double whammy: vote for me and feed a needy family for Christmas!

So I did it. I entered a local charity cupcake contest. Before I explain, this is my entry.


I do love the Pens. And even though the name of the contest was the Holiday Cupcake Challenge, your first entry didn't have to be a holiday cupcake. So I went with the Pens. You can never go wrong with the Pens.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review is sponsoring the contest to raise money for Operation Santa Claus, which partners with the Salvation Army to provide complete holiday meals for families as well as storybooks for the children in those families! Food and reading! Yes!

Voters donate to Operation Santa Claus for votes to apply to cupcakes, starting with $5 for 5 votes, going to $25 for 40 votes. The top 5 cupcakes at the end of the voting period get the chance to compete at the Good Taste Pittsburgh Food and Cooking Expo in November. There, the contestants will make a holiday cupcake to compete for $1,000.

And to top it all off, Duff Goldman from Ace of Cakes will be at the Expo! Squeeeee!

My entry is a devil's food cupcake with buttercream frosting, black and gold jimmies, and fondant sculpted figures: Iceburgh, Mellon Arena, and the Stanley Cup (which belongs to us right now, thank you very much Detroit! :) )

First we start with ingredients (minus Sir Sous Chef).

Chop up a whole buncha chocolate.


Add some cocoa powder and boiling water to make chocolate sludge.



Cream the butter and sugars. I always love this part.


Add eggs.


Sour cream and vanilla.


Mix it up with a combo of cake and all-purpose flour, and you get batter that smells delicious and looks like mousse.




At this point I forgot to take photos of the finished cupcakes. But you know how the story ends.


If you feel so inclined, please vote for my cupcake and donate to Operation Santa Claus by clicking on the widget to the left. Pass it to your friends.

Even if I don't move on to the next round, and you vote for any cupcake in the contest, your money will help needy children and families during the holidays. And knowing that people voting for my cupcake might put some Christmas dinner and storytime on the menu for a family this December is good enough for me.