A new year is often a time for reflection—and your friendly Food52 recipe contest community moderators have been doing our own sort of reflecting, and looking back at all of the past contest themes. If you are new to our recipe contests or a veteran contestant who wants to take a walk down memory lane, check out these past contests that we loved:
- Your Best Late Winter Tart (Sweet or Savory)
- A&M Smackdown / Your Best Peach Pie or Tart
- You Best Mash-Up Recipe
But in our lookback, we were really most struck by our very first contest—Your Best Layer Cake—which, surprisingly, had only three entries! The winner was Not Red Velvet Cake with Fudge Glaze, and the runner up was Lemon Birthday Cake. If you can believe it, taking last place was a recipe that is now a beloved Food52 favorite: Chocolate Dump-It Cake.