Periodic Table of Cupcakes

What do you make to win a baking competition amongst chemists? A periodic table of mini cupcakes!


I had fun making these last weekend for my department's annual bake-off. Having won the competition the previous two years, I knew I had to go all-out this (my last) year. And I'm happy to report that I won this year's competition!


The table is pretty easy to make, provided you have a free afternoon. Here are some tips:

* Batter for 36 regular cupcakes makes at least the necessary 112 mini cupcakes. The minis bake in half of the time of the regular size cupcakes. I made red velvet with cream cheese frosting from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes.

* You'll also need at least 6 cups of icing, plus food coloring. A color copy of the periodic table really helps to make sure you have enough cupcakes in each of the many colors.

* I used dark chocolate for the lettering. I melted some in the microwave, put it in a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off, and piped the letters on. Again, it's very helpful to have a periodic table on hand.


I had a lot of fun assembling this table on the day of the competition and seeing my fellow chemists' faces light up when they saw it. The funniest part of the whole thing was the selection process, as there was a strong preference to pick the elements they use in their research. But even if they did not get the element of their choice, at least the cupcakes were all very tasty!