The third rendition of CupcakeCampColumbus (or CCC3 for short), took place in the Dispatch Kitchen at the North Market this past Sunday. I think it’s safe to say that a “sweet” time was had by all.

Our cupcake bakers went all out to compete for the prizes and the glory of being declared the champion in their category. The categories in this round tended toward the seasonal with colorful and creative cupcake entries for St. Patty’s Day, Use of Bailey’s Irish Cream or Bushmill’s Irish Whiskey and Spring Themes. The Vegan category was hugely popular (and tasty!) this round too, and the North Market Inspired cupcakes literally “took the cake” with an abundance of amazing submissions inspired by a variety of North Market merchants and their delicacies.

Let’s take a look at the categories, contestants and commentary by the judges. Judges score and/or comments in parentheses when given:

Spring Themed Entries: Judged by Olivera Bratich, Jill Moorhead and Miriam Bowers Abbott

Honeypot Lemon Thyme ~ WINNER* ~ submitted by Mandy Farnsworth (24 out of 25 points)

Hello Hummingbird ~ Honorable Mention ~submitted by Kaylon Jackson (23 out of 25 points)

Honeyed Sweet Pea~ Honorable Mention ~ submitted by Jess Lavelle  (21 out of 25 points)

Buzzing Around ~ submitted by Danae Huff (20 out of 25 points)

Lovely Lavender Lemon ~ submitted by Timmura Johnson (18 out of 25 points)

The Honey Pot ~ submitted by Lisa Steward (18 out of 25 points)

Spring Garden ~ submitted by Rachel Morocco (18 out of 25 points)

*Winner Mandy Farnsworth received a CCC poster and pendant,  Spinelli’s Deli gift certificate, AmyD cupcake apron, and a Scrabble Chick “Keep calm and eat a cupcake” necklace

Best Use of Bailey’s Irish Cream or Bushmills Whiskey Entries: Judged by Emily Clemons, Lisa Dillman, Johnny DiLoretto and AJ Perry 

Irish Coffee ~ WINNER* ~ submitted by Christina Taylor (23 out of 25 points, adorable appearance, nice, boozy flavors & good texture)

Killarney Stout & Whiskey ~ submitted by Mandy Farnsworth (21 out of 25 points, very cute, nicely iced, nicely balanced with both whiskey and stout flavors apparent)

The Burning Bush ~ submitted by Ashley Miller (17 out of 25 points)

Irish Neopolitan ~ submitted by Mary Lynn Penner (16 out of 25 points)

Irish Devil ~ submitted by Kim Rawls (14 out of 25 points)

Tipsy Cup O’ Cake ~ submitted by Lisa Sobczynski (11 out of 25 points)

Gluten Free Bailey’s Irish Cream ~ submitted by Candace Moser Stafford (8 out of 25 points)

*Winner Christina Taylor received a CCC poster and pendant, a bottle of Bushmills Irish Whiskey (we carded her), and AmyD coffee sleeve and  a Scrabble Chick “Keep calm and eat a cupcake” necklace

St. Patty’s Day Entries: Judged by Amanda Ellis, Joe Spinelli and Bethia Woolf

Irish Car Bomb A ~ WINNER* ~ submitted by Timmura Johnson (very professional looking, good flavor, creative decorations of hats and shamrocks, Bailey’s frosting, chocolate hidden in cupcake, every element added to theme)

Pot O Gold ~ Honorable Mention ~ submitted by Kaylon Jackson (loved the Cupcake Camp M&Ms and gorgeous rainbow cupcake, psychedelic! tastes like a mix)

Erin Go Bragh ~ Honorable Mention ~submitted by Erin Derryberry-Mason (great flavor & decorations, good cake, shortening frosting, sharp appearance, gold liner clever)

Pistachio Lime ~ submitted by Megan Rand (OK, good frosting, heavy, chewy)

Chocolate Stout with Irish Cream Icing ~ submitted by Chelsea Mahaffey (very gooey, good Bailey’s, not excited about appearance)

Pinch Me ~ submitted by Colleen Wingo (very lime, tart, green!)

Irish Car Bomb B ~ submitted by Christy Annis (sweet and boozy, crumbly)

Shamrock CupShake ~ submitted by MaryLynn Penner (minty, very green, a little tooth-pasty)

Shamrock Shake ~ submitted by Kate Chilek (very cute, reminds us of chewing gum or toothpaste)

*Winner Timmura Johnson received a CCC poster and pendant, an AmyD coffee sleeve, Sassafrass Bakery gift certificate and a Scrabble Chick “Keep calm and eat a cupcake” necklace

Vegan Entries: Judged by Amy Dalrymple, Jennie Scheinbach and Amy Turn-Sharp

Lemon Basil ~ WINNER* ~ submitted by Amy Hamilton (perfect! light, grown-up, good balance, moist)

Anything Goes (aka the Master and the Margarita) ~ runner up #1 ~ submitted by Stacie Sells (perfect icing, burst of freshness, lemon + salt = great mix)

Jen Surprise ~ runner up #2 ~ submitted by Jen Killius (darling, good party cupcake, great idea, kid friendly & tasty!)

