The Sounding Board

Battle Cupcake: I demand a recount

For those of you who aren’t too familiar with the SBX culture, let me give you some insight: we’re a competitive crowd. We work hard and we have fun while we work, but we have the most fun winning. We celebrate our victories on behalf of clients as a team. You’ll see high fives around the office when we land huge placements and interviews but we get right back to work because we’re always searching for the next big thing.

Even outside of client work we’re usually engaged in some competitive activity or debate. We’ve been known to divide the office for a good game of NERF H-O-R-S-E. And come August, there’s never any question about who supports which college football teams (Go Dawgs!).

I tell you all of this to set the stage for the latest in SpeakerBox competitions – our own version of the Food Network’s famed series, Iron Chef. Battle Cupcake took center stage as our inaugural competition: eight competitors, eight cupcake varieties. Non-bakers served as judges, scoring our 100% homemade (no store bought mixes or frosting for us) cupcakes on three criteria: plating, creativity and taste. We researched, plotted and talked cupcake smack in the hallways during the days leading up to the competition.

And the results?

- 8th Place: Jen/Chocolate cheesecake cupcakes (24.5)
- 7th Place: Mary/Chocolate chunk cookie cupcakes (25.5)
- 6th Place: Debbie/Heart-shaped chocolate cheesecake cupcakes (27.5)
- 5th Place: Piper/Strawberry cheesecake cupcakes (28)
- Tied for 3rd Place: Sarah/Ice cream cone cupcakes and Seth/Strawberry cupcake w/ amaretto buttercream (35.5)
- 2nd Place: Steph/S’mores cupcakes (39)
- 1st Place: Grace/Chocolate peanut butter smorgasbord cupcakes (40.5)

Nothing against Grace’s chocolate peanut butter cupcakes – the peanut butter icing was spot on, but my s’mores cupcakes were pretty dang good and I feel robbed. There’s no governing body to hear my appeal – so I’ll let Grace take the cake on this one – but I’ll be back.

From here on out, we’ll be holding these challenges the first Thursday (or so) of every month. July is Battle Macaroni & Cheese. Homemade Mac & Cheese is an area where I don’t have much (read: any) experience, so I’ll be spending my free time researching and battle testing recipes. If you have a killer/award winning Mac & Cheese recipe you think will help me steal the competition, email me at sstadler@speakerboxpr.com. Seriously.

-Stephanie