Crazy for Cupcakes

June 02, 2008
Photo: Oxmoor House
From holiday celebrations to weddings to birthdays, cakes everywhere are moving to personal serving sizes. Dive into these delicious miniature cakes–no layering required.
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Strawberry-Blueberry Cupcakes

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Hadas Smirnoff
Strawberry-Blueberry Cupcakes Recipe

Double the berries, double the deliciousness. These tender cupcakes can be made ahead and frozen; frost them before serving. Use smaller blueberries for better distribution in the batter. In a pinch? Use thawed, frozen blueberries. Cupcakes are a welcome treat at any occasion. This recipe makes 24, but go ahead and make two batches and freeze some for a future date. Both the cupcake recipe and the frosting recipe make delicious use of fresh, seasonal produce. The cupcakes, loaded with sweet blueberries, are good enough to eat unfrosted, and can stand in for a delicious breakfast or mid-morning treat. The frosting oozes with fresh strawberries. You may want to keep a bowl close by in the fridge; it makes a great dip for fruit and cookies.

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Mile-High Coconut Cupcakes

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Mindi Shapiro and Amanda Widis
Mile-High Coconut Cupcakes Recipe
These cupcakes are a mile high with icing and great coconut flavor.

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Red Velvet Beet Cupcakes

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Catherine Crowell Steele; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke
Red Velvet Beet Cupcakes Recipe

Beet adds natural color and sweet earthiness to these cupcakes.

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Peaches and Cream Mini Cupcakes

Photo: Oxmoor House
Peaches and Cream Mini Cupcakes Recipe
Petite and almost too cute to eat, these miniature cupcakes are infused with the sweet flavor of summer's juiciest fruit.

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Caramel-Mocha-Sea Salt Cupcakes

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Jan Gautro
Caramel-Mocha-Sea Salt Cupcakes Recipe
This cupcake is a combination of salty and sweet blended with mocha and is one of the most requested flavors at Dreamcakes Bakery.

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Black Sesame Cupcakes

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
Black Sesame Cupcakes Recipe

There's nothing artificial about these dramatically hued treats. Supermoist (and whole-grain) chocolate cupcakes get their blackout color from black sesame seeds and antioxidant-rich dark cocoa powder. These desserts are delicious and better for you, with every bit of fun, festive flair you crave.

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Coconut Cupcakes

Dan Goldberg
Coconut Cupcakes Recipe
Dense coconut milk, added right into the batter, gives these cupcakes all the flavor of the full-sized concoction, but with the added cuteness of individual servings. Top with traditional cream cheese icing and toasted coconut.

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Amaretto Apple Streusel Cupcakes

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Cindy Barr
Amaretto Apple Streusel Cupcakes Recipe
We simply adore these apple streusel cupcakes -- and judging by all the five-star ratings, so do our users! The homemade cinnamon-flavored streusel perfectly accents the apples' sweetness, while the simple glaze pulls it all together. If you love amaretto, try adding a splash of liqueur to the glaze as well.

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Lemon Sherbet Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting (Pam's Citrus Cupcakes)

Photo: Hector Sanchez Styling: Heather Chadduck
Lemon Sherbet Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting (Pam's Citrus Cupcakes) Recipe
These bright and fresh cupcakes are topped with a tangy lemon buttercream.
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Robin's Egg Malt Cupcakes 

Photo: Gina DeSimone; Prop Styling: Kashara Johnson; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall
Robin's Egg Malt Cupcakes  Recipe

Inspired by an Easter basket favorite, these malted chocolate cupcakes are sure to be the cutest dessert you serve this spring.  The moist cake is a fun play on a chocolate malted egg; you can typically find malt powder either on your grocery store’s baking aisle or shelved near the canned milks. Once you top these rich cupcakes with a buttery, bright blue frosting, creating the signature Robin’s egg speckling is easy—and a fun project to let older kiddos help with. You simple thin out your brown food coloring with a little bit of water, dip a paint brush in, and then “flick” the brush’s bristles to splatter the dye on the surface of your frosted cupcakes. 

