The cupcake is America's darling. It's celebrated in upscale bakeries, on Sex in the City, on the cover of Gourmet, and in thousands of classrooms--where everyday, it seems, a parent has sent in a batch for the kids to share. The very word conjures up whimsy, coziness, pleasure, nostalgia. Not to mention the fact that their diminutive size means you can eat a lot of them.

Once upon a time, a family had only two recipes for cupcakes--chocolate and vanilla. Not anymore. Now Anne Byrn brings them to the next level. And who better? Recognized as the master of cake-mix baking, Anne is the author of The Cake Mix Doctor and Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor, which have a total of over 1.8 million copies in print. In Cupcakes she offers 135 tempting recipes for children and grown-ups, for special days and everydays, lunch bags, holiday festivities, and an unexpected dinner party dessert.

You'll never believe these artful little cakes started with a mix. Coconut Snowballs, Jelly Doughnut Cupcakes, Kiss Me Cakes, Warm Chocolate Cupcakes with Molten Centers, Red Velvet Cupcakes with White Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting. There are surprising additions (tuck a chocolate kiss or piece of cookie dough into the batter). Creative toppings and easy from-scratch frostings (whipped spiked with Kahlua; miniature M&Ms; a creamy malted frosting with crushed malted milk balls). Terrific decorating ideas, from glittering golden dragees or elegant chocolate curls to yellow peeps for an Easter cupcake or--for Groundhog's Day--a groundhog's face made out of chocolate frosting and jimmies.