Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
April Fool's Play
French fries from pound cake, a banana with crunch, foot-longs with spice drops and taffy for lunch. Lo mein with fruit chews may sound gourmet, but think twice before eating — it's April Fool's Day. These cupcakes are the perfect foil for birthdays, holidays, sleepovers, or any time you need a laugh.
Side of Fries 24
vanilla frosting
pound cake
red food coloring
Makes 1 order of fries, 10 cupcakes, 4 mini cupcakes
SIDE OF FRIES
ez CUPCAKE
Want fries with that? Our clever crinkle-cuts are made from pound cake lightly toasted to look as though they're right out of the fryer. If you prefer straight-cut fries, just slice them into long, thin strips and toast them up. Squirt on the frosting ketchup, and these fries are ready for the drive-up window.
4 mini vanilla cupcakes baked in white paper liners
1. Trim the ends of the pound cake. Cut the pound cake into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Using a crinkle vegetable cutter (see Sources), cut the pound cake crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Transfer the strips to two cookie sheets and spread in a single layer.
2. Preheat the broiler to high. Toast the pound cake strips under the broiler until golden, 20 to 30 seconds. Turn the pieces and continue toasting until all sides are golden. Repeat with the other cookie sheet. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
3. Tint 1/4 cup of the vanilla frosting bright red with the red food coloring. For the ketchup, spread the red frosting on top of the mini cupcakes and smooth. Spread the tops of the standard cupcakes with the remaining vanilla frosting to cover. Arrange the cooled fries on top of the vanilla-frosted standard cupcakes, 4 to 6 fries per cupcake. Arrange the cupcakes in a cardboard container or on a platter with the red-frosted mini cupcakes. Serve with more red frosting in a squeeze bottle, if desired.
Makes 1 pizza pie, 19 cupcakes
HOLD THE ANCHOVIES
One large pizza to go. Pile on the pepperoni (fruit leather), bring on the sausage (chocolate cookies), don't forget the sauce (red frosting) — and make it with extra cheese (grated white chocolate). And be sure to brown that crust with cocoa powder.
19 vanilla cupcakes baked in white paper liners
1. Melt the white chocolate chips in a microwavable bowl in the microwave for about 1 minute, stopping to stir frequently, until smooth. Spoon the melted chocolate into a small plastic or foil container (about 2 by 4 inches and 2 inches deep). Smooth the top and refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes. When set, remove from the container and let stand at room temperature.
2. Tint 1 1/4 cups of the vanilla frosting light brown with 1/2 teaspoon of the cocoa powder and a few drops of yellow food coloring. Spoon the frosting into a ziplock bag, press out the excess air, and seal. Tint the remaining 3/4 cup frosting red with the food coloring. Place the red frosting in a microwavable bowl; cover with plastic wrap.
3. For the pepperoni, cut the fruit leather into as many 1-inch circles as possible using the back of a pastry tip, a small cookie cutter, or scissors. For the cheese, place a box grater on top of a sheet of wax paper and grate about half of the block of white chocolate on the largest openings.
4. Arrange the cupcakes on a serving platter or in a pizza box, if desired (we ask our local pizza parlor for a pizza box; we get it for free). Place 1 cupcake in the center. Surround the cupcake with 6 more cupcakes and surround those with the 12 remaining cupcakes to make a pizza-size circle. Press the cupcakes as close together as possible.
5. Using a serrated knife, cut 6 of the chocolate wafer cookies in half. Using scissors, snip a small corner from the bag with the light brown frosting. Pipe a small amount of frosting on each corner of the cookie semicircle and use frosting to adhere the cookie, rounded side out, between 2 cupcakes on the outer edge. Repeat to fill in all the gaps, making a continuous outer edge. Cut the remaining 4 wafer cookies into pieces that will cover any of the remaining openings in the center of the cupcake assembly to make a solid surface. Attach the cookie pieces with a small amount of frosting.
6. Snip a larger (1/2-inch) corner from the bag with the light brown frosting. For the crust, pipe a steady line of frosting along the outer edge. Use a small spatula to blend the inside edge of the frosting crust onto the cupcakes.
7. Microwave the red frosting to soften slightly, 3 to 5 seconds. For the sauce, spoon the red frosting in the center of the cupcake circle and spread to the edge of the crust circle, creating a few swirls for texture.
8. Sprinkle the top of the red frosting with the grated white chocolate. Arrange the fruit leather pepperoni all over. For the sausage, add the chocolate-covered raisins and the small chocolate cookies in small clusters. Grate more white chocolate, if desired. Place the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder in a fine sieve and lightly dust a few areas on the crust for that pizza-oven color.
