Create a Cupcake Flavor and Win! (And help fight poverty!)

At the beginning of the year, I was offered the Official Store Blogger role at Whole Foods Market Bethesda. Naturally, I accepted. While I had written for the store blog a bit last year, it was in an "on my own time" capacity, now I get to slip my MacBook into my monogrammed pink Lands End tote and head to the Marketing office at the store for a few hours a week to write and brainstorm and laugh with the Marketing team.

And on my first day in the office, I announced "I think we need to do something with cupcakes."

And a few brainstorm sessions later and I am excited to announce the first ever Whole Foods Market Bethesda Battle of the Cupcakes to benefit the Whole Planet Foundation while provide grants to microfinance institutions in Latin America, Africa and Asia who in turn develop and offer microenterprise loan programs, training and other financial services to the self-employed poor.

Battle of the Cupcakes could be the sweetest way to alleviate poverty!  We are looking for one amazing cupcake flavor to sell in the Whole Foods Bethesda bakery to raise money for the Whole Planet Foundation. 100% of the proceeds from sales of this cupcake will go to the Whole Planet Foundation.

And because you are all the most clever and creative bunch, we want your help to create this amazing flavor! One entry to this contest via I Wanna Be Domestic Goddess will be a finalist (There are prizes!)   All you have to do is come up with a cupcake and frosting combination and enter it in the Battle of the Cupcakes.  You just have to come up with idea for the cupcake flavor and the frosting flavor. We will handle the recipe creation!

Each cupcake flavor entry must contain at least one ingredient that Whole Foods Market sources from a country that has received microcredits through the Whole Planet Foundation. One of the following ingredients needs to be included your cupcake entry (The country or countries Whole Foods Market sources it from is listed after the ingredient.)

• Bananas (Costa Rica, Honduras)
• Blueberries (Argentina, Chile)
• Cashews (India)
• Chili Powder (Tunisia)
• Cinnamon (Vietman)
• Cocoa (Sierra Leone
• Coconut (Phillipines)
• Coffee (Bolivia, East Timor, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Uganda)
• Dates (Pakistan
• Hibiscus Juice (Senegal)
• Mangos (Haiti, South Africa)

How to Enter

In comments below, post a cupcake flavor, frosting flavor, and any fillings or garnishes if you desire! Be sure to use at least one of the ingredients listed above!

There are four other ways enter a flavor:

1. Tweet your cupcake and frosting flavor combination to @WFM_MoCo using the hashtags #Bethesda and #CupcakeBattle.
2. Post your cupcake and frosting flavor combination on the Whole Foods Market Bethesda Battle of the Cupcake Official Contest Page. (This page isn't working quite yet! As soon as it is, I will link to it!)
3. Leave a comment on the Whole Foods Market Bethesda store blog post {here} with your cupcake and frosting flavor combination.
4. Complete an entry form in store. The forms are available at customer service, on the bakery counter, and at each of the registers.

Again, all you have to do is come up with a cupcake and frosting combination and enter it in the Battle of the Cupcakes.  You just have to come up with idea for the cupcake flavor and the frosting flavor. We will handle the recipe creation!

Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, February 8^th. You can enter once through each of the five methods of entering the contest. So you can come up with five different cupcake entries!

No purchase necessary to enter.

Winner Selection

One finalist will be chosen from each of the five ways to enter so you can enter all five if you would like  A panel of judges will select the winner from the five finalists and the winning cupcake will be sold at Whole Foods Market Bethesda during the entire Whole Planet Foundation fundraiser, February 22^nd – March 31st.

Cupcakes will be judged on

• Including whole planet ingredient
• Creativity
• Deliciousness
• Whole Foods Market Bethesda customer appeal

Prizes

Each of the five finalists will receive a prize pack loaded with baking supplies and an official Battle of the Cupcakes t-shirt. The winning cupcake flavor creator will also receive a $100 gift card to Whole Foods Market and bragging rights, of course! All finalists and winners will be notified on February 14^th, 2012.

So start dreaming up an amazing cupcake idea now and enter it in the Battle of the Cupcakes!