Dark Chocolate Blackout ~ submitted by Jessica Kania (deep richness)

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Bacon ~ submitted by Lisa Steward  (good concept)

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butterscotch ~ submitted by Jen Uhlrich (tastes like a butterscotch lollipop)

*Winner Amy Hamilton received a CCC poster and pendant, Sweet Stella Designs cupcake bobby pins, an AmyD coffee sleeve, Bakery Gingham t-shirt and a Scrabble Chick “Keep calm and eat a cupcake” necklace

North Market Inspired Entries: Judged by Colleen Braumoeller, Bob Mangia & Martha Snee

Cardamon Sweater ~ WINNER* ~ submitted by Jim Eaton and inspired by Flavors of India (21 out of 25 points)

Hot and Cool Mango~ submitted by Sarah Loch-Test and inspired by CaJohn’s Flavor & Fire (20 out of 25 points)

Pad Thai Panache ~ submitted by Lyndsey Maynor  and inspired by Nida’s Sushi (19 out of 25 points)

Earl Grey Chip ~ submitted by Lisa Sobczynski and inspired by Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams (18 out of 25 points)

Belgian Waffle Blitz ~ submitted by Lyndsey Maynor and inpired by Taste of Belgium (17 out of 25 points)

Chocolate Baklava ~ submitted by Katie Jo Kelley and inspired by Firdous Express (15 out of 25 points)

Citrus Serenade ~ submitted by Maggie Trudeau and inspired by Bubbles Tea & Juice Co. (14 out of 25 points)

The New Yorker ~ submitted by Paige DeMatteo and inspired by Barry’s New York Deli (14 out of 25 points)

Cup-a-Cannoli Cake ~ submitted by Kim Rawls and inspired by Pastaria (13 out of 25 points)

*Winner Jim Eaton received a CCC poster and pendant, Market Blooms gift certificate, AmyD coffee sleeve, Bakery Gingham t-shirt and a Scrabble Chick “Keep calm and eat a cupcake” necklace

Thanks to our discerning judges: Olivera Bratich of Wholly Craft, Colleen Braumoeller of The Greener Grocer, Miriam Bowers Abbott of The Other Paper, Emily Clemons of Surly Girl Saloon, Amy Dalrymple of Made by AmyD, Lisa Dillman of RestaurantWidow.com, Johnny DiLoretto of WSYX 6/ WTTE Fox 28, Amanda Ellis of Bakery Gingham, Bob Mangia of Market Blooms, Jill Moorhead of The Hills Market, AJ Perry of Sassafrass Bakery, Jennie Scheinback of Pattycake Vegan Bakery, Martha Snee of Omega Artisan Bakery, Joe Spinelli of Spinelli’s Deli, Amy Turn Sharp of doobleh-vay.blogspot and Bethia Woolf of HungryWoolf.com.

Proceeds from CupcakeCampColumbus will go to benefit the Mid-Ohio Food Bank. (Edit: $950 was contributed to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank).

CupcakeCampColumbus was sponsored by Surly Girl Saloon, 52 Weeks of Baking, North Market, CrimsonCup Coffee, Bailey’s Irish Cream, Bushmills Irish Whiskey and Snowville Creamery. Judges and prize sponsors include AmyD, Bakery Gingham, Market Blooms, Pattycake Vegan Bakery, Sassafrass bakery, Spinelli’s Deli, Surly Girl Saloon and Wholly Craft.

Thanks to baker Amy Hamilton for letting us “borrow” her photos while we download ours!

CupcakeCampColumbus, will return to the North Market on Sunday, March 14 from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Dispatch Kitchen and “this time it’s frostable.” Organizers Carmen Owens of Surly Girl Saloon, Kiesha Jenkins-Duffy of the blog 52 Weeks of Baking and the North Market’s Mary Martineau are offering a festive Saint Patrick’s Day and spring-themed celebration of cupcakes.

Approximately forty different flavors of cupcakes created strictly by local amateur bakers will be featured. This round’s classifications include:

Best St. Patrick’s Day Cupcake: It’s just three days before “the wearing of the green” and your cupcake should pay tribute to this fanciful day of Irish frivolity. Give us green icing, shamrocks or leprechauns, but leave the orange at home!

Best Use of Bailey’s Irish Cream or Bushmills Irish Whiskey: We’re guilty of another Irish-themed category here, but for this one we want you to incorporate some fine Irish libations. You can choose to include Bailey’s Irish Cream or Bushmills Irish Whiskey into your recipe or, heck, go hog-wild and use both!

