Cupcakes!

“Without spending any more time than you would making a mix you can create cupcakes that are elegant, simple, delicious, beautiful, comforting.” —The NibbleWhat’s short and sweet and cute as a button? Cupcakes! And everyone loves ‘em! Trusted favorites at picnics, potlucks, and bake sales, cupcakes go equally well at relaxed and informal gatherings or at elegant parties. Here are fifty scrumptious ways to bring smiles and those nostalgic memories back faster than a kid can lick the batter off a beater. Try a Cinnamon Sugar Puff Cupcake—they go from mixing bowl to oven to one happy taker in less than an hour. Who needs a peanut butter cup when there’s a peanut butter cupcake in the house? Ethereal Lemon Angel Cupcakes soar even higher when served with some fresh seasonal fruit. With tips and techniques for perfect cupcake-making, basic “head-start’ recipes, and gorgeous photographs, it’s time to get out the baking pans and join the cupcake craze. These diminutive cakes may be small but they stand tall in the world of sweets.“Lush, larger-than-life photographs are just the icing on the cupcake that is this delightful contribution to the canon of confectionary cookbooks . . . Unlike several other cupcake books, Klivans’ recipes are easy to follow and produce excellent results.” —Publishers Weekly