SF Food Wars hosted the Mini Cupcake Clash on Oct. 18 at Stable Café on Folsom Street as an opportunity for amateur and seasoned bakers, cooking fiends and sugar-friendly residents alike to not only compete for the honorable title of SF Food War Champion, but share their talent and creativity with like-minded cupcake-connoisseurs.

"I love eating and making cupcakes equally," said competitor and passionate home baker Sharon O'Malley, 26. "I'm ready to feed the masses, and I can't wait to see the competition."

The gloomy San Francisco weather didn't dampen the spirits of the roughly 170 attendees, who, for an admission fee of $10, had a choice of unique cupcakes baked by 22 different teams, with proceeds going towards the San Francisco Food Bank.

Tables with the delicious treats lined the backyard of the Stable Café, each filled with colorful creations more impressive than the last. Ranging from moist, dry and fluffy, sweet to savory and traditional to outrageous, the bakers tended to every mouth's desire.

"There are two unexpected things at this competition," said Marcia Gagliardi, a food writer for tablehopper.com. "I'm impressed with the variety of vegan entries and how much people played with savory cupcakes."

One of the more surprising entries was the "Tossed Salad (Dressing)" cupcake by local San Francisco team Yahtzee Bitchcakes. Consisting of olive oil and topped with a light-brown, creamy Balsamic vinegar frosting, the cupcake was an interesting mix of sweet and sour.

"I tried an olive flavored ice cream once, and that made me think about how olives are technically a fruit and lend themselves to sweetness," said Jane Davis, 27, an event planner who thought of the unique recipe.

Oakland resident, Carolynn Webb's Spiced Mocha Vegan cupcakes were also in high demand among the sugar-hungry crowd.

"It's such a fun event, and it makes me feel good," said the pre-school teacher, who won second place at San Francisco's first Food War in August for macaroni and cheese dishes. "There's a lot of hard work that goes into the preparation, and it's good to know that the money is going to a good cause."