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30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
Cupcakes to Die For!
I don't often give cookbooks a 5 star, just because many of them have only a few new recipes that I would try, or because the format is poor. Oftentimes, I check out cookbooks from my local library, pick out the recipes that I want to try, and jot them down. When I started to do that with this book, however, I noticed that I was marking several pages in a row, and...
Published on April 23, 2006 by L Smith
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
Cupcake Doctor is Okay
I would recommend buying hard cover only, because the paper back is challenging to keep open, while you are trying to cook. I learned a lot about baking cupcakes. Several references to vendors and tips are given throughout text, which is nice if you live in an area where selections are not the local forte. The tips are handy too. I checked this book out first at my...
Published on February 23, 2006 by N. Mattson
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30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
Cupcakes to Die For!, April 23, 2006
This review is from: Cupcakes: From the Cake Mix Doctor (Paperback)
I don't often give cookbooks a 5 star, just because many of them have only a few new recipes that I would try, or because the format is poor. Oftentimes, I check out cookbooks from my local library, pick out the recipes that I want to try, and jot them down. When I started to do that with this book, however, I noticed that I was marking several pages in a row, and pretty soon had most of the pages bookmarked! I stopped marking, returned the book to the library, and purchased my own copy.
What makes this seemingly simple concept so special? Well, as the author points out, most people love cupcakes. They are versatile, portable, and easy to create. You can make cupcakes as simple or as creative as you would like. And this great book of over 135 recipes can help in any situation. Need 2 dozen cupcakes for the class bake sale and want the cupcakes to look incredible? Want to impress your dinner guests but not spend hours in the kitchen? Want to wow your kids with a special treat after school? You can make up a batch of cupcakes that will accomplish all of these tasks.
I loved the fact that most of the recipes start with a box of cake mix, and ingredients that I keep in my pantry and refrigerator. Some of my family's favorites include: Red Velvet Cupcakes, Coconut Snowballs, Caramel Spiced Apple Cupcakes, Fresh Raspberry Cream Cakes, and the Marshmallow Frosting.
The author has 2 other books that are also worth a try, "The Cake Mix Doctor" and "The Dinner Doctor". Enjoy!
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
Nice ideas, September 21, 2005
This review is from: Cupcakes: From the Cake Mix Doctor (Paperback)
Anne has some really nice ideas for cupcakes, and most people I have served them to do not think they came from a mix. The Italian cream cupcakes are absolutely wonderful, and the orange marmalade cupcakes are excellent, too. The red velvet cupcakes came out looking very strange, but I served them anyway, and everyone devoured them and wanted the recipe.
I am not sure why everyone is so upset about the lack of color photos. It is pretty easy to visualize what the cupcakes will look like (well, maybe not the over-the-top children's ones), and almost none of the cookbooks I use regularly (Joy of Cooking, Fannie Farmer, Mark Bittman, James Beard) have extensive or color photos.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
Beautiful, Easy, Fun and Useful!, November 28, 2005
This review is from: Cupcakes: From the Cake Mix Doctor (Paperback)
Ann Byrn, the author of the wonderful "The Cake Mix Doctor," does it again! The book is easy to use and fun to read, and there will be recipe after recipe you want to try! These recipes are for busy moms and other real people too--you won't spend a fortune or all day on these recipes. The ideas are fast and easy but have tons of "wow" potential, such as presenting the cupcakes in gold foil wrappers (instead of ordinary paper ones) on cake plates, in tiers. Great holiday ideas! Great kid ideas! Great party ideas! Who doesn't love cupcakes? This is a winner. A+
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
Fun and Tasty--Especially for Busy Parents, April 30, 2006
This review is from: Cupcakes: From the Cake Mix Doctor (Paperback)
As a mother of a 5 and 7 year old, the opportunities to provide themed cupcakes for birthday parties, snack leader day, etc. are ample. This book makes quick and easy work of providing really great muffins and cupcakes. It also gives brief menus for theme parties which in many cases would work well for adults and children. I made the "Best birthday cupcakes with chocolate syrup frosting" for my son's 7th birthday party and they were a huge hit (of course that crowd's easy). I then proceeded to make the "Tie-dyed cupcakes with psychedelic buttercream frosting" for my dad's 60th birthday party. I made 48 of these cupcakes--and they were completely gone--by adults eating 2 or 3 of them! It was amazing. The lack of illustrations is really not a problem. She gives you a nice color overview of the decorated ones in the beginning of the book. Great book!
