Cookbook Review: What's New Cupcake by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson

The authors of Hello, Cupcake have done it again. This sequel is packed with even more fun, whimsical ideas to take advantage of the cupcake trend. And, again, they do it without fancy equipment or complicated ingredients.

What's New, Cupcake builds upon the basics found in the first book by showing you how you can use sugar cookies to expand your cupcake building skills. They also add a technique for making hard candy decorations.

The sense of whimsy is what sets this series apart from other cupcake books. The point is not just to make a cute cupcake, but to get a reaction from the people eating them. So while they have a duckie cupcake pattern (as shown on the cover) they also show you how to make a diving duckie. Which the kids find hilarious.



There are more April Fool's cupcakes, also. Cupcakes meant to look like other food items. The broken dozen of eggs is probably my favorite, but the french fry cupcakes are pretty clever, too.

And not to worry if you're not a bake from scratch aficionado. It's perfectly fine, and sometimes preferred, to use mixes and already prepared frosting. Which means you can put that extra time and effort into making these cupcakes look even cuter.

There are a few more cupcake "cakes" where multiple cupcakes are used to create one overall design. And although many of the designs are cute, some aren't as good as the original book or rely too much on specific candies. Overall, though, this was a great follow up and well worth adding to your cupcake decorating library.

FTC disclaimer: Digital galley read through Netgalley

My Grade: B+