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Walnut Cupcakes with Maple Frosting

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Cindy Barr
Walnut Cupcakes with Maple Frosting Recipe
Unlike their full-fat cousins, which get their softness from oil and butter, light cakes rely less on fat and more on sugar and liquids. More sugar minimizes the development of gluten proteins (the primary source of toughness in cakes), but it can also cause excess browning, especially if dairy products are present. Pull the cake from the oven when a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs still clinging to it.

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Red, White, and Blueberry-Filled Cupcakes

Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Red, White, and Blueberry-Filled Cupcakes Recipe

Tender and moist cupcakes with a fruity filling and topped with a tangy cream cheese icing — all the best of summer in one little package. This recipe can easily be doubled if you need a dessert for a large gathering. The jammy blueberry filling is a sweet surprise inside each cupcake but, if you prefer strawberry, simply replace the fruit and preserves.

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Chocolate Almond Cupcakes

James Baigrie
Chocolate Almond Cupcakes Recipe
These rich chocolate cupcakes start from a package of cake mix and get a triple hit of almond flavor from almond paste, sliced almonds, and almond extract in the glaze. 

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Cupcakes With Browned Butter Frosting

Cupcakes With Browned Butter Frosting Recipe
When you need "tastes like homemade" in minutes, use this recipe. Top cupcakes, made with packaged pound cake mix, with a creamy, buttery frosting that's sure to have everyone begging for more. For added appeal, garnish with mint leaves and edible violas.

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Lemon-Blueberry Ice-cream Cupcakes

Lemon-Blueberry Ice-cream Cupcakes Recipe
Update the idea of ice cream cakes with these frozen treats. Layer crushed lemon cookies with blueberry filling and a creamy milk-and-frozen lemonade mixture. Dollop whipped topping on last, and freeze overnight then add sprinkles, jelly beans, and anything else sweet you can find.
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Devil's Food Cupcakes with Marshmallow Filling

James Carrier
Devil's Food Cupcakes with Marshmallow Filling Recipe
Bake chocolate cupcakes with a surprise inside. With a knife, hollow out the center of the baked cakes and fill with marshmallow cream. Top with a gooey chocolate cream cheese frosting for a sure-fire winner among kids and adults.

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Orange Marmalade-Ricotta Cupcakes with Marmalade Buttercream Frosting

Photo: James Baigrie
Orange Marmalade-Ricotta Cupcakes with Marmalade Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Boxed cake mix is the only routine ingredient in these creative confections. Orange juice, ricotta cheese, and orange marmalade add tons of rich flavor and keep the cupcakes moist. Top with Marmalade Buttercream Frosting for an event-worthy dessert.

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Sweet Potato-Pecan Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting

Photo: Van Chaplin; Styling: Lisa Powell Bailey
Sweet Potato-Pecan Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Keep this family favorite around for the holiday season. Mashed sweet potatoes give the cakes extra moistness, while a myriad of spices including cinnamon and nutmeg, spice up the traditionally sweet dessert. A simple cream cheese frosting and a sprinkle of chopped pecans is all that's needed on top.
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Mississippi Mud Cupcakes

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas
Mississippi Mud Cupcakes Recipe
The chocoholic in your family will swoon for these s'more like treats. Chocolate cupcakes are topped with mini marshmallows and a thick chocolate frosting drizzle.

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Old-Fashioned Caramel Cupcakes

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Jan Gautro
Old-Fashioned Caramel Cupcakes Recipe
Old-Fashioned Caramel is a cupcake that can't be rushed. It's a true labor of love. The caramel has to cool for a while before you can make the frosting, and then you need to use the frosting right away. If the frosting gets too thick to spread, add just a little cream or milk to make it spreadable. It is definitely worth the effort.

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Team Spirit Cupcakes

Photo: John O'Hagan
Team Spirit Cupcakes Recipe
Perfect for the Junior's bake sale, this recipe dresses up store-bought iced cupcakes. Simply pick up coarse sugar and lollipops in your school's colors. Add a ribbon around the stem of the sucker for extra color and package them individually.
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Thai Iced Tea Cupcakes 

Photo by Kaylee Dopkins
Thai Iced Tea Cupcakes  Recipe
Recipe courtesy of Judy Lai from Silk Cakes in Queens, NY

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Lemonade Cupcakes

Lemonade Cupcakes Recipe
Perfect for summer, these cakes get their name–and great flavor–from frozen lemonade concentrate. Balance the tart flavor with a smooth cream cheese frosting. Don't forget the sour gummies on top.

