Crazy About Cupcakes Reviews

• Finally!!!

  
  By A2WO62YDAWG2QC on 2006-09-14
  If your a crazed cake decorator like myself, you are always looking for different recipes, decorating and presentation ideas...finally a "different" cookbook has arrived.
  
  There are many different recipes inside this large book for the cake and frostings themselves...but the ideas for decorating and presentation are DIFFERENT and some cool displays are presented as well. There are even fancy designs for elegant cupcakes (a tiramusi cupcake!) - petit four type ideas...this alone is worth the price of the book and I'd pay twice the price of this book for that.
  
  Some of the reviews on amazon can go on and on and on - and you fall asleep before you can finish reading them...I don't have time for that -- I don't have time to be doing this review - BUT one thing for sure - if I take the time to give a review on a book it is special and a must have.
  
  BUY THIS BOOK!!!
  
  

• Crazy for this book!

  
  By A1Q59Q3U9L68DG on 2006-10-25
  This is the only review I'll ever write on Amazon. I felt it was my duty to let everyone know about this fabulous book. If you have any interest in cakes, cupcakes, decorations or baking... you MUST buy this book. I own *many* books on cakes; from recipes to decorations. All with exactly the same information. This book has MORE information about baking and DIFFERENT information about decorating. I've already made marzipan fruit, candied citrus peels, cupcakes, petit fours, cream filled cupcakes and many different types of icing, frostings and sugar pastes. And this is only from reading the first 1/2 of the book. I can't wait to find out what the 2nd 1/2 of the book contains."
  
  
  

• Enjoy your status as "Cupcake Goddess"...

  
  By A1J6U8RZKLR0XB on 2007-04-15
  I admit to owning six cupcake books (to date...)I know, I know...but cupcakes are just so perfect: Fun to make and decorate, easy to serve and oh, so cool to enjoy eating. This is the most "complete" book I've seen so far.
  
  There is a cupcake for everyone, for every occasion, for all baking and decorating skills. The recipes include the basics found in all the other books, but the variations presented are staggering. Many, many different flavorings, add-ins and batter combinations as well as interesting icings and toppings guarantee lots of opportunities for moving well outside the standards. The presentations range from sophisticated dinner-party-finish to a child's delight.
  
  The book is well organized and the introduction explains the basics of baking, frosting, toppings, substitutions, choices of pans, transporting and storing, plus a bit of cupcake history. (A previous reviewer commented that there is no indication of how many cupcakes the recipes make, or how much frosting you will have...the author states in the introduction that each recipe makes 18-24 medium cupcakes, with some recipes calling for two or more batches; the frosting recipes are geared to the number of cupcakes.)
  
  The decorations are also quite comprehensive with most requiring little cake decorating skills, i.e. pastry bags and Wilton tips. Instead, the author makes great use of small candies, shaved chocolate, fruit and fondant, all of which are described in detail in the introduction so that when you see the pictures, you already have a pretty good idea how she accomplished the finished product.
  
  If there is one slight criticism, it would be that the photos are not usually next to the recipes; sometimes several different cakes are grouped together in one photo. I have become spoiled by the other books which have large, glossy photos of the decorated cupcakes on the page with the recipe or on the facing page: A small price to pay for such a wealth of information and excellent recipes.
  
  And the raves from my girlfriends on chick-nite for the Screwdriver Cupcakes with Spiked Orange Frosting was as enthusiastic as my 17 year-old son's for the Mint Chocolate Chip cupcakes with the Dark Chocolate Icing.
  
  I do so enjoy being considered a cupcake goddess....Thank you, Krystina!
  
  
  

• Doesn't live up to the hype

  
  By A9OUQMIYYCF7G on 2007-07-28
  I bought this book based on the positive reviews and was disappointed. The pictures include sloppy looking decorations that appear to be done by a child instead of a professional baker - so consequesntly they were not that enticing to me. I have other cupcakes books that offer are more polished presentation. I made the carrot cake cupcakes and found them to lack flavor - they were not light and cake-like and were somewhat bland. One major drawback - and my biggest complant about this book is that the recipes do not have an amount or expected yield - how frustrating to make a batch of cupcakes and only get 12! You'll be much happier picking another cupcake book - either Cupcakes: From the Cake Mix Doctor or Cupcakes!
  
  

• Great Cupcakes!

  
  By A10Y9389064EOT on 2006-10-23
  I tried my first recipe from the book (Caramel Apple Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting) and it was a hit with my co-workers! I love that the recipes are easy to follow and the author gives a list of combinations for the cupcakes and frostings. I can't wait to try more recipes from the book. It's a very comprehensive cupcake book for the casual or serious baker!
  
  
• Cupcake Craze
  By A1MPCY6918CCIN on 2007-01-24
  This book has many wonderful recipes and many decorating ideas. This book demonstrates Krystina Castella's creativity in the cupcake genre.
  
