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Review of 2011 Cupcake Week
October 2011
National Cupcake Week may have passed for 2011, but here at British Baker we know you want inspiration all year round and to know about all the latest products. So we will be posting cupcake news as it happens, keeping Ms Cupcake's business advice up to date and videoing cupcake masterclasses that you won't be able to view anywhere else. >> See our masterclass videos
Oh, and if you raised money during National Cupcake Week for the CLIC Sargent charity for children and young people with cancer, but have not as yet sent in your donations, please call Cerys Glen at CLIC Sargent on 0208 752 2881 to receive a paying-in form. Everyone, especially the children and their families, thank you for your support.
Now in its third year, 2011 was when National Cupcake Week (NCW) came of age.
The event was launched to drive trade and support for bakeries by promoting a fun new product that has captured the public's imagination. And this year's NCW was the biggest and best yet - being ably supported by its sponsors Chevler, Puratos, FDQ and Renshaw .
The social media explosion of support that was witnessed in 2010 has continued to go from strength-to-strength - with NCW attracting 2,206 fans on Facebook and an impressive 3,260 followers on Twitter. The week was also trending on Twitter in London area as the event ran its course.
And, because of the success of National Cupcake Champion 2011 Jennifer Buls the Vegan Society helped raised the profile of the week even further by trumpeting her success to its 70,000 members.
The topic was also mentioned in the week during a host of programmes on the Food Network TV channel.
What is more, this year, NCW partnered CLIC Sargent, the charity for children and young people with cancer, in a bid to raise funds - and we will continue to update on this success both here and in British Baker.
Coverage and media mentions of the week ranged from OK magazine, Country Homes, Simply Homemade, I Love Pop, which?, Red online and Time Out.The week also attracted interest from across The Pond, garnering mentions from news outlets in Canada and upstate New York. It also captured the attention of a host of Stateside food bloggers and cupcake connisseurs. Elsewhere, NCW was picked up by ITV's Daybreak and Lorraine and was also covered by BBC Radio Two, BBC Radio Solent, Heart FM and BBC Gloucestershire to name a few,
Greenhalghs donated 5p from NCW themed cupcakes that were sold at their 59 bakeries during the week and Simmons Bakers gave 20p per cake in a similar exercise at its 31 sites. In 2011 corporate support for NCW also grew - with big names like Wesleyan, HSBC, London Arena Group, Frankie & Bennies, Virgin Trains, JD Wetherspoon and Hoburne Holiday Parks gettting in on the act. Wesleyan Assurance Society, the Birmingham-based mutual, raised a whopping £1,000 for CLIC Sargent by running a week long schedule of cupcake sales.
Elsewhere, British Baker was told by one independent baker that he had never made cupcakes before, but he introduced a line for NCW and sold hundreds, a success that he aims to replicate with Macmillan Coffee Morning. And one blogger was quoted as saying: "Whoever had the idea of having a National Cupcake Week clearly has some kind of higher intelligence than ours."
It was also mentioned by the likes of Asda and Primula.
A spokeswoman for CLIC Sargent said: "Many bakers developed their own cupcake to sell during the week and others sold cupcake pin badges. Thank you so much to everyone who has been involved - we look forward to seeing how much has been raised."
