Holiday Cupcakes

After the fantastic Decorating Cupcakes, Cakes, & Cookies, baking queen Annie Rigg is back with more than 25 gorgeous and achievable ideas for cupcakes for the holiday season. If you are a novice baker and would like to make something

pretty but un-fussy to bring to a festive party, why not look at the Simple chapter for inspiration? Try the Gingerbread Cupcakes, which will fill the house with the warming, spiced smells of Christmas. Cute cupcakes will appeal to the little kid in all of us—make a basket of adorable Snowmen, complete with marzipan noses and ribbon scarves, or even a flock of Robins, and put a smile on someone’s face. Decorative cupcakes are that little bit more sophisticated and bound to impress. There are clever ideas, such as little cakes topped with miniature gifts or “Glass” Stars made out of molten sweets. Cupcakes are everyone’s favorite sweet treat, and there’s really no better time to indulge and get baking than Christmas time, so try some smart Candied Clementine Cupcakes or some quick and easy Gingerbread Men-topped Cupcakes.

• Inspiring photography by Kate Whitaker.

• More than 25 easy-to-follow recipes for delicious and imaginative cupcakes.

• Cute companion to the bestselling Cupcakes book, also published by Ryland Peters & Small—more than 171,000 copies sold.