What's New, Cupcake? Ingeniously Simple Designs for Every Occasion

by Karen Tack, Alan Richardson

The endlessly imaginative duo who turned cupcaking into a national pastime is back, with utterly new, eye-popping creations anyone can make. Create a race-car cupcake, a robot cupcake, or ravishing jewelry cupcakes for a birthday party. Surprise the family with Chinese takeout dinner cupcakes on April Fool's or serve up a goofy chocolate moose. Captivate Mom with a bouquet of long-stemmed rose cupcakes and build sand castle cupcakes with the kids. All you need are candies from the corner store and cake mix and canned frosting. So what is new, Cupcake? Dozens of "EZ" projects that use just a few ingredients--perfect for kids and parties.
• More pictures, brighter colors, bolder designs.
• More faux-food creations--so real you won't believe they're cupcakes!
• More comical critters and the cutest pets ever!
• More irresistible party centerpieces to celebrate hobbies, from golf to knitting.
• More spectacular holiday Valentine's, Easter, Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. You'll end up with cupcakes so striking that you won't want to eat them--but so delicious you'll have no choice!

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Reference, Food and Drink, Crafts

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Karen Tack is the coauthor of the New York Times best-selling Hello, Cupcake! She is a cooking teacher and a food stylist and has created cupcakes and other desserts for the covers of many of America's top magazines, including Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Cook's, Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Woman's Day, Martha Stewart Living, Parents, Real Simple, Family Fun, and All You.

Reviews

[Laura Bone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all the cupcake/decorating books Karen Tack and Alan Richardson have written, but this one is probably my favorite. I've currently only made one cupcake design, but I plan on making many more.

[Linda B · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I found the most striking about What’s New Cupcake is the photography by Alan Richardson. The pictures are so vibrant and colorful that they almost seem to jump off the pages. This is a good-sized book, at about 9” x 10”, so they are also nice sized and detailed photos. The cover photo with the “Rubber Duckies” cupcakes is too cute for words.


What’s New Cupcake starts out like a craft book with a list of needed materials and tools. Nothing unusual is needed and most are items that would be already on hand, except for the variety of colorful candies. The instructions for decorating the cupcakes are clear and the Karen Tack's designs are fun and very decorative.

The first chapter, April Fools Play, has cupcakes that look like something entirely different. How about cupcakes that look like a sub sandwich or a banana split? There are sections with ideas for all of the major holidays and party ideas for children and grown-ups.

Just a couple of examples of the design titles are:

Busy Bees (a honeycomb of cupcakes)
Mum’s the Word (beautiful flower cupcakes)
Fur Balls and String Monsters (You have to see it!)
Shower Heads (baby faces)
Knit One, Frost Two (knitting needles and yarn - my personal favorite)

Along with the decorating instructions there are quick dressed up cake mix recipes for cupcakes, frosting, and sugar cookies.

[Julie Hartley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is filled with ideas, which gets the noodle working. Lots of the decorations are edible, (interchangeable) with healthier fruit snacks, as some of the toppings include Twinkies, circus peanuts, ice cream, decorating sugars, and even canned frosting.

I will say this is a fun way to play with your food. The "shuttlecock cupcakes" are particularly cool, but I have always enjoyed repetitive and meticulous tasks, like decorating individual pretzel sticks, so this was right up my alley. Also, the recipes are fairly simple, and GREAT to do with kids because none of these are too difficult, and there are lots of little tasks for each design.

Any baker should have this book. It's easy to be successful when using these recipes, and the creative possibilities are endless.

[Karrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many more “pretty” ones this time round. The shuttlecocks are impressive.