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Orange Sherbet Cupcakes

Photo: Hector Sanchez Styling: Heather Chadduck
Orange Sherbet Cupcakes Recipe
The cupcakes are topped with a lightly tangy orange sherbet buttercream.
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Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes

Hector Manuel Sanchez
Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe
Chocolate lovers everywhere will swoon over the super-rich chocolatey flavor of these luscious cupcakes.

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Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes Recipe
If you love light, fluffy, bright desserts, check out this cupcake concoction. Lemon rind and fresh lemon juice punch up the flavor and give your cupcakes true zing!

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Hummingbird Cupcakes with Candied Pineapple Wedges

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Hummingbird Cupcakes with Candied Pineapple Wedges Recipe

This whimsical take on our classic Hummingbird Cake recipe shrinks the moist, three-layer cake into cupcakes, garnishing with bright candied pineapple wedges in honor of the canned pineapples that give the cake batter its incredible moistness. There are a few rules for success in this recipe that make it truly stand out. First, vegetable oil is used instead of butter to get the moist, quick-bread-like texture of the layers. Second, you need a can of crushed pineapple in its juice (such as Publix Crushed Pineapple in Pineapple Juice), which you will NOT drain. The juices add so much flavor to the cake batter and keeps it incredibly moist. Lastly, always take the time the toast your pecans! When baking the cupcakes, some of the oil may leach through the paper liners and into the muffin cups themselves. Grease-proof or aluminum foil muffin cups will help, or you can forgo the paper liners altogether and grease and flour the individual cups.

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Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes

Time Inc. Video Studio 
Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes Recipe

Loaded with toasty fall flavors, a batch of these easy PSL cupcakes will have you in sweater weather mode faster than hitting the Starbucks drive-thru. 

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Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Frosting

Becky Luigart-Stayner
Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Frosting Recipe
Chocolatey cupcakes paired with a peppermint-flavored frosting and chopped peppermint candies are perfect for Christmas parties.

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Bunny Face Cupcakes

Photo: Mark Thomas; Styling: Karen Tack
Bunny Face Cupcakes Recipe
Decorate store-bought cupakes for Easter by making cute bunny faces with marshmallows, coconut, pretzels, and an assortment of candy.
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Lemon-Scented Blueberry Cupcakes

Photo: Howard L. Puckett
Lemon-Scented Blueberry Cupcakes Recipe
Flavor basic buttermilk cupcake batter with grated lemon rind and fold in fresh or thawed blueberries for these sweet-and-tart cupcakes. Spread a dollop of cream cheese frosting on top and serve with extra blueberries.

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Bunny Cookie Cupcakes

Photo: Mark Thomas; Styling: Karen Tack
Bunny Cookie Cupcakes Recipe
Kids will love decorating these simple bunny cupcakes. Start with boxed or grocery store cupcakes then decorate each with vanilla frosting, green coconut, and bunnie cookies. Kneading together refrigerated sugar cookie dough and flour make it easer to cut out the bunny shapes.

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Orange-Glazed Strawberry Cupcakes

Photo: Charles Schiller
Orange-Glazed Strawberry Cupcakes Recipe
A hint of orange juice and chopped fresh strawberries give these cupcakes their wonderfully fruity flavor. Top with a glaze made from orange juice and confectioner's sugar, and garnish with a strawberry half for pretty presentation.
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Sweet Li'l Bunny Cupcakes

Photo: Mark Thomas; Styling: Karen Tack
Sweet Li'l Bunny Cupcakes Recipe
Perfect for Easter or a spring-themed birthday party for a bunny lover, these cupcakes are (almost!) too cute to eat. Look for bunny candies in kitchen stores or by special order.

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Pineapple-Coconut Cupcakes with Buttermilk-Cream Cheese Frosting

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Vanessa McNeil Rocchio
Pineapple-Coconut Cupcakes with Buttermilk-Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
The center of each cupcake is filled with a sweet pineapple mixture that highlights the homemade buttermilk-cream cheese frosting. Make birds' nests on the top of each cupcake with malted milk balls and edible paper.

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Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Fonda Shaia
Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Create a memorable dessert packaged in a pint-size liner. These too-cute-to-eat treats get their vibrant flavor from coconut extract.