Makes 1 foot-long hero, 4 cupcakes
FAUX FOOT-LONG
Twelve inches of deli-fresh ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles layered on a seeded hero says April Fool's as only candy can. Our meat and cheese are made from fruit chews, the onions are cut from spice drops, the tomato is a fruit slice, and the lettuce leaves are cereal flakes tossed in green frosting. The hero itself? Cake doughnut sticks with sesame seeds.
4 vanilla cupcakes baked in white paper liners
1. Place the cereal in a medium bowl. Spoon 1 tablespoon vanilla frosting into a small ziplock bag, press out the excess air, and seal. Tint 1/4 cup of the vanilla frosting green with the green food coloring. Heat the green frosting in a microwavable bowl in the microwave, stopping to stir frequently, until it has the texture of lightly whipped cream, about 15 seconds. Pour the frosting over the cereal and toss well to coat. Spread the coated cereal on a cookie sheet in an even layer and refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes.
2. For the cheese, microwave the yellow fruit chews for 2 to 3 seconds to soften. Press 2 fruit chews together and roll out on a clean work surface into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into a 1 1/2-by-2 inch rectangle. Continue with the remaining yellow fruit chews, rerolling scraps, to make a total of 6 rectangles. For the holes in the cheese, cut out small circles in the rectangles using an apple corer, a pastry tip, or a small round cookie cutter. For the ham, microwave the pink fruit chews for 2 to 3 seconds to soften. Press 2 fruit chews together and roll out on a clean work surface into a circle about 1/8 inch thick. Cut each circle in half to make 12 semicircles.
3. For the tomatoes, cut each red fruit slice in half crosswise to make 2 thin slices. Sprinkle the work surface with some of the granulated sugar. For the onions, roll out the white spice drops 1/8 inch thick, adding more sugar as necessary to prevent sticking. Cut out 1/8-inch-wide onion rings using various sizes of small round cookie cutters, lids, pastry tips, or scissors, making as many rings as you can cut. For the hero-roll tops, cut 1/2 inch from the bottom of the doughnut sticks; discard the bottom portion. Place the trimmed doughnut sticks, cut side down, on the work surface and cut each crosswise into two 21/2- to 3-inch pieces. Remove 1/4 inch from the rounded ends of 2 of the pieces. Brush the tops with the corn syrup and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. For the pickle slices, flatten the green gumdrops with a rolling pin into rounds. Trim the edges with a small scalloped cookie cutter or decorative scissors. For the pickle seeds, snip a very small corner from the bag with the vanilla frosting and pipe small white dots in the center of each pickle slice.
4. Spread the tops of the cupcakes with the remaining vanilla frosting. Arrange the green cereal along the outer edge of the cupcakes as the lettuce. Add a red fruit slice as the tomato and a few onion rings made of spice drops to each cupcake. Add a few slices of cheese. Gather the straight sides of the pink fruit chews to create wavy ham slices and place on top of the cheese slices. Arrange the cupcakes in a row on a serving platter. Top with the doughnut sticks, untrimmed rounded pieces at the ends, to make the bread. Serve with the pickle slices and apple chips, if desired.
Makes 1 carton of eggs, 12 mini cupcakes
ALL CRACKED UP
People crack up every time they see these cupcakes. First we paint the inside of plastic pull-apart Easter eggs with white chocolate to make the eggshells. Then we break a few and put them on top of mini cupcakes. To make sure everyone gets the yolk, we add a dollop of lemon curd. What a great idea for breakfast on April Fool's Day.
12 mini vanilla cupcakes baked in white paper liners
1. Place the white candy wafers in a microwavable bowl. Microwave for 10 seconds and stir. Repeat this process until the candies are melted and smooth, about 1 minute total.
2. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and place in the refrigerator. Lightly oil a paper towel with the vegetable oil. Rub the inside of each plastic egg half with the oiled paper towel. Using your finger or a small brush, generously coat the inside of an oiled plastic egg half with the melted candy. Transfer the egg, open side down, to the cookie sheet in the refrigerator. Repeat with the remaining melted candy and plastic eggs. After a few minutes, check and touch up any eggs where the candy is too thin or there is a hole. Return to the refrigerator until set, about 5 minutes.
3. Carefully remove the hardened candy from the plastic eggs without breaking it (you will need 6 to 9 whole egg halves, plus any broken pieces for finishing).
4. Tint the lemon curd egg yolk yellow with 1 drop of red and 5 drops of yellow food coloring. Spoon the tinted lemon curd into a small ziplock bag, press out the excess air, and seal.