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
Very Creative Cupcakes, July 29, 2005
This review is from: Cupcakes: From the Cake Mix Doctor (Paperback)
I am accustomed to doing all of my cake baking with the Cake Mix Doctor and Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor, so my expectations for this book were very high.
One major gripe: Byrn's 2 Cake Doctor books have a photo of every single recipe. Cupcake Doctor contains relatively few...this was a huge disappointment to me as I like to have a mental picture of what my results should look like. I don't think I will use this book quite as much as the other two for that very reason.
On the other hand, the recipes are creative and tasty, as usual. The capuccino chip cupcakes are outstanding. I look forward to trying more of the recipes for my daughter's birthday parties, school bake sales, etc.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
I bought it for the muffin recipes!, May 19, 2005
I am probably biased as I am a big Anne Byrn fan. (Her "Dinner Doctor" is one of my all-time favorite cookbooks.) I wasn't planning to buy the cupcake book as I was sure it would be mostly recycled stuff from the cake books -- but she has a lot of great ideas for doctoring up muffin mixes, and I am an avid muffin baker. Also I just like the design, layout and tone of her books, the very clear instructions, her chatty intro to each recipe, and all the helpful tips that appear in the sidebars. I've tried three recipes so far -- the Apple-Ginger Bran Muffins, Sweet potato casserole muffins and cherry-corn muffins. They were all good -- and gave me ideas for future "doctoring"!
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
Cupcake Doctor is Okay, February 23, 2006
This review is from: Cupcakes: From the Cake Mix Doctor (Paperback)
I would recommend buying hard cover only, because the paper back is challenging to keep open, while you are trying to cook. I learned a lot about baking cupcakes. Several references to vendors and tips are given throughout text, which is nice if you live in an area where selections are not the local forte. The tips are handy too. I checked this book out first at my local public library and brought it mostly for the baking tips and less for the recipes.
I am new at baking, so my first recipe wasn't a smashing success... but I will keep trying. I wish the book had more pictures. The author gives complete party ideas... menus and what not... and that is nice if you ever want to host theme parties for any occasion. I think some recipes are easy and others are geared toward the more experienced baker. I think it would make a nice gift idea for the dessert lover or cake decorator in your life.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
I'll try the Cake Mix books next, September 6, 2005
This review is from: Cupcakes: From the Cake Mix Doctor (Paperback)
I was disappointed that there weren't more photos - when my 4-year-old was looking through the book, he obviously wanted to do the recipes/cupcakes that looked spectacular in the photos. I think recipes that cater to kids should have lots of imagery, and it makes it easier for the cook, too.
I found typos in the book, which always makes me wonder if a book was thrown together too quickly. We made the carrot cake muffins with cinnamon streudel mix, and quite honestly, I thought they were disgusting. The recipe was easy to follow - maybe we just picked a lame one. The description/intro to the recipe didn't match the recipe/method very well, and it was assumed that the mix came with a brown sugar/streudel topping, which mine didn't.
I've heard better reviews about the Cake Mix Doctor books, so maybe I'll try those. The Cupcake Mix book is a great idea, but so far, I'm not raving about it.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
cake mix doctor strikes again, May 20, 2005
I love this book. I have all Anne Byrn's Doctor books and use them all the time. Now my family and friends think I know how to cook. No longer do coarse, stale birthday cakes haunt my kitchen counter. Cupcakes are so cool and trendy. I love that they are no longer confined to kids and the classroom. I made those molten chocolate ones with genache and thought we'd gone to Jean Georges in New York City for dinner!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
More pictures, May 18, 2005
This review is from: Cupcakes: From the Cake Mix Doctor (Paperback)
Fun book and a nice addition to the rest of the "doctor" books. I feel a little short changed on the color picture section. Quite a few cakes are not shown in color. The color photo section is a great feature of these fun books and it is a shame someone decided to "skimp" on this book. The groundhogs are very cute. They were done on Martha Stewarts tv show years ago as "Hedgehogs" Kids just love them.
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