  I guess my only concern is that the recipes don't give an indication as to how many cupcakes it makes or how many cups of frosting are made per recipe. I guess one can make an approximation by looking at the ingredients, but it would be easier if that amount was indicated by the author.
  
  
• Cute Cupcakes!
  By A2Y32714SORKO2 on 2007-08-15
  I was looking forward to receiving this book and must say that I have been satisfied with my purchase. So far, the recipes are tasty but the decorating instructions are quite vague. I also don't like that the recipe and decorating instructions are not alongside the picture. (You need to find the picture within like 15 pages of the book or use the index) But overall, very nice book.
  
  
• A fun book!
  By A2G8HDOZM1AJP1 on 2007-08-22
  I am on a cupcake kick right now; I love making them for my kids' schools, and for my family and friends. This book has so many great recipes it was hard to pick which one to make first. But I opted for the Pina Colada cupcakes, and they were absolutely delicious. This is the first time I made cupcakes from scratch, and it's a huge difference in taste and texture.
  
  I highly recommend this book if you love to bake.
  
  
• So far so good.
  By A2BBUXPNCX3BF6 on 2007-01-18
  This book delivers more than just a pretty cover. Recipes are good and relatively easy to follow. Many options hard to decide where to start.
  
  
• super cupcakes
  By A7UWA1WOFR3LM on 2007-05-17
  This book is wonderful. It has a lot of great recipes that are fun and pretty easy using ingredients you already have around the house. But it also has some neat decorating ideas as well. I would recommend it for sure.
  
  
• Good one
  By A19Z8L19YGANJP on 2007-06-24
  Had this book and have tried some of the recipes. Love the Black bottom cupcake and mousse cupcake recipes and the decoration is quite easy to follow. It's just that I found the icing is a little bit too sweet to my liking, so I have to improvise a little bit. Generally love this book.
  
  
• Fantastic Cupcake Options
  By A21VNS260U9X16 on 2007-06-18
  I love this book because it gives countless ideas cupcakes, fillings, frostings and decorations. The recipes are straight forward with readily available ingredients. The steps are very basic, easy to follow. I wish she could have been more precise, esp with cupcake yield. I've looked everywhere and cannot find information on how many cupcakes her recipes yield. Am I to assume that since she calls for a 12-cup pan that the batter will make 12 cupcakes? Other than that gripe, this book is a wonderful asset to my cookbook collection. It's a ready reference for my work (as a cake designer) and play (as a mom)
  
  
• Great book!
  By A2132CO4JDR429 on 2007-06-21
  I am thoroughly enjoying this book. The recipes are unique and I can't wait to make all of them! There are varying levels of difficulty, so there is something in this book for everyone. Lots of pictures. Get this book!
  
  
• Great information
  By A8GZJXMSDM1S6 on 2008-09-06
  I have ordered several cupcake related books and this is second to the best. Great layout, good information, products used in recipes are readily available and easy to use while cooking. The pictures are great and opened my "idea box in my head" to even further inventive ways to decorate. Really good choice if you are into cupcaking.....
  
  
• Thumbs Up for "Crazy about Cupcakes"
  By AB8Y2XA86MBEF on 2007-07-05
  All the recipes are accompanied by lovely pictures of the cupcakes. I love the cupcake decoration ideas in this book, it's not the usual thick, high creamy frosting that you won't eat, instead, the cupcakes are decorated with yummy toppings which are also nice to look at!
  
  
• very satisfied!
  By A353BJGYGT5GXY on 2007-12-20
  the pics are very inspirational. tried 2 of the cupcake recipes - white & kahlua. they turned out beauitful... light & fluffy. haven't tried the other recipes though. but after trying the 2, am convinced tt the rest will be equally good. the only set-back - most recipes listed are not for the tight-budget minded.
  
  
• It's GREAT!
  By ATDQLN7B1DNOQ on 2008-04-09
  I recently purchased this book from Amazon and I'm LOVING it! There are a lot of recipes for cupcakes, frosting, you name it! A great book for a cupcakes lover like myself.
  
  
• if you love cupcakes...
  By A13WHNX2X2NZ8O on 2008-07-09
  This book is GREAT!!!
  I have tried quite a few recipes from this book and I must say that they always turn out delicious. I especially like that the you can mix and match between the cake and frosting recipes to come up with your own very delicious version.
  
  This is a great addition to my library!
  
  
• Crazy about this book
  By A3IQ8EPNACU98C on 2008-07-20
  As a collector of baking cookbooks, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy the recipes in this book are. The illustrations are many and somewhat correspond with the pages of the actual recipe which I found refreshing after many books that have the recipe on page 4 and the picture of the recipe on page 72. Highly recommended for the aspiring baker and the beginner.
  
  
• CUPCAKES!!!
  By AM3A7ID9MC6MQ on 2008-08-24
  This book is the best book I have ever owned I tried the Tres leches cupcake a week ago and it was delicious.....My co-worker said it was the best cupcake she had ever had.
  
  

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