150 Best Cupcake Recipes - A Cookbook Review
Spring is here and that means bridal shower season too! My mom and I were planning a shower for one of my sister's friends. Guess what? The bride follows a vegan diet. Lucky for us, I was just asked to review Julie Hasson's 150 Best Cupcake Recipes cookbook, which includes a new chapter of classic cupcake recipes adapted for a vegan diet.
As a long-time fan of the original cookbook, 125 Best Cupcake Recipes, I was excited to check out this new version. While I won't need a vegan recipe every day, I'm glad to know the bride-to-be will enjoy the Vegan Cinnamon Almond cupcakes at our shower.
What else is there to love about this cookbook? First, I have to have recipes that work. Sounds obvious, but you wouldn't believe how many people have a "favorite" recipe that doesn't turn out. You will find page after page of reliable recipes in 150 Best Cupcake Recipes.
Then, I place a high value on flavor combinations. We use a 10-point scale at my house and this cookbook is chock full of 8s, 9s, and 10s! Chocolate & Peanut Butter...Pina Colada...S'mores...I could go on. To be fair, I have a few flavor combinations I don't typically enjoy. So, the Chocolate Cherry Cupcake will not get a 10 rating from me, but if YOU want one, this book still has you covered.
Some favorites at our house are the Lemon Yogurt Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Frosting and the Lamington Cupcakes with a chocolate ganache and toasted coconut topping.
From 150 Best Cupcake Recipes by Julie Hasson © 2012 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.
From 150 Best Cupcake Recipes by Julie Hasson © 2012 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.
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We did have some of the Lemon Yogurt Cupcakes sink a bit in the middle. The bright side? More room for the frosting! Next time, I'll probably adjust for the high altitude and add a bit more flour to the batter. My kids also picked the Chocolate Mint Cupcakes over the Lamingtons, but I don't see the downside (more Lamingtons for me).
To top it off, Ms. Hasson includes a handy reference guide and tips for decorating in the front of the book. The recipes are easy to follow, include both metric and US standard measurements. If the recipe titles aren't enough alone to entice you to bake, the book has 24 glossy pictures to make your mouth water.
By my calculations, my mom and I have tested and baked more cupcakes than a full episode of Cupcake Wars. Considering the number of recipes and different cupcake cookbooks we've tried, I'll confess that I reach for Ms. Hasson's cookbook most often, since I know I'll get a reliable recipe that's both yummy and beautiful.
Feel like baking a batch of cupcakes? Here are your recipes for the Lemon Yogurt and Lamington Cupcakes. Happy day!
More Cupcakes to Love
Magnolia Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
The opinions expressed here are my own. While the publisher DID provide a review copy of the cookbook, the four batches of cupcakes I made last week were made of my own volition, and may have been the result of some frequent and persistent requests by my children.
