were watching the famous baking show, Cake Wars. Jacob H, a student currently taking FACS, had an idea. He suggested that Ms. Hansen’s class should do something similar.
“That’s where the idea all started,” commented Ms. Hansen, “From there, everything else just came naturally.” Soon, Ms. Hansen had a plan for her student’s very own ‘Cupcake Wars’.
Each team of students had to come up with their own, unique design for their cupcakes. They would then need to bake, decorate, and create a stand that matched their cupcakes’ theme. The judges would make their final decision based on taste, texture, and design.
The groups started brainstorming their ideas on Wednesday, giving them a week to plan, come up with ideas, and prepare ingredients. Everyone needed to come up with a creative and exemplary idea since the competition was going to be tough.
Day one of the challenge began and each group started by baking the base of their cupcakes, each with individual flavors and textures. Day two got much more interesting, since all groups began the decorating process. This included icing, decorating, and setting up the display for the judges.
Nearing the end of Day Two, while groups were adding finishing touches to their cupcakes, the long awaited judges arrived. Different groups slathered cream and chocolate over their cupcakes, precisely iced the tops of their cupcakes, and meticulously sprinkled topping onto their treats. The competitive aura in the room was clear.
Mackenzie T, a student participating in the cupcake challenge said, “The hardest part of the competition was adding in the filling, and having enough time to add all the little details.” This was certainly true since groups only had 45 minutes each the day to create their cupcakes, it was a scramble for time.
Then in the midst of the craziness, the timer buzzed and each group stepped back from their final products. They were ready to be judged. The judges included Ms. Kownacki, Ms. Polsgrove, Ms. Jackson, and Ms. Morris.
One of the judges, Ms. Kownacki commented, “I am totally ready to be blown away by the creativity of these cupcakes. Also I’m a pretty fair judge, any of these groups could win.” Each group had spent so much effort trying to get these cupcakes to be perfect and now was the time to put their work to the test.
The judges spent a lot of time walking around the room assessing and judging each cupcake design, tasting them, and ultimately deciding who would be the winner.
After much anticipation, the four judges finally decided on the winners, ‘The Starbucks Frappuccino group’. They had made delicious oreo filled cupcakes. Sophie N, Sunny R, Maiya V, Mackenzie T, and Alli B were all thrilled to win and even more excited when they each got a $5 giftcard to crumble cookies for their hard work.
Overall, the cupcake wars were a super exciting and fun experience for students taking FACS. Even the students that didn’t win had an awesome time working together to create some yummy treats. It was a great success and an amazing way to end off the 3rd quarter.
