Baker Spotlight: Melissa of CupcakesOMG!!

Melissa of CupcakesOMG!! believes that cupcakes are ALWAYS better when made from scratch, cupcakes are NOT a passing trend, and that she's going to crush the competition the day of judging.

Tell us about yourself

I'm 26 and have been living in the DC area for 4 years. I love to cook, bake, eat, and the more of that I can do with friends and family, the better. My cupcake blog (www.cupcakesomg.blogspot.com) turned 1-year-old this summer. I'm also competing in the Miss Virginia USA pageant this year! I've been known to play guitar, but not recently. To keep my girlish figure, I do Crossfit a couple times a week. I love the rachel zoe project, little dogs, and painting my nails.

What is your favorite type of cupcake?

Homemade! I generally love a good vanilla cupcake because the simplicity of a vanilla cupcake allows you to pick out all the faults, so when done well, it can be magical. But I also love the really unusual, like a filled cupcake or a savory cupcake (the BLT cupcake at More in Chicago is ah-mazing!!!)

If you had to describe yourself as a cupcake, how would you?

The "Melissa": A little bit sassy and a lot sweet, this pink tinted vanilla cupcake isn't as innocent as she looks. Filled with white chocolate, there are surprises at every corner. Topped off with a milk chocolate buttercream and lots of pink sprinkles, the Melissa is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

What is your favorite local cupcakery?

Locally, I love Hello Cupcake (highly recommend the PB Blossom). I like Georgetown Cupcake, but refuse to stand in line with tourists. Alternatively, in your in Georgetown, Baked and Wired is fantastic. As for NoVa, I LOVE Lavendar Moon. It's tucked away but worth the excursion. As far as not locally, More in Chicago is probably my all-time favorite.

After the Miss Virginia USA pageant, my focus will be on my own cupcake business. I will be doing a friends wedding in the spring, but will be taking orders for all kinds of events, so if you're interested drop me a line by visiting my blog, CupcakesOMG!!

What cupcakes do you plan to bring to CupcakeCampDC?

Cupcake Camp-fire S'mores Cupcakes (chocolate graham-cracker crusted cupcake topped with marshmallow frosting) & Funfetti Cupcakes from scratch

"Baker Spotlight" is an online featurette of bakers or bakeries that are participating in CupcakeCampDC.