What's New, Cupcake? - Karen Tack & Alan Richardson (Cooking)

Released April 2010

www.whatsnewcupcake.com
www.hmhbooks.com

Blow your friends, family or acquaintances away the next time you're asked to bring dessert. Karen Tack and Alan Richardson's latest collection of "do-it-yourself" designer cupcakes is just as much fun as the previous book's. This time, I thought a little more care went into describing the techniques and equipment used before diving into the cupcakes.

If you're unfamiliar with their cupcakes, Tack and Richardson turn ordinary cupcakes into extraordinary pieces of art. In the previous book, they tackled my favorite artist Monet and created adorable spaghetti and meatball cookies. This time, there are some that truly mesmerized. Top on my list are the Busy Bee cupcakes. They do look like a honeycomb, complete with jelly bean bees. My neighbor keeps beehives, so I've seen the inside of a hive many times and this cupcake collection is extremely similar, right down to the glistening honey in each comb's cell.

Other favorites include the All Cracked Up cupcakes that come in a carton of eggs. Lemon curd forms the very realistic egg yolk. I also love the I'm Seeing a Pattern cupcakes that are simple to make, yet seem very intricate.

Step-by-step instructions follow each cupcake. You're treated to dozens of photographs detailing the steps needed and the final product. Many of the cupcakes have simple tasks that young children can help with making the creations a great family kitchen project! I highly recommend owning What's New, Cupcake? and its sister book Hello, Cupcake!