5. Spread the tops of the cupcakes with the vanilla frosting and smooth. Snip a small (1/8-inch) corner from the bag with the lemon curd. For the egg yolks, pipe a small mound of lemon curd on top of each of the frosted cupcakes. For the whole eggs, place the candy eggshells, open side down, on top of the lemon curd to cover. For the broken eggs, arrange broken pieces of shells around the yolk. Place the cupcakes in the clean egg carton if using.
Makes 1 take-out order, 12 cupcakes, 24 mini cupcakes
CHINESE TAKEOUT
House Special: Pork Lo Mein and Vegetarian Fried Rice. The kids will love this broccoli: green fruit chews with green frosting and nonpareils on a pile of lo mein noodles made of frosting squeezed from a ziplock bag. Serve fried rice on the side: puffed rice cereal tossed with fruit chews and jelly beans. And don't forget the caramel fortune cookies.
LO MEIN
6 vanilla cupcakes baked in white paper liners
1. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. For the broccoli stems, make a lengthwise slit halfway down the center of each green fruit chew and open slightly. Place the stems on the prepared cookie sheet. Microwave the pink fruit chews for 2 to 3 seconds to soften. Press the pink fruit chews together and roll out into a 2-by-3-inch rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. For the pork slivers, cut the flattened fruit chew rectangle crosswise into 1/8-inch-wide strips.
2. Tint 1/2 cup of the vanilla frosting bright green with the green food coloring, spoon the frosting into a ziplock bag, press out the excess air, and seal. Tint 2 teaspoons of the remaining vanilla frosting with 1/2 teaspoon of the cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon water and mix to make a smooth brown paste. Tint the remaining vanilla frosting light brown with 1 drop of yellow food coloring and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder. Spread the darker brown paste down the side of a ziplock bag and then fill in with the light brown frosting. Press out the excess air and seal.
3. Place the green sprinkles in a small bowl. Snip a small (1/8-inch) corner from the bag with the green frosting. For the broccoli florets, pipe mounds of frosting on the tips of the split ends of the green fruit chews on the cookie sheet. Holding the broccoli by the stem, press the frosted end lightly into the sprinkles to cover completely; return to the cookie sheet (see the photo above).
4. Snip a small (1/8-inch) corner from the bag with the brown frosting. To make the lo mein noodles, pipe the frosting in an irregular pattern all over the cupcakes, piling it high and letting it hang over the edges (the darker brown frosting will look like soy sauce). Arrange the pink fruit chew pork slivers randomly on top of the cupcakes. Add one or two pieces of broccoli on top. For scallions, scatter a few green licorice slices on top of the cupcakes.
5. To get the full effect, carefully place the cupcakes in the Chinese take-out containers, if using.
FRIED RICE
6 vanilla cupcakes baked in white paper liners
1. For the peas, cut the green jelly beans in half crosswise with a small knife or clean scissors. For the carrots, cut the orange fruit chews into 1/4-inch cubes. For the scrambled egg, cut the yellow fruit chews into small strips and pinch to soften the sharp edges. For the rice, place the rice cereal in a medium bowl.
2. Tint the vanilla frosting pale beige with the cocoa powder. Spread the tops of the cupcakes with a thin layer of frosting; use about 1/2 cup of the frosting. Heat the remaining 3/4 cup frosting in a small microwavable bowl in the microwave until it has the texture of lightly whipped cream, about 15 seconds. Pour the heated frosting over the cereal, tossing to coat evenly. Reserve a few of the cut jelly beans and fruit chews for finishing and toss the rest with the cereal mixture. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the cereal mixture on top of each frosted cupcake, pressing down to secure. Arrange the reserved candy pieces on top of the cupcakes. For the scallions, scatter a few licorice pieces on top.
3. Carefully place the cupcakes in large Chinese take-out containers, if using.
4. For the soy sauce, pour the chocolate sauce into a small dish, if desired.
FORTUNE COOKIES
24 mini chocolate cupcakes baked in white paper liners
1. Spread the tops of the cupcakes with the vanilla frosting and smooth.
2. For the cookies, microwave several caramels at a time for 2 to 3 seconds to soften slightly. Press 2 caramels together and roll out to an approximately 3-inch round. Cut out a 3-inch circle using clean scissors, a cookie cutter, or the rim of a glass. Repeat with the remaining caramels. Place a paper message down the center of a caramel circle, allowing it to overhang one side. Fold the opposite sides of the round up over the message to enclose it in a half-moon shape. Bring the ends together to make a fortune-cookie shape.
3. Place the caramel fortune cookies on top of the cupcakes, pressing down lightly to adhere and place the orange candy fruit slices on the side, if using.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "What's New, Cupcake?"
by .
Copyright © 2017 Karen Tack and Alan Richardson.
Excerpted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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