It was a fight for cupcake supremacy Saturday at Warren County Administrative Offices.
Students poured a tall glass of creativity to produce many captivating ideas in the 4-H Cupcake Decorating Battle.
Entries depicted all sorts of imagery. Haylee Martin visited the depths of the ocean for her cupcakes complete with under-the-sea flair.
“I finished up around 11 p.m. last night,” said Haylee, who didn’t shy away from sampling her work. “We ended up making a lot of extra cupcakes because we had so much extra icing.”
Haylee said her cupcakes featured mint icing with coconut cake. While she looked to the ocean, Christa Cortez sought inspiration from the desert. She placed a cactus atop each one of her cupcakes.
Keaton McGinness went with the classic recipe of chocolate cupcakes with vanilla icing. Asked how they taste, Keaton showed he has some willpower.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I haven’t tried one.”
Students were placed into three categories based on grade.
The top finishers in grades 4-5 were first place Miley King, second William Carter, and third Parker Griffith.
Claiming the top spots in grades 6-8 were first place Emiline Bell, second EmiLee Lassiter, and third Christa Cortez.
In grades 9-12, the top finishers were first place Molly Dodd, second Elizabeth Baker, and third KeyLe Rhea.
Judging was based largely on appearance, which was 50 percent of the overall score. Flavor accounted for 30 percent of the total and inside texture was earmarked for 20 percent.
Outside judges were brought in from the Vanilla Bean Baking Company, a Main Street business familiar with how to make a tasty cupcake.
“I’m glad I don’t judge because they’re all so cute,” said 4-H agent Shay Davis who organized the competition. “Students had the option of decorating all three cupcakes the same or decorating them differently and sticking with an overall theme. What better way to express yourself than through food?”
Davis admitted the number of entries was down this year.
“Normally these tables would be full but I think the coronavirus scare has kept some people away,” she said.
Like the rest of the country, 4-H is being impacted in the immediate future due to the virus. Davis said all local 4-H activities have been postponed until at least April 5.