[DelGal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, there are undoubtedly some truly adorable and amazing cupcakes in this book, designs for every occasion and idea that look super easy to create, but I hesitate and wonder...has anyone actually attempted any of these recipes, and did they come out as beautiful as the ones pictured? This book does give wonderful tips on the basics of making great cupcakes, like filling liners, frosting, tinting sugars and making basic shapes, not to mention the tons of ideas cooks can use to design shapes and decorate their cupcakes from simple everyday sweets from laffy taffy and M & M's to circus peanuts. There are even great sections like holidays, birthdays and the "April Fool's Play" where you create cupcakes that are meant to look like real food such as pizza and the super cool Chinese takeout. But how many of these recipes are actually edible, or are more show pieces, and do you really want to be eating something that has been touched so much? Some of it looks quite tedious, and there are no prep times included in the book (I received an uncorrected proof, if anyone has a final copy pls. let me know if prep times are included, and I will gladly redact this statement). All in all this book is organized well, filled with great ideas and well detailed, but are they really as easy to create and use for the regular at home cook?

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first time I have ever reviewed a cook book. I should probably do more because it is either you like it or you don't. So...I liked this one. It has beautiful pictures through out the book that makes you want to eat cupcakes and jump right into cooking.


The recipes are super easy to follow and they are all so cute. You wouldn't believe how easy it is to make some of these beautiful cupcakes (no I am not posting pics of mine ;). The book contains how-tos on actual cupcake batter, how to make great batter from box cupcake mixes and quick easy ways to make your cupcakes beautiful and unique. I guarantee anyone can make great cupcakes from this book.

[meg Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

i absolutely LOVE this book. i found it originally in my school library when i was in elementary school (revealing my age a bit lol) i can’t tell you how many times i checked it out. i have probably read it at least 12 times. since it is a cook book, i have made cupcakes from the recipes in it before (the ants on grass and apple ones) and they turned out really well. i still really want to try to make the chinese takeout cupcakes. i recommend it 10000% if you enjoy baking and want some cute decoration ideas and tips

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is tntissengling good for people who like baking

[Cynthia Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

super cute ideas

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clever designs!

I really enjoyed reading through this. There are many cute designs and step by step instructions. I can’t wait to make them!

[Mar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apples cupcakes were cool

[Sabrina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected it to have recipes for cupcakes too, not just how to top. Even a couple of generic recipes would have been nice.

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great, original ideas. Lots of fun for kids.

[Madeleine McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book What’s New Cupcake, sequel to Hello Cupcake, is an instructional cookbook on how to decorate cupcakes. With recipes and food styling by Karen Tack and photography by Alan Richardson, What’s New, Cupcake provides simple to follow directions for any situation and is loads of fun to read.

Each set of directions starts off with ingredients and what other materials needed to decorate. There is a picture of the final product that is helpful to compare your work in progress to. Within your cupcake design, there may be parts that require explanation. The book provides easy to follow step by step photos of the creation as well as written directions.

What’s New, Cupcake is the ultimate cookbook because it has such a variety of themes and designs for anything you can think of. The book is divided into seven different sections including “You Say It’s Your Birthday?” and “Hooray for Holidays”.

The first 21 pages are specifically dedicated to different techniques and materials you can use and choose from. My favorite technique is the flower section where Tack does an amazing job of selecting different choices of sweets to create your ideal candy flower.

Have you ever watched a show like “Cupcake Wars” and wondered how the bakers always manage to get the perfect frosted swirl on top of their cupcakes? With Richardson’s amazing photography, it’s simple to learn and easy to do! “For a peak, use the tip of an offset spatula to swirl and lift the frosting,” Tack directs to top of the cupcake.

The back of the book contains a reference section and unlike other cookbooks I’ve read, it taught you how to make different cake flavors out of box cake mixes and how to make almost-homemade frostings. This is surprisingly helpful for favors that aren’t exactly available through store bought Betty Crocker mixes. Karen Tack says “Like most folks, we’re busy, and we definitely don’t want to lose precious cupcaking time,” and this whole section is the ideal solution for time constraints.

Like I’ve previously mentioned, Alan Richardson and Karen Tack are the dynamic duo that make What’s New, Cupcake so fantastic! Richardson’s photography makes the book feel bubbly and exciting while using the perfect angles and settings to capture Tack’s amazing designs.

