Electric Mixer

Although the flavor might seem unusual for a cupcake, sweet potatoes have long been pureed and baked into desserts, such as sweet potato pie. This playful rendition of a traditional Thanksgiving side dish—complete with mini marshmallows and candied pecans on top—will appeal to anyone who loves the sweet, earthy flavors of root vegetables. Serve the cupcakes as one component of a holiday dessert buffet. If you like, bake and mash the sweet potatoes the day before you make the cupcakes; let cool completely and refrigerate, covered.

Gingerbread is the most recognizable Christmastime flavor; the scent of its signature spices baking in the oven fills a home with holiday cheer. These cupcakes are made with the same mixture of spices—nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, and ginger—as the tiny gingerbread-cookie boys and girls they are topped with. The recipe for the cookie dough will yield more cutouts than you need to decorate twenty-two cupcakes; serve extra cookies alongside.

These cupcakes get their flavor from a traditional Indian spiced tea, known as masala chai. The tea is often lightened (and sweetened) with condensed milk; here, condensed milk is used to make the glaze.

Inspired by the time-honored specialty cakes of Christmas, these down-scaled versions are studded with mixed dried fruits and nuts and flavored with spirits. Once baked, they are blanketed with billowy frosting and topped with another familiar holiday treat, meringue mushrooms. In place of the apricots, figs, and dates used here, you may substitute other fruits, such as dried pineapple or candied citrus peel. Just be sure to purchase good-quality fruits from a store with a high turnover (avoid supermarket varieties sold as “mixed candied fruit”) and use kitchen shears to cut the fruit into uniform pieces.

Stout beer, which gets its dark color and bold flavor from roasted malt, is sometimes used in English and Irish recipes for spice cakes and quick breads. The cupcake versions make excellent hostess gifts or after-dinner treats; serve them with coffee or glasses of stout.

Pumpkin spice cupcakes topped with tiny marzipan pumpkins are an unexpected alternative (or addition) to pie for Thanksgiving, but these treats would also be welcome at a Halloween party or any other fall occasion.

Over the years some of the most popular recipes in Martha Stewart Living have featured the combination of chocolate, ginger, and other spices, including cookies, brownies, and spice cakes. These dapper upside-down cupcakes are the latest variation on the theme.

Unlike the creamy American dessert of the same name, puddings from Great Britain are dense and cakey. This small-scale version includes pureed dates and a splash of brandy; after baking, the puddings are coated with a delectable toffee glaze.

Drizzled with a liquor-spiked caramel glaze and filled with rum-soaked raisins, these cupcakes are reminiscent of a popular ice cream flavor

These glazed cupcakes are adapted from a recipe by Martha’s late mother, Martha Kostyra, who was an avid baker. She especially enjoyed making spice cakes. The orange glaze is also hers, but the cupcakes would be equally delicious topped with cream-cheese frosting (page 303) or brown-butter icing (page 314). Don’t skip the crucial step of sifting the dry ingredients three times, as it helps to fully distribute the spices for the best flavor.

With their cookie-crumb crust, creamy filling, and fruity topping, individual cheesecakes are a delightful spin on the full-size dessert. Glossy apricot jam gives the desserts a golden glow, while store-bought chocolate wafers provide a crisp, quick-to-assemble base.

Appearances can be deceiving: These sugared flower–topped cupcakes look like dainty petits four, but the lavender-flavored and-colored icing hides a rich chocolate brownie cupcake. Look for dried lavender at specialty markets or online; edible pesticide-free flowers can be found at baking-supply stores. You can also make the icing without the lavender.

These cupcakes are made with a triple dose of pistachio: Some nuts are ground to a paste and mixed into the batter; others are chopped and folded in at the end for added texture. Even more nuts are sprinkled on top as a colorful garnish. Slivered pistachios are available at specialty markets and baking-supply stores; if you can’t find them, use chopped pistachios instead.

The batter for these candy-bar-like cupcakes is laden with ground sweetened coconut and pecans; to further enhance their appeal, the cupcakes are dipped in a bittersweet chocolate glaze, then sprinkled with toasted coconut flakes. Creamed coconut, usually sold in jars at natural-food stores or online, differs from “cream of coconut,” which has added sugar and is typically used in cocktails. If you can’t locate creamed coconut, you can use another quarter cup of butter in its place.

A trio of citrus zests brightens simple cupcakes. The ones pictured are finished with lime-flavored glaze and finely grated lime zest, but lemons or oranges could replace the lime. Or, for a particularly pretty display, divide the glaze into thirds and flavor each portion with a different citrus, with garnishes to match.