101 Gourmet Cupcakes in 10 Minutes Hardcover – August 8, 2011

I needed to start making cupcakes for my husband's lunch and to have on hand for guests that drop by. I like the small size portion as we have really cut back on our portions but don't want to have to cut out all sweets. This book has nice variations that make the cupcakes unique and tasty and they are all so easy. I watch for the sales on cake mixes to stay stocked up and it is so easy to throw these together, bake, decorate if I choose (great frosting recipes in this book also) and then freeze them for later use. I use Rubbermaid's premier containers with the hard clear bottoms and black rimmed lids. There is one size that works perfectly to hold one reg. size frosted cupcake. So glad I bought this book.

I made the peanut butter cup cupcake tonight with the peanut butter icing and it blew away the martha stewart one I made last week. Sadly, Martha's cupcake book has gone to the great thrift store in the sky, but this one is a keeper. The cupcake tonight was actually better than a similar one we had a few weeks ago at a cupcake bakery. The PB icing is delicious.The use of boxed cake mixes is what makes the cupcakes easy to assemble, the addition of ingredients is what makes the cupcakes "gourmet." I'm not really sure these are gourmet, but that isn't a bad thing. They are fast, easy, and taste yummy.The directions could be a more detailed. The directions for tonight's cupcakes were to cool on a wire rack. But would that be in or out of the cupcake tin? Some recipes call for a cool down in the tin then the transfer to a rack, so a bit more clarity would have been nice. I compromised with 5 minutes in the tin then out onto the racks.There is a lot of variety in the cupcakes. the recipes turn out well and to us, they don't taste "boxy" or artificial. While I still like making cupcakes from scratch too, this is an excellent addition to my cupcake repertoire.

My family and I are all big fans of cupcakes. They're a great dessert if you need something to serve a lot of people. I've made many of the recipes in this book and people rave about them. They are cute and soooo yummy! And best of all, they're easy to make. My favorites so far have been the gingerbread and pink lemonade recipes. This book also makes a great birthday gift. I gave a copy of this book to all of my sisters and sister-in-laws last year and they've all loved the book as well. Because really, who doesn't like cupcakes?

I like the ideas in this book but I got this book because I'm not a super experienced "baker" and this is my second time making cupcakes from this book and both times it does not tell you to use enough liquid ingredients. The cake batter was SO dry I knew it couldn't be right. It was a little drier than cookie dough. The first time, I thought it was a little dry but figured the author knew what she was talking about. The ending result (Pink Lemonade Cupcakes) the cake was too dry. For the frosting, I had to keep adding more milk to it because it was dry like I was going to make pie crust! So I kept adding milk until I got what I thought was the right consistency. In the end, the cake was too dry and frosting was too dry. It tasted good, but the recipe needed more water or something.I thought maybe it was that one recipe, but I decided to try the Chocolate Mayonnaise Cupcakes. Same thing. I ended up adding eggs, oil, and water like the instructions on the back of the box. I haven't tasted them yet as I'm making them right now. For the cream cheese frosting I guess I'll just have to add ingredients until I think it looks "right." It's really stupid that this book isn't correct. The reason why I like baking is because there's direct measurements to follow; no guess work. This book on the other hand, has guess work. I wouldn't recommend this book.

I purchased this book for a friend of mine for her birthday, and picked up a copy for myself while I was at it. I love this book. I get constant compliments from these recipes, and I've even been told that I should quit law school to start a bakery. The frostings, ganache, and whipped cream recipes are very easy to make with the aid of a hand mixer, and are usually my favorite part. Although I do prefer baking things from scratch, this is a great way to bake something quickly and easily when you're pressed for time, don't have all the ingredients on hand, or aren't in the mood to take on a bigger project. I'd definitely recommend this book to someone who is ok with box mixes, but if you aren't, this isn't the book for you.

I have to admit that I bought this cookbook to give as a birthday present. I have made the Oreo Cupcakes twice and a friend made the cupcakes with the Reese's Peanut Buttercup. Both very good recipes that people truly enjoyed. They are easy and fun. The peanut butter frosting is delicious and easy to make.I am getting ready to finally give the book away and I am going to have to buy one for myself.

This cookbook offers a lot of fast and easy cupcake recipes, all of which start with a cake mix, and many of which are unique. I like the spiral binding which enables it to lay flat while you're working, but a few relatively minor problems preclude my giving this book five stars. First of all, the ingredients are all easy to find, but in some of the recipes, the quantities aren't clear. For example, one recipe calls for "a can of fruit cocktail" - but doesn't tell you what size; another one lists "a block of butter." How big, exactly, is a "block?" My guess would be a stick...but other recipes in the book specify "2 tbs." or "1/2 cup" or whatever; why not be specific on this one?The pictures are beautifully done and make the cupcakes look very tempting. Not every recipe features a picture, which is fine, but the one section (Theme Decorating) where one really NEEDS photos to see what the finished product is supposed to look like has pictures of only a few of the cupcakes, and those which are easy to picture in your mind at that; I'd like to see the butterfly, the caterpillar, and the other more elaborate designs.All-in-all it's a nice cookbook, and ideal for the times when you need some cupcakes in a hurry but don't want to have to settle for something plain and simple.