Cake

The summery combination of blueberries and whipped cream tops berry-filled cupcakes. The muffin-like cakes, which can also be served for breakfast or brunch, are delightful as standard or mini cupcakes.

Indulge a child’s natural curiosity for the insect world with cupcakes smartly fashioned into beetles and butterflies.

These tropical cupcakes, scaled-down versions of the most well-known upside-down cake, have a retro appeal thanks to the flambéed fruit filling.

Baking a batch of these ultra-moist cupcakes is a great way to use overripe bananas; keep a bunch in your freezer (unpeeled) and thaw when you’re ready to use. You can substitute walnuts for pecans, or leave the nuts out entirely. Caramel buttercream makes a satisfyingly sweet topping; cream-cheese frosting (page 303) and chocolate–sour cream frosting (page 311) are also good choices. Left unfrosted, the cupcakes can be enjoyed any time of day.

Sometimes everyday snacks can do double duty as decorative touches, such as the pretzel sticks and twists in these delightful dog, butterfly, apple, and owl cupcakes. You’ll need one recipe Swiss meringue buttercream (page 304) for two dozen cupcakes. See Sources, page 342, for where to find the candies used below. Refrigerate decorated cupcakes for thirty minutes; serve at room temperature the same day.

Store-bought snack cakes can’t compare to these homemade versions: Dark chocolate cupcakes are filled with fluffy marshmallow cream, which is also used to pipe decorations on the tops. Take care not to overfill the hollowed-out cupcakes, or the cream may seep out.

Ethereal mascarpone frosting blankets sponge cake in this adaptation of a famous Italian dessert. Extra yolks in the batter make the cake sturdy enough to hold a generous dose of coffee-liqueur syrup without becoming too soggy. Freshly brewed coffee or espresso would be a natural accompaniment, as would little glasses of marsala, a fortified Italian wine used in the soaking syrup.

Chocolate and cherries are a match made in heaven—or, in this case—the Black Forest region of Germany, where the original layer cake was created (and cherries are abundant). These miniature versions of the classic German dessert are saturated with cherry liqueur, layered with sweet pastry cream and preserved cherries, and drizzled with rich chocolate ganache.

Go team! Root for your favorite sport with a triple play of easy-to-decorate cupcakes. Colorful sprinkles are used to simulate the bumpy or fuzzy textures of sports balls, on top of which the “seams” are either piped with buttercream or drawn with licorice laces. Make one type of ball or all three; you will need one batch of Swiss meringue buttercream (page 304) to decorate two dozen cupcakes in any design. Once decorated, cupcakes can be stored up to one day at room temperature in airtight containers.

Malted milk powder gives these chocolate cupcakes a nostalgic flavor reminiscent of a soda-fountain favorite. So as not to overpower the taste of malt, use a mild-tasting Dutch-process cocoa powder, such as Droste.

Capped with “kisses” of seven-minute frosting and dusted with cinnamon-sugar, these cupcakes are a play on the cookie of the same name, also finished with cinnamon-sugar. The crackled cookies are thought to be of German origin, and their whimsical name a mispronunciation of schneckennudeln (crinkly noodles).

Treat a class full of budding paleontologists to a bunch of cupcakes topped with colossal brachiosaurus cookies and dinosaur eggs. The gingerbread cookie that adorns each cupcake is cut out with a large dinosaur-shaped cutter, then pressed onto a lollipop stick before it’s baked. (See Sources, page 342, for where to find the necessary tools.) You could also use any other animal or insect cookie cutters they come in all shapes and sizes), and omit the candy eggs.

Some believe devil’s food cake got its name because it was so tempting; others think that the deep, dark color is “devilish.” Whatever its history, the cake is typically made with melted butter (instead of oil) and a hefty amount of cocoa powder. This version mixes sour cream into the batter to add moistness and a subtle tang. Silky smooth ganache makes a rich topping; other options include seven-minute frosting (page 303) and cream-cheese frosting (page 303). The chocolate curls are easily made with a few strokes of a vegetable peeler, but you can omit them.

Roasting the fruit before folding it into the batter gives these cupcakes a pronounced banana flavor and keeps them very moist. Honey, often paired with bananas, is added to the frosting.

Tender lemon buttermilk cake, tart lemon curd, and a lightly browned peak of seven-minute frosting combine in cupcakes inspired by Martha’s mile-high lemon meringue pie—one of her signature desserts.

A harbinger of spring, rhubarb flavors these deliciously sweet-tart cupcakes. Ruby-red stalks are diced, then mixed into the cupcake batter as well as a vanilla-flecked syrup that tops a puff of whipped cream. Save any extra rhubarb topping to serve with ice cream.

Candied orange slices top fragrant vanilla-orange cupcakes; a circle of tiny piped buttercream dots frames each slice. Feel free to garnish with other candied citrus, such as lemons or blood oranges.

Decorate a batch (or two) of cupcakes with pig, mouse, monkey, or lion faces, or make a few of each animal for a sweet set. You can use most any cupcake flavor for these creatures; try banana-pecan cupcakes (page 41; nuts can be omitted) or roasted banana cupcakes (page 141) for the monkeys. Before adding the facial features, lightly mark the placement in the frosting with a round cookie cutter (or use a skewer or toothpick).

Chopped fresh strawberries are folded into the cupcake batter, and thin slices are added as a garnish for a pretty-in-pink treat. Strawberry buttercream (made with jam) ups the fruit-flavor ante, but sweetened whipped cream (page 316) is an easy and delicious alternative.

Food historians may differ about the origin of red velvet cake, but one thing is certain: The cupcakes have gained widespread popularity in recent years. Many believe the name comes from the naturally reddish hue of cocoa powder, which is enhanced by a chemical reaction between vinegar and baking soda. Today, most versions rely on food color (although some bakers use beet juice) to achieve a vivid shade. Gel-paste food color is much more concentrated than the supermarket liquid variety; if you substitute the liquid, you may need to add an entire bottle (1.5 ounces) to achieve the desired shade. Cream-cheese frosting is the classic choice.