If you are a loyal viewer of the Food Network series “Cupcake Wars”, you have probably seen a trend as to which cupcake flavors are the most popular. Surprisingly, the most popular cupcakes seem to be the ones that have unusual flavor combinations.
When I first started watching “Cupcake Wars”, I assumed that the most popular flavors would be vanilla and chocolate. After watching a few episodes however I realized my assumption was wrong. As a matter of fact, I have never seen a plain vanilla or chocolate on the show. But then again I guess a plain cupcake would not be what the judges would be looking for in terms of creativity and taste. To give you an idea of the type of cupcakes seen most frequently on the show, I created a short summary below.
One cupcake I have seen very often on Cupcake Wars is a strawberry cupcake made with various types of wine. I have a seen cupcakes filled with a red wine compote, and others topped with a merlot based frosting (I’m not sure if the wine retains the alcohol flavor once it is baked). I don’t usually bake with wine, but I will admit it gives the cupcake a beautiful color. The Cupcake Wars judges also seem to agree. I have heard them say many times how the merlot and red wine make the cupcake come to life. I have also seen many contestants who use wine in their cupcakes win the grand prize.
Another cupcake I have seen very frequently on Cupcake Wars is a lemon and blueberry cupcake topped with chocolate frosting. This sounds like a weird flavor combination to me, but the judges seem to love it. I have also seen this cupcake combination created in a lot of different ways. One version was a lemon cupcake blended with fresh blueberries, and another version was a blueberry cupcake blended with lemon zest. I have also seen variations of the chocolate frosting. Some contestants use milk chocolate frosting, and others use dark chocolate or fudge. I would probably never put chocolate frosting on a lemon and blueberry cupcake, but might reconsider if I were in a cupcake baking contest and had a chance to win ten thousand dollars.
There is one cupcake flavor that a lot of contestants make, and that is Red Velvet. This is kind of funny because, it is well known that one of the judges on the show does not like Red Velvet cupcakes. Despite this, many contestants make it anyway. I have seen Red Velvet cupcakes blended with cranberries, kiwi fruit and even chocolate. There was one contestant who actually make a ’blue velvet’ cupcake. Unfortunately, the judges didn’t like it and he was eliminated in the second round.