Sugar high: Snapshots from Cupcake Smackdown 2.0.

Riddle me this, Austinites.

What do you get when you combine cupcakes, zombies, and oh, a little bit of Dave Chappelle?

You get my Saturday afternoon at Cupcake Smackdown, that's what.

(Yes, I decided to dress like a cupcake.) 

So, how cute is Jennie Chen? The brains behind this operation, Jennie has organized the Cupcake Smackdown two years in a row now. What was a blowout bar party last summer (One 2 One Bar, specifically) is now a full-fledged family event, this year at The Westin and Le Cordon Bleu. 

Speaking of inclusivity, even zombies were invited to Cupcake Smackdown this year.

(Unfortunately for them, our zombie brethren served as rather better target practice, than proper party guests.)

Back inside, I saw my favorite pastry girls: The Cupcake Bar.

... Sampled a Kona Kahlua cupcake by Bellissimo Bakery, which is as insane as it sounds.

... Had a long chat with the little lady behind Blackbird Bakery, Karen Morgan, who has her own cookbook coming out from Chronicle Books (one of my favorite publishers) this Fall.

... Passed by Cake Ball, which I didn't sample, only because I was too busy stuffing my face with something else. But word on the street is that Cake Ball was many attendees' favorite Cupcake Smackdown treat.

... Spied these funny, multi-colored macaroons from La Boite Cafe.

Have you ever tasted a macaroon? They are marvelous. Whenever a lady wanted to be naughty in Victorian literature, she'd sneak a bite of a macaroon hidden in her pocket. Scandalous!

Above, tiny portraits of Jennie's dog House, in cupcakes by Sugar Mama's.

Your humble blogger! Demure as ever, gobbling cupcakes by the finger-full.

And finally, Dave Chappelle? I'm not sure what brought him to Austin, but as pictured here, he swung by the Cupcake Smackdown. One of the zombies even got his photograph.