Unlike many decorating books I’ve seen where the designs seem complicated and less than user friendly, What’s New, Cupcake made all the designs look anything but difficult and inspired me to try my hand at decorating, so I did! I chose “Chinese Takeout” for my first batch and using a combination of thinly piped frosting for noodles, green laffy taffy for broccoli and pink for pork slivers, I was able to create a surprisingly realistic representation of lo mein!

I also decided to make “Busy Bees” for my second batch and was again surprised at how close mine turned out in comparison to the photos in the book! Using a sugar cookie, yellow sprinkles and honey, I created honeycombs and with a black jelly bean, sliced almonds and yellow frosting I made a small honey bee to top off my design.

I thoroughly enjoyed What’s New, Cupcake and after trying out a few of the techniques, I am convinced that this is a truly amazing cookbook. It will inspire even the most untalented bakers to whip up some silly monster cupcakes! I highly recommend checking out this book and all the cupcake creations inside.

[LeAnn Suchy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Originally reviewed at Minnesota Reads.

If you give me a recipe I can make a damn good meal, but I’m not one of those people who can work my own non-recipe magic in the kitchen. How much milk should go in this? Is it half a cup of fresh garlic or half a tablespoon? What the hell is Tarragon? Trust me, I’m a mess without the written recipe.

The same goes for decorating cakes and cookies. I can do some text, but that’s about it, which is why I loved 2008′s Hello, Cupcake!. Karen Tack and Alan Richardson blew my mind with their creativity in decorating cupcakes. Using things like doughnuts, M&Ms, colored Tootsie Rolls, coconut, colored sugar, Fruit Roll-ups, and a host of other candies, Tack and Richardson gave step-by-step guides on how to decorate amazing cupcakes beyond anything I would’ve been able to imagine. Some cupcakes looked like mashed potatoes and gravy with some peas and carrots on the side. Some looked like penguins. Others like bowling pins and a bowling ball. My favorite was the garden and my friend Jenn and I even tried to make our version of it.

With how much I loved Hello, Cupcake!, I was so excited to hear that Tack and Richardson were coming out with a new version, What’s New, Cupcake?. The cover has some adorable duck cupcakes on it, so I snatched it up instantly without even flipping through it.

I should have flipped through it.

What’s New, Cupcake? is no where near as great as Hello, Cupcake!. The designs aren’t as cute and some of them just seem pointless, like the one they call Sweet Talk. Sweet Talk is for Valentine’s Day and it involves taking pound cake, cutting big hearts out of it, decorating them to look like candy hearts, and placing them on top of cupcakes. Why would I need to place a cupcake-sized heart on top of another cupcake? It adds no value to the cute hearts (the decorated hearts are cute) to place them on top of another cake.

Another pointless one is called Karaoke Cupcakes, and it involves putting microphones, made out of small ice cream cones and doughnut holes, on top of cupcakes. That’s not really design. I could make separate items and simply set them on cupcakes.

There are some cute designs throughout the book that I will be making. You’ll see the apples and the golf course in my kitchen soon, but I’ll be skipping Pantry Pets, which is basically cockroaches on top of a cupcake. Sure, they’re made out of dates and rolled caramels, but I would not want to serve them to anyone.

One thing that is better in What’s New, Cupcake? is that they give a more instructions. At the beginning of the book and for each of the designs, Tack and Richardson give more explanations and visual guides on how it all works. In Hello, Cupcake! there were a few designs that I just couldn’t figure out, but I think I could figure out how to do all the designs in What’s New, Cupcake?, I just don’t want to. Devour Hello, Cupcake! but put What’s New Cupcake? in the disposal.

[Avery · Rating 4 out of 5]

What’s New Cupcake, by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, is a modern cookbook designed just for cupcakes. It is a sequel to Hello Cupcake which is also written by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson.

Karen’s cookbook is jam-packed with new and up to date cupcake techniques. The first few pages of the book include the basics, piping, icing, and what tools to use. As the book continues, the lessons get harder; such as dipping cupcakes and building structures from other foods. There is also a section just on candy. What’s New Cupcake shows you different ways to design with candy and how to melt and mold candy into unique designs.

