CUPCAKES! FROM THE CAKE MIX DOCTOR

From chocolate ganache to toppings with panache, this latest addition to the Cake Mix Doctor canon offers creative ideas and 135 recipes for tiny, delicious cakes. The detailed table of contents and alluring cupcake likenesses in the opening assemblage of photos will have readers salivating. The Cupcakes with Class chapter offers tasty elegance, from Cappuccino Chip to Harvey Wallbanger (which contains vodka and liqueur). Kids' cupcakes range from Cotton Candy to Caterpillar, and priorities delightfully in place, Byrn provides party-planning suggestions for favors and activities that complement the cupcakes. Helpful hints abound via "The Cupcake Doctor Says" tidbits, which appear throughout the book, and mini-essays that ponder questions such as "What's a Muffin? What's a Cupcake?" The Muffins: Breakfast Cupcakes chapter suggests ways to move beyond the classic blueberry (though Byrn offers a new take on that standby, too); Cupcake Cousins and Cupcake Creations will give do-it-yourselfers the confidence to try making fancy desserts in muffin tins. Fans of the regular QVC guest will already know that homemade frostings are a must, "the strand of pearls setting off the classic little black dress." Recipes for creams, glazes, frostings and sauces will help cupcake chefs "experiment and enjoy." (May)