Bakers and Bloggers Team Up for Boozy Baking

Photo Credit: Amber Love Bond | MIAbites

Geoff here.

I don’t bake or cook. I am essentially useless in the kitchen. So when I was asked to participate in the Bakers and Bloggers Boozy Baking Competition, I was obviously hesitant. But after being reassured that there would be an emphasis on the “boozy” aspect, I was all for it.

The competition, which was to promote the 3rd Annual SoFlo Cake and Candy Expo, paired me and two other bloggers with home bakers. Thankfully, my blogger competition – Mitch (Mitch and Mel Take Miami) and Jennifer Agress (Dining Out Miami) – were only slightly more experienced than me. The event took place inside Sweet Life Cake and Candy Supply in Kendall; if you haven’t been, you’ll feel like a kid in a candy store.

I ended up working with the amazing Candice of Candy Cakes & More (@candycakesandmore) on three different cupcakes. Remember that “boozy” emphasis from earlier? Well, the secret ingredient we had to use was RumChata. I knew nothing about the alcohol besides the fact that it tasted like coquito. I also had no idea how we’d incorporate the booze into our cupcakes. And after five shots of RumChata for “testing purposes,” I had even less of an idea.

Photo Credit: Amber Love Bond | MIAbites

Fortunately, my capable and (much more responsible) teammate figured out how to best include RumChata in our creations without making everything overly sweet. After 45 minutes of planning and 90 minutes of baking, behold our trio of cupcakes:

– Vanilla RumChata cupcake with a vanilla buttercream

– Coconut Banana cupcake with RumChata buttercream and Cinnamon Toast Crunch filling

– Coconut cupcakes with RumChata buttercream and a RumChata dulce de leche buttercream

Since the theme was art deco, we also got a little fancy with toppings like flamingoes and skylines. Alas, we didn’t win – that honor went to Jennifer and her teammate Latoya of CL Butler’s Cupcakery (@clbutlers_cupcakery) – but we had a blast participating (and drinking).

Jennifer and Latoya will be competing against Megan from Big Booty Foodies (@bigbootyfoodies) and Bianca of JoBees Sweets (@jobeessweets) who won Round 2. The finals will be going down on April 1, so make sure to follow Sweet Life Cake and Candy Supply for more information. And don’t forget to check out the SoFlo Cake & Candy Expo the weekend of April 28!

As for me, I’m now slightly more useful in the kitchen.

– Geoff