Miller - Cupcakery: Party-Perfect Cupcakes in a Flash

Praise for Cupcakery

Toni Millers Cupcakery is filled with colorful cupcake confections! Her nostalgic and crowd-pleasing cupcake recipes are great for parties or just as a fun treat for your loved one.

Amy Atlas

bestselling author of Sweet Designs

Toni Miller brings a fun creativity to cupcakes that makes me want to smile from ear to ear. The designs and recipes are flawless and easy to execute with her detailed instructions. Everyday is a better day with Cupcakery!

Amanda Rettke

author of Surprise-Inside Cakes and baker/blogger behind iambaker.net

Cupcakery is the perfect addition to any hostesss bookshelf! Its filled with dozens of fabulous ideas for dazzling cupcakes that are perfect for every celebration!

Courtney Whitmore

author of Push-Up Pops, Candy Making for Kids, and Frostings

From the moment I laid eyes on Tonis adorable cupcake creations, I was insanely inspired! From her mouth-watering and easy-to-follow recipes to her creative and colorful designs, the book provides incredibly fun and imaginative ideas for any birthday, holiday, or special celebration! Tonis detailed instructions make the book a must-have for bakers of all skill levels, with tips and techniques to help each step of the way! Cupcakery is not only a feast for the eyes, but most definitely for the sweet-craving stomach as well!

Lynlee North Beckett

author of Sweet & Unique Toppers

Cupcakery is packed with scrumptious recipes and colorful creative flair, but the real icing on the (cup)cake is its approachability! Toni does an incredible job of presenting each idea in a clear-cut manner that makes stylish baking accessible and fun.

Jennifer Sbranti

founder and editor-in-chief of Hostess with the Mostess

With easy-to-follow recipes and bright, colorful presentation ideas, Cupcakery will make your next batch the hit of the party!

Callye Alvarado

author of The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle

To my three sweet cupcakes,

Cadence, Miley, and Bailey.

Contents

The Sweet Life

I would love to begin by telling you that I grew up in a bakery, surrounded by cakes, cupcakes, and the smell of fresh cookies daily. And I wish I could assure you that Candy Land is a real place, that calories dont count in dessert, and that I was frosting mile-high cupcakes by the age of three. But the truth is that, aside from the occasional holiday baking, most of my childhood baked-good memories come from the local bakery. The extent of my baking knowledge was a boxed cake, frosted from a can. Barely legible writing, sprinkles, and matching candles earned extra cool points. Becoming a baker was nowhere near my list of things I wanted to be when I grew up.

While I may not have been raised by Willy Wonka or been a child prodigy in cake decorating, life was still pretty sweet. From the start, it was pretty clear I had a creative drive and an undeniable sweet tooth. I was always surrounded by lots of family who embraced my creative nature, no matter how much glitter stuck to the kitchen table. As I grew older, I found one of my favorite ways to use those gifts was to plan themed events and entertain guests, a hobby that followed me into adulthood. Soon after marrying my high school sweetheart and having our first baby girl, I had the best reason to throw adorably cute birthday parties. We were a traveling military family, and big parties were a wonderful way to bring new friends together. You could say thats where my baking journey began, because every party needs a cake.

Becoming a baker was nowhere near my list of things I wanted to be when I grew up.

As Im sure you already know, party cakes today are quite different from the past. Today, you will find that cake decorating has progressed from using a star tip and a molded pan to carving real-life edible sculptures. Cakes come in all shapes and sizestheres no limit to the creativityand I wanted my party cakes to be the centerpiece! Unfortunately, it seemed that after spending weeks planning every single detail of a party, I would pick up the cake and find myself incredibly disappointed, cake fail after cake fail. The very last cake I ever ordered was for my daughters second birthday. We picked up our requested pink and purple cake only to find a cake that was half purple and half pink with a dividing line drawn right down the center. Just as we set down our two-toned cake, it split right down the center. Of course, its not that all bakers or bakeries produce awful cakes, but we certainly had a bad run, for which Im now thankful! Those disappointing cake fails led me right to the sweet life.

Seeing my frustration, my incredible husband encouraged me to start baking and decorating cakes of my own. A trip to the local craft store, one giant decorating kit, and a few practice cakes later, I was hooked. I adored the art of not only baking but also decorating cakes. Before I knew it, I was making cake after cake for friends and friends of friends. But the more full my cake calendar got, the less I enjoyed making them. I was filling cake requests and spending my weekends covered in buttercream instead of being creative and spending time with my family, who at that time consisted of a soldier husband, an energetic toddler, and newborn twins. Somewhere in the mix I started baking cupcakes, the smaller-yet-just-as-yummy-and-more-adorable sister to cakes. I quickly discovered I could be just as creative with cupcakes, maybe even more so. I could easily change the flavor, frosting color, and cupcake liner print, add a surprise inside, or top with anything from simple candies to extravagant fondant toppers. And I could perfectly coordinate the cupcakes with any event or occasion I could dream up! My love for cupcakes had just begun and I had no idea of the sweet adventures they would lead me to.

Soon, I began whipping up cupcakes in every flavor you could imagine. I shared my sugary creations with friends and neighbors. Quickly I became the cupcake lady, and I was more than happy with that role. As I shifted my focus from the art of decorating cakes to the science of baking and developing new flavor combos, my recipes were requested more and more. I firmly believe that recipes should be shared and I have been more than willing to hand over any recipe I have created. But much like great recipes, time is precious. I found myself typing out the same recipes and the same information over and over again.

This, my friends, is where all the fun beginsin the creative corners of the Internet, the blogosphere. During my own quest to perfect my art of baking and decorating, I found out that there are websites and blogs completely dedicated to all things sweet! Cookies, cakes, cupcakes, lollipops, you name itthere were enthusiasts out there sharing their love of sweets with the world, and I wanted a slice! I knew starting a blog would be the perfect way to share recipes and tutorials with family and friends around the world, to continue to connect and share my love of baking and decorating party sweets no matter where the military sent us. What I didnt know is that silly little blog would become much more than a place to store my recipes. Soon it began to grow, and I was gaining readers around the world, far outside my circle of family and friends. I had found my spot, with no messy faces or official orders, where I could be creative, bake sweet treats, have fun, and show others how to do it too! Soon I began exploring and sharing not only cupcakes and cakes but practically any party-worthy treat. I began to share much more than just recipes. I had set out to share a love of sweets with bakers, mothers, entertainers, and more. I strived to share party-perfect treats that were just as cute as they were delicious and show readers that they could make them too! Today, thanks to my incredible readers, family, and friends, each day is an exciting, sprinkle-covered adventure. I never know what I will be creating nextand I wouldnt have it any other way.