In the back of the book is a list of all the recipes that were used. There are ten cupcake recipes that include; Vanilla, Chocolate and Peanut butter. Even though What’s New Cupcake is an instructional book on cupcakes, it also contains a few cookies in it. Karen and Alan give you two different recipes for making cookies. Also there are, nine icing recipes which include;vanilla bean and mint. Not only is there a variety of recipes but all of them are high quality.

The rest of What’s New Cupcake provides you with over 50 cupcake designs. Each decorative cupcake is different from the rest. Per page is a cupcake and from there each cupcake comes with the ingredients listed, a step by step how to, if needed a template for cutting, and a picture of what the cupcake should look like.

Alan has organized What’s New Cupcake in a way that anyone can read. The cookbook is in some ways like a chapter book. It has five main “chapters” each one focuses on a different area. These areas include holidays, outdoors, and cupcakes that look like other foods.

Chinese Takeout, Honeycomb, and flamingos are some of the creative designs in What’s New Cupcake. Karen Tack and Alan Richardson designed this book in such a way that almost anyone can read or create. Some cupcakes are harder than some so they might not turn out how they look in book. All in all, What’s New Cupcake is a easy to read, unique cupcake book that is great for all readers.

[Robyn Hawk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't had this much fun since Hello, Cupcake!: Irresistibly Playful Creations Anyone Can Make the first cupcake craft book from the team of Karen Tack and Alan Richardson.

In the forward of What's New Cupcake? they promise fun, spectacle and ease...and they deliver on all accounts. This book leaves you laughing out loud - calling people over to look at cupcake art (be careful husbands get grouchy after about the third time) - and racing to the kitchen to see what ingredients you have on hand!

There are cupcakes for every occasion and some just to titillate! From Stuffed Turkeys for Thanksgiving to Ghosts and Black Cat cupcakes for Halloween. Whole cake displays made of individual cupcakes artfully arranged in a Formula One car - a Summer Water Park - Golf Course (complete with sand trap) - Yarn Platter that will delight the knitter's (or crochet fans) in your life. Some standouts for me were the Ants on a Picnic and "I Thought You Ordered Chocolate Moose?".

From first hand experience I can confirm delivery on the "easier than the first book" promise. I made the Rubber Ducky cupcakes...yummy, easy and a definite conversation piece at the Easter table!

One of the really nice things about this book is the "so many ways to decorate" section where they breakdown various candies, cookies, toppings and misc. parts. It is a great how to for creating flowers, whimsical mosaics, borders, animals and more. This is knowledge that you can use to make everything you cook CUTE!!! but don't get carried away with it, even the most tolerant family may decide you need an intervention.

Ok now, off to the gym!

[D'Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the e-book version of this which included videos that were really helpful. The book also includes a lot of time and frustration saving decorating tips. The authors are more interested in presentation than anything else so they recommend cake mixes and store-bought frosting. And while I can see how store-bought frosting would be ideal for some of the projects here in terms of consistency and stuff, I'm a from scratch kind of baker, which means all of these projects would take me at least twice as long. Not that it's going to stop me. Since my cupcakes are also vegan, it is sometimes challenging to find alternate decorating candy. But I manage. Don't anybody worry about me.

I also couldn't help but notice that some of the designs in this book overlap with designs from Clare Crespo's 2004 book Hey There, Cupcake, which i have used extensively over the years. The eggs cupcake, for example, also appears in the Crespo book, though the design appears to be improved here with the candy shell technique.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun cupcake decorating book from the authors. The ideas are truly fun and really get you thinking about making your cupcakes look as great as they taste.

I love their good instructions and their easy ideas of how to come up with all the different shapes to make ducks, Chinese take outs, mouse, race cars flowers, etc. come to life as a delicious cupcake display.

The only criticism I have is that some of the items used to create the cupcake designs, while edible, would not be enjoyable to bite into along with the cake part of the cupcake too. Best example: using sticks of gum. I don't always remember to warn everyone about toothpicks being inserted or people are too anxious to bite into their cupcakes, so I try to lean towards making any cupcake designs I make to being readily enjoyably edible.

