You may remember recently we asked for some help with our email subscriptions as we moved to Mailchimp. One willing local helped us set this up, and the more I talked to her the more interesting facts she told me. In particular she runs the local institution of IronCupcake that takes place at the Adelphi in Leeds each month. We spoke to Charlotte Walker to find out more.

Hi Charlotte, tell us a bit about yourself

I went to Leeds University to study English Language, and arrived in Kirkstall when I moved in with my boyfriend after University. I’m an Assistant Leader at 1st Kirkstall Guides which I absolutely love – our Guides are brilliant fun and we have a great time. My favourite part of Kirkstall is definitely the Abbey – it’s a beautiful place to spend a summer’s day, made even better when the Deli market is on!

So, what’s all this about Iron cupcakes? When did it all start and how did you get involved?

The IronCupcake competition was born in Milwaukee, America, and takes its name from the popular US television show Iron Chef. The well-loved Leeds version began in September 2009, when my cousin Zoe stumbled across the competition on the internet. The first event attracted only a handful of people, but it was not long before IronCupcake:Leeds moved to the Adelphi pub due to overwhelming demand for tickets!

I’ve been baking at IronCupcake since the very first competition in Leeds and I absolutely love the competition, so when Zoe announced that she no longer had the time to run it, I jumped at the chance to have a go myself! The first competition I ran in July was fantastic. The theme was Great British Summer and we had 13 delicious entries, with over 30 judges to taste them!

IronCupcake:Leeds is a friendly monthly cupcake-baking competition at the Adelphi pub in Leeds, open for everyone to attend! If you like baking cupcakes, you can enter as a Baker by making 12 cupcakes inspired by the theme of the month. If you like eating cupcakes, you can enter as an Eater to judge the cupcakes on taste, appearance and their interpretation of the theme. We have fantastic new prizes up for grabs every month for the winners of Taste, Appearance, Theme, and Best in Show!

What is an Iron Cupcake evening like?

IronCupcake is a room full of people who really like cake! I start the competition by explaining the rules for judging and announcing our prizes for the evening, then the judges begin tasting a quarter of each cupcake and marking them on taste, appearance and theme. Meanwhile, the bakers get to meet each other and eat cake at the Bakers Corner. When the judging is over, I’ll announce the prizes and the theme for next month’s competition, which is now picked by the attendees on the night! The competition is very friendly and you’re guaranteed to meet some lovely people over a cupcake or four!

Can you describe a perfect cupcake (ie so I can enter and win, I’m a bit competitive)

For me, the perfect cupcake has a balanced and subtle flavour between the icing and the cake. Like many others, I’m put off by sugary icing and a bland sponge! I like to keep decorations simple but effective, and also tasty – there’s no fun in decorations that aren’t edible! The best part for bakers at IronCupcake is getting creative with the theme, so don’t be afraid to be adventurous and let your creative side go.

Our next competition is Sunday 11th August, 6pm at the Adelphi pub, with the theme ‘Disney’. Tickets must be purchased in advance and cost £5 to bake (Baker ticket) or judge (Eater ticket), and £8 to bake and judge on the Bakers Panel.

We’ll see you there!