Calling All Cupcake Aficionados! Do You Have What It Takes To Rank The Best Cupcakes In America?

We're hoping that you will be a part of The Daily Meal history. We are ranking the 101 Best Cupcakes in America using a panel for the first time ever and we need your expertise.

Last year we ranked our list according to five different categories, assigning them a value of one through 20 (20 being the highest score) and tabulating the highest-ranking cupcakes. Menu variety was the first set of criteria we considered. Exactly how many cupcake options were there? Did they have a wide range of flavors, and was the menu accessible to the masses? Presentation rankings were determined based upon consistency and artistic creativity. Were the cupcakes pretty on their webpage, but a mess on Facebook? Was the design reflective of the overall style of the cupcake, or even visually appealing? Speaking of Facebook, we turned to social media for our next set of criteria, tabulating the numbers of followers bakeries had as an indication of how interactive they were with their communities — and vice versa. The last factor we looked at editorial discretion, which took the preceding criteria into consideration along with culinary value and variety.

This year we are hoping to compile a survey listing a group of illustrious bakeries and cupcakeries all over America that include your expert suggestions. Your job will be to help us rank this group and decide which spot is the best of the best.

Please write to lgordon@thedailymeal.com and tell us why you should be on the panel. The only strict requirement is that you do NOT own a cupcakery, or a bakery that produces cupcakes. Otherwise, we are hoping that you'd like to be a part of this process!

If you don't consider yourself a cupcake expert but would like to give your two cents on the matter, please take our Cupcake Poll!