Another fantastic and well executed book to inspire people to easily make amazing looking cupcakes.

[Elizabeth Elyse · Rating 3 out of 5]

By my 3 stars - do not let it put your off, It's a "How To" decorate instructions and photo type book, So it is hard to rate as a good read type of book. I am not the gushy type all over the moon about things; I am middle ground comfortable, so when I am screaming and shouting about something its profound. This for a picture book and how-to was very good. I loved the pictures as did other members of the family. 1 in particular that has a personality of a storm cloud over their head: actually had good things to say when shown the book. I recommend this if you are in need of a rainy day project or have to make something with a "wow" pop, but be fore warned these are full on Projects, recipes to make cupcakes are 10 minutes but after baking can be hours of work for some of the more elaborate BUT WORTH IT designs. Glad we got it, thanks honey.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great new ideas for cupcakes. I especially love the haunted house and the OH Tannenbaum cupcake creations. I got so many compliments when I bring them to parties. There is also a great April fools section that I need to try out sometime. This book is written for the new to cake and cupcake decorating with lots of shortcuts like box cakes and store bought frosting. The authors make it easy to follow the directions. There are also no hard to find ingredients. They use things like M&M and twinkies covered in chocolate to decorate. For the more practiced cake decorator, I highly recommend you use the ideas and patterns from the book but make your cupcakes and frosting from scratch. I highly recommend the book.

[♥Xeni♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

My older sister gave this book (and it's companion, Hello Cupcake!) to my little sister for her birthday last year... or two years ago. xD

Either way, I really just love paging through these two books thanks to the ingenious ideas that the authors came up with!

You think a cupcake is just a muffin with a bit of sugar coating? Think again! There seem to be unlimited ideas as to what you can do with a cupcake. Don't know any? Pick up one of these two books! If only to page through it and end up looking like =O because you can't believe that someone came up with THAT idea!

(My favorite? The cupcake garden! Cupcakes with little peas, carrots, planted plants... etc!)

[Lisa Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

More ideas to make themed cupcakes. I like her first book the best. This book has beautiful, full page photos and clear instructions on how to make the ones with different shapes. However, you may not want to bite into gum, a mini do-nut, a twinkle or a toothpick! The rubber ducks on the front cover are the cutest!

[Amethyst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay I know it's kind of a cheesy thing to read, but come on it's CUPCAKES! Besides it's not like I read it just for pleasure I obviously also used it to make delious cupcakes and I plan on continuing that by making more yummy cupcakes! The ones I'm really excited about are the fortune cookie cupcakes, I mean how awesome is that?! =P

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't tried a single recipe but what a delightful birthday gift from my bestie!!!!! So much fun to dream of laboring over these lovely little cakes! I do know which cupcake I would make first since my daughter and I GASPED when the page landed on mirror ball microphones and pink frosting. The creations are surprising and the illustrations make them seem achievable. FUN! FUN! FUN!

[Janaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some really really cute cupcakes in this book. I have yet to make any of them yet, but if you love to bake and be creative, then I would definitely look into buying this book. It gives you instructions on how to do everything that it tells you to do, and shows pictures of some of them. Its a great book for creative people!

[Rikelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hello Cupcake team has done it again! I love the designs in this book. The instructions are clear and the pictures are fabulous. My favorite designs are the little pies and the Chinese food take out - too cute!

[Princess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another gorgeous book from Tack and Richardson. Simply beautiful cupcakes with easy to follow directions. My first attempt from this book will be the Bake-sale Pies. Anya picked them out for her end of school classroom treat to share.

[Sherri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, lots of ideas! I can see making these as a fun project, "show piece", or with a kids who like to be creative in the kitchen. Very inventive.

I have to agree with another reviewer...but do you really want to eat something that has been handled so much?

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Decorating that a normal person could actually accomplish! Such cute ideas, all explained very clearly, using easy to find ingredients. This is one to buy now that I've scoped out the library's copy. Highly recommended!