How the Summer Quest Began

It all started with a book.  It had to. I'm a librarian, after all.  All good quests have their beginnings at some definite place and time and mine is in the Rudolph Library, during Book Fair.  When my hand touched Cupcakes, Cookies & Pie, Oh, My! New treats, new techniques, more hilarious fun by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson.

Photo of the cover of Cupcakes, Cookies & Pie, Oh, My! 

Those sheep had compelling eyes. And just wait until you see the insides of this amazing book!

Photo of Shoe Cupcakes

Shoe cupcakes are just some of the magical cupcakes you can make.  Yeah.  Shoes.  That are cupcakes.  What could be better?  

Yes!  Koi cupcakes!

KOI CUPCAKES! Oh, and where do you get circus peanut candy anymore?  That's a hard one.  I think I am going to have to order it online.  I tell you, these cupcakes are amazing!  Just delightful and silly and fun and fabulous.  I was inspired.  

I am still a librarian and one book on the matter just wouldn't do.  I did some careful research and found three more cupcake cookbooks that seemed to be very well thought of and would provide some variety to the quest.  Here they are:

Cover for Trophy Cupcakes and Parties.

Trophy Cupcakes and Parties  by Jennifer Shea is not only a cupcake cookbook, but a phenomenal party planner book.  This woman makes Martha Stewart look slothful. I have tried her chocolate cupcakes with espresso buttercream and they were fabulous.  

Cover for What's New Cupcake.

What's New Cupcake came before Cupcakes, Cookies and Pie. This one really goes into detail about how to use candy to make duck beaks, how to make original patterns of sugar cookies for honey comb designs.  I mean this book is crazy awesome.  We'll be detailing it cupcake by cupcake.

Cover of Big Book of Cupcakes.

I picked this book because one of the reviews was from a pastry chef who absolutely raved about it and how author Jan Moon gave so many helpful hints on ways to change up the recipes.  She does.  Again, we will be going through the recipes cupcake by cupcake.

This week is our get acquainted week.  I am perusing the books and trying some things out.  I think I might make a red velvet cupcake next...I'm not sure. 

If you are interested in following any of our cupcake bakers: 

• Karen Tack has a pinterest board for cupcakes. Alan Richardson didn't have one that I could find.
• Jan Moon has a pinterest page. And Dreamcakes has a pinterest page, but there are very few pins and I don't think they really get the pinterest thing.
• Trophy cupcakes has an amazing pinterest page with lots of boards.  Check it out!
• The Big Book of Cupcakes comes from Southern Living and they have a pinterest page at Southern Living Pinterest.

Stay tuned.  Cupcake classes start next week.  Should be enlightening.