Battle of the Cupcakes on Test Tube Kitchen (part one)

Welcome to the Battle of the Cupcakes on this week’s Test Tube Kitchen.

I will present to you a four-part series where I will bake two competing Root Beer Float Cupcake recipes, compare the results and crown the Winner of the Root Beer Float Cupcake.

Competitor 1 comes to us from Bittersweet, a vegan recipe blog. Competitor 2 hails from Teamsugar, which pretty much says it all.

Are you ready for the BATTLE OF THE CUPCAKES!!

Each competing recipe will receive up to five smiley faces in each of the four categories:

Ingredients – We will judge the availability and cost of the ingredients required

Preparation & Clean-up – We review the difficulty level, if any special tools are required and most importantly, how many dirty dishes are left for me to wash.

Presentation – At this stage we will critique the shape and colour of the cupcakes as well and rate the overall presentation, including icing and garnishes as suggested by the recipes.

Tasting – Some may say this is the most important part of the judging process. We look at the moisture, flavour intensity, ease of devouring and overall taste.

The number of smiley faces from each category will be averaged together to create the “Overall Smiles.” The cupcake recipe with the highest number of Overall Smiles will become the official winner of the Battle of the Root Beer Float Cupcakes.

Battle of the Cupcakes will proceed in four parts:

Tuesday 19 August 2008 - Part One (Which you are reading right this second) sets the ground rules and guidelines for the recipe competition.

Wednesday 20 August 2008 – Part Two. Our first competing recipe is prepared as per normal Test Tube Kitchen standards. The process and accompanying photographs are shared with you.

Thursday 21 August 2008 – Part Three. The process of preparing of the second competing recipe will be posted for you to read.

Friday 22 August 2008 – Part Four. The final results will be revealed and a winner declared!

I must state that Root Beer is exceptionally difficult to find in my part of the world, however Sarsaparilla is readily available. Whilst root beer and sarsaparilla are first cousins, they are not the same. Sarsaparilla is slightly earthier in flavour.

To counter balance the earthiness of the sarsaparilla, any Root Beer Float Cupcake recipe that calls for white sugar I will replace with dark brown sugar and add a dash of vanilla extract.

Also, the only oil I have in my cupboard is cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. Any oils that are required in each recipe will be replaced with olive oil. Why don’t I just go down to the grocery store and buy the suggested oils? Because I was already at the grocery store once today and I refuse to suffer the embarrassment of being served by the same check-out clerk twice in one afternoon. I am sure you understand.

Stop back tomorrow when we showcase competing recipe number one, from Bittersweet.