Best North Market-Inspired: The North Market features a little of everything and so should these cupcakes. Cupcakes inspired by Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream flavors were popular in the last round. How about using one of our ethnic eateries for inspiration? With Thai, Vietnamese, Mediterranean, Belgian, Indian, Italian and even Polish cuisine on market there’s a world of inspiration here!

Best Spring-themed: The crocuses will bear their delicate little heads any day now and we’re sure the brilliant gold forsythia will bloom shortly. In the meantime, bake up a batch of cupcakes that reflect the rebirth of our greenery from the cold winter.

Best Vegan: No animal products permitted. Bring us the tastiest cupcake you can create without using milk, eggs, butter or any other animal product.

Local celebrities, bakers and other experts will be on hand to judge each category and fabulous prizes will be awarded to the winners. Applications for cupcake bakers and tickets for cupcake eaters are now available. To register to be a cupcake baker visit the CupCakeCampColumbus website. BAKER REGISTRATION FILLED. If you’re not a baker, but you are an avid cupcake eater and you would like to attend, tickets are $10 with the proceeds benefiting the Mid-Ohio Food Bank. TICKETS SOLD OUT.

 Tickets are limited and the event has sold out each time so get yours early!

Finally, if you’re all about quantity over quality, perhaps you’d like to enter the Cupcake Crush. In this contest the first intrepid eater to finish a set amount of mini cupcakes provided by the Surly Girl Saloon will take home a special award. Registration for the Cupcake Crush will take place on the day of the event.

CupcakeCampColumbus is sponsored by Surly Girl Saloon, 52 Weeks of Baking, North Market, CrimsonCup Coffee, Bailey’s Irish Cream, Bushmills Irish Whiskey and Snowville Creamery. Judges and prize sponsors include AmyD, The Hills Market, Market Blooms, Pattycake Bakery, Sassafrass bakery, Spinelli’s Deli, Wholly Craft. The event will take place on Sunday, March 14 from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Dispatch Kitchen of the North Market. Admission is free for registered cupcake bakers, but space is limited. Only 100 tickets are available for $10 each to the general public. Keep up with the ongoing details of CupcakeCampColumbus on the website or visit or on the North Market events page.

The first CupcakeCampColumbus was a sugary success staged in the back parlor of the Surly Girl Saloon this past May. For round two, Revenge of CupcakeCampColumbus, organizers Carmen Owens of Surly Girl Saloon and Kiesha Jenkins-Duffy of the blog 52 Weeks of Baking have teamed up with the North Market’s  Mary Martineau. The trio will bring on an even bigger baking event that will take place on Saturday, October 10 from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Dispatch Kitchen at the North Market. Keep up with the ongoing details of Revenge of CupcakeCampColumbus on the official event website here>.  The new location also brings a new round of categories to submit for judging the cupcakes. Approximately forty different flavors of cupcakes created by local amateur bakers (REGISTRATION FOR BAKERS CLOSED, LIMIT REACHED) will be featured. This round’s classifications include:

Best Harvest Cupcake: These cupcakes should scream ‘Autumn’. Use of fall fruits or vegetables encouraged and decorating the cupcakes like shocks of hay or other fall imagery a plus.

Best North Market-Inspired: The North Market features a little of everything and so should these cupcakes. Think cupcakes inspired by Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream flavors. Or turn up the heat a little and bake a cupcake that would make CaJohn proud. Myriad options available here.

Best Ohio Pride: These cupcakes would make any Ohioan proud. Use all Ohio ingredients. Bake cupcakes in the shape of Ohio. Decorate with OSU colors. Go crazy!

Best Decorated: As simple as it sounds. Bust out your Wilton piping bag or consult your copy of “Hello Cupcake!”

Best Vegan: No animal products here! We want the tastiest cupcake you can create without using milk, eggs, butter or any other animal product.

Best Halloween: Get creative and dress those cupcakes up in their best costumes! Disguise a cupcake as something else, make fondant ghosts or create a haunted cupcake house!

Local celebrities, bakers and other experts will be on hand to judge each category and fabulous prizes will be awarded to the winners. Applications for cupcake bakers and tickets for cupcake eaters are now available. To register to be a cupcake baker visit (Edit baker registration closed)  If you’re not a baker, but you’re n avid cupcake eater and you’d like to attend, tickets are $10 with the proceeds benefiting the Mid-Ohio Food Bank and can be purchased online (EDIT: event now sold out).

Finally, if you’re all about quantity over quality, perhaps you’d like to enter the Cupcake Crush. In this contest the first intrepid eater to finish twenty mini cupcakes provided by the Surly Girl Saloon will take home a special award.

Revenge of CupcakeCampColumbus is sponsored by Surly Girl Saloon, 52 Weeks of Baking, North Market, CrimsonCup Coffee, Snowville Creamery and Wholly Craft. The event will take place on Saturday, October 10 from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Dispatch Kitchen of the North Market. Admission is free for registered cupcake bakers, but space is limited. Only 100 tickets are available for $10 each to the general public. SOLD OUT