Photo by Jocelyn Hsu
Plates and boxes full of cupcakes, a tool box full of colored frosting and various tips, a table full of sprinkles and sweets… what could this be?
Ace of Cakes, of course–a cupcake decorating contest hosted by UC Berkeley’s Circle K! Every year, Circle K hosts this event in hopes of bringing together various on-campus organizations for the love of sugary treats; and they definitely succeeded this year!
Photo by Jocelyn Hsu
This year, the competition was on Saturday, March 8th from 6 to 8 pm at Morgan Hall. In order to participate, each person paid three dollars, which covered unlimited cupcakes and snacks. You could also choose to pay an extra dollar to get soda to wash down those hot Cheetos and sour cream and onion potato chips.
At the contest, there was a variety of on-campus organizations and even one from off campus. The teams were The Lair/Dance Marathon, Pre-Dental Society, Relay for Life, Rotaract 1, Rotaract 2, San Francisco State Circle K and Spoon University, and each team was comprised of five people.
Photo by Jocelyn Hsu
For the competition, each team was provided eight cupcakes, three bags of colored frosting, three tips, white frosting and a variety of sprinkles, chocolate chips and cookies. In addition to these supplies, teams were allowed to bring their own decorating supplies. Of the eight cupcakes, each team had to showcase at least three in the final presentation.
Rotaract 2’s Entry | Photo by Jocelyn Hsu
Pre-Dental Society’s Entry | Photo by Jocelyn Hsu
Spoon University’s Entry | Photo by Jocelyn Hsu
Some of my favorites were Rotaract 2’s Mama and Baby Caterpillars, Pre-Dental Society’s interactive TooFace (Tooth face, two face, get it?) and Spoon University’s animal train, inspired by the movie Dumbo.
From left to right: Ricky, Bertha, Christina | Photo by Jocelyn Hsu
The cupcakes were judged by three pre-determined individuals, Ricky, Bertha and Christina, who provided American Idol-esque comments. Ricky and Christina played the ever harsh Simon while Bertha was the sweet Paula. The comments ranged from funny yet mean like “Something about this caterpillar really bugs me” to fairly cruel like “You said it represents the dark side of the jungle? I only see the dark side.” To supplement the judges’ votes, the audience and participants could pay fifty cents for one vote or two dollars for five votes to contribute to the popular vote. The final decision was determined by both popular and judges’ votes.
First Place by Relay for Life | Photo by Jocelyn Hsu
At the end of the night, the results were announced with the usual “drum roll, please!” Third place went to Rotaract 1, second place went to Spoon University and first place went to Relay for Life.
First Place Winners – Relay for Life Team | Photo by Jocelyn Hsu