On Wednesday night over 770 cupcake lovers flocked to the Center of the Arts at the Armory in Somerville for the second annual CupcakeCamp Boston. Twenty local bakeries and fifty amateur bakers from around the Greater Boston area came out to peddle their delicious wares.

Event founder Elizabeth Ginsburg put it simply: “CupcakeCamp Boston is a free and open gathering of cupcake enthusiasts,” she said. A blogger for FreeFoodBoston, Ginsburg first experienced CupcakeCamp in New York City in 2009 and decided she wanted to bring the event to Boston. Camps are held in various cities across the country, and anyone can volunteer to organize one for their community. 

The exhibition featured well established bakers such as Sweet, Baby Cakes, and Petsi Pies as well as newcomers to the cupcake scene such as VCVC Cupcakes and We Make Cupcakes. 

“A cupcake is something that is so simple but can get a lot of people excited,” said Ginsburg. “It’s more or less a big cupcake party.”

The event showcased an assortment of treats ranging in size, shape, flavor and presentation. Cupcakes varied in complexity and originality, from standard vanilla and chocolate to more adventurous flavors, like white velvet with buttercream from The Chocolate Tarte in Somerville or roasted banana cupcakes with honey cinnamon frosting from the bakers of We Make Cupcakes in Brighton.

Amateur bakers also got a chance to show their cupcake prowess, including Somerville resident Susan Putnins, who brought chocolate cardamom cupcakes frosted with chocolate cream cheese.

“I was really happy the amateur bakers were more combined this year,” she said. “It's a good opportunity for community building. You come and you get happy.”

Another amateur baker was 12-year-old Anthony Tata of Stow, Mass. He brought Boston cream cupcakes that were inspired by his older brother’s love of Boston cream doughnuts. 

For some bakers, like Barbara Ann of Biba's Baked Goods in Arlington, the size of the event was enough to get excited about.

“I'm in awe of the magnitude of it,” she said.

Aside from an excuse to feast on a selection of local desserts, CupcakeCamp also served as a fundraiser for Lovin' Spoonfuls, a Brookline based non-profit organization that recovers otherwise wasted food and delivers it to local soup kitchens and crisis centers.

Like many of the spectators that came to CupcakeCamp, Somerville's Emily Lemiska felt that being allowed to sample baked treats from dozens of local bakers made the event worthwhile.

“If there's a heaven on earth, it's here,” she said.

Disclaimer: Clara Ciminelli was a participating baker for CupcakeCamp Boston.