It’s not a piece of cake.

Winning the Iron Cupcake challenge, where you might have to blend basil, wine, chilis or candy bars into your delectable domes, and make them more appealing and appetizing than rival bakers’ concoctions, takes baking beyond Betty Crocker.

But that’s the fun of the monthly competition for a group of Anacortes bakers who gather to see whose cupcakes tasters will deem supreme.

“It’s fun watching all these people and interacting and seeing what they like,” said baker Shirley Herron, who submitted her chocolate raspberry truffle cupcakes at the July 14 challenge.

The event, which started here in March, brings together cupcake bakers and judges who sample the scrumptious creations.

“There’s a different secret ingredient each month,” said organizer Tracey Olson.

In July that was berries.

Bakers brought in cupcakes that featured “berried” treasure or hand-picked Skagit strawberries and others that had names like Heavenly Chocolate Raspberry or Raspberry Bliss.

Herron, who has baked for at least 55 years, bought three cupcake cookbooks online after she heard about Iron Cupcake.

“I started baking when my kids were all small. I made all their birthday cakes,” she said.

Now that she’s retired, Herron doesn’t make sweets as often. An occasional batch of cookies with the grandkids or a special birthday cake.

So when the opportunity to bake cupcakes every month for a friendly competition came up, Herron jumped right in.

Her favorite this month was the Heavenly Chocolate Raspberry.

“I have it sitting here. I’m going to take it home and just stare at it,” Herron said.

Iron Cupcake started with a rivalry between two Wisconsin friends — one a self-described “cupcake queen” and blogger and the other a chef. The pair hosted a bake-off using obscure ingredients.

The challenges continued and have grown, with Iron Cupcake groups starting up in places like San Francisco, Moorestown, N.J., and Brunswick, Maine.

Anacortes’ Iron Cupcake challenge is 6:30 p.m. the second Monday of each month at Randy’s Pier 61, 209 T Ave. Anyone is invited to judge the delectable cupcakes made by locals. Charge is $2, which is donated to the Anacortes 100 Food Bank.

Each month bakers have to include a specific ingredient — like basil, chili and wine.

Olson, who organizes the event, describes herself as a “wanna-be pastry chef.” She makes cupcakes for friends, birthdays and weddings and would eventually like to open her own bakery.

Iron Cupcake gives her a chance to explore new baking ideas and share tips with other bakers. Her family doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth, so it also gives her an audience for her wares.

“I can play and get rid of it all at the same time,” Olson said. “I try to think outside the box.”

The first challenge had her trying to figure out a creative way to get basil into a cupcake. A friend suggested she try the lemon and basil martini at Bellisima Italian restaurant.

“That’s how I developed my cupcake,” she said. “It was unbelievably good.”

Olson said the monthly event is a fun thing for bakers and the community.

“It’s about having fun and meeting people who like to bake,” she said.

June brought out seven bakers and nearly 40 tasters — the biggest turnout so far.

“Last month we had a record number of people judging. We had almost 40,” Olson said. “It emptied the bar out. They all came down to judge the cupcakes.”

Cupcakes are judged on presentation and taste.

The first week, Olson said the cupcake displays were pretty mellow.

“Then everybody really got into it. Now the displays are wow,” she said.

The competition winner gets a coveted Iron Cupcake apron and bragging rights for a month.

“It’s not a competition where it’s cut-throat,” Olson said.

But there is some rivalry between bakers.

“There’s two of us who haven’t won yet,” she said.

In July, Anacortes resident Holly Anthonysz joined five other bakers at Iron Cupcake. It was her first time at the event.

“I always make this cupcake and it happens to have raspberries in it,” she said. “I just happened to do it one time and it was good.”

A friend suggested she try the challenge. Anthonysz has discovered baking is her artistic outlet.

She’s already thinking about what to do next month. In August the ingredient is a candy bar.

After 20 judges tasted the six berry creations, it was time to announce the winner.

Tiffany Barrett took home the prize for her Heavenly Chocolate Raspberry cupcakes — beating out the competition by 36 votes.

Barrett is no stranger to winning the contest (she took home the prize in March for her Irish coffee cupcakes) — or baking.

“It runs in the blood,” she said. “I make all the desserts here (at Randy’s Pier 61).”

Her aunt, mom, dad, grandma and sister are all great in the kitchen, too.

Barrett decided the morning before the competition what kind of cupcake she would make by flipping through a cookbook.

“It turned out delicious,” she said.

Next month she’s helping a friend’s 10-year-old twin girls bake, so they get to decide on what candy to incorporate.

“Snickers is always good,” she said. Or maybe toffee.

To get involved

If you’re interested in baking for Anacortes’ Iron Cupcake, e-mail organizer Tracey Olson at with your name, city and e-mail address before the next date.

There are a few rules for bakers: You have to bring cut samples for tasting along with an uncut display cupcake. Make sure to bring a small sign listing the content of the cupcake, including nuts.

Visit http://www.alteredrecipes.com.

Read more local news in the Skagit Valley Herald and the Anacortes American, or read it online in the E-edition