40 delicious fairy cake recipes

The old campfire classic takes on a new identity as a charming cupcake. Graham flour flavors the cupcake base, which is topped with chocolate glaze and piled high with piped sticky marshmallow frosting, which is browned to mimic the effects of toasting over a fire.

Get the recipe for S'mores Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of "Martha Stewart's Cupcakes" by the Editors of Martha Stewart Living. © 2009 Clarkson Potter.

The mild and sweet flavor of Meyer lemon is one of Martha's favorites; these zest-flecked cupcakes are filled with Meyer lemon curd, which peeks out from the tops. If you can't find Meyer lemons, use regular lemons instead.

Get the recipe for Martha's Meyer Lemon Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of "Martha Stewart's Cupcakes" by the Editors of Martha Stewart Living. © 2009 Clarkson Potter.

If you love to indulge in New York's famed Magnolia Bakery cupcakes but don't live nearby, here's your chance! Try this recipe for the cupcake that makes people line up around the corner.

Get the recipe for Magnolia Bakery's Red Velvet Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of Magnolia Bakery

Over the years, some of the most popular recipes in Martha Stewart Living have featured the combination of chocolate, ginger and other spices, including cookies, brownies, and spice cakes. These dapper upside-down cupcakes a delicious variation on the theme.

Get the recipe for Chocolate Spice Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of "Martha Stewart's Cupcakes" by the Editors of Martha Stewart Living. 2009 Clarkson Potter.
 

Grated orange zest livens up both the batter and frosting of these sweet little morsels.

Get the recipe for Orange Poppy Seed Cupcakes

Courtesy of "Cupcakes". Excerpted by permission of Thunder Bay Press.
 

Roasting bananas before folding them into the batter gives these cupcakes a pronounced banana flavor and keeps them very moist. Honey, often paired with bananas, is added to the frosting.

Get the recipe for Roasted Banana Cupcakes

Recipe  courtesy of "Martha Stewart's Cupcakes" by the Editors of Martha Stewart Living. © 2009 Clarkson Potter.

Roasting bananas before folding them into the batter gives these cupcakes a pronounced banana flavor and keeps them very moist. Honey, often paired with bananas, is added to the frosting.

Get the recipe for Roasted Banana Cupcakes

Recipe  courtesy of "Martha Stewart's Cupcakes" by the Editors of Martha Stewart Living. © 2009 Clarkson Potter.

Carrot cake makes for a delicious cupcake. Covered in coconut, these little treats look like snowballs.

Get the recipe for Mini Carrot Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of Marissa Rothkopf Bates.

A sweeter and fluffier version of blueberry muffins, these are made for dessert -- but you might just find it difficult to keep your hands off them when morning rolls around!

Get the recipe for Blueberries and Cream Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of "Martha Stewart's Cupcakes" by the Editors of Martha Stewart Living. © 2009 Clarkson Potter.

Friand is French for “small mouthful,” and these friands from Tartine, like cupcakes, can be made from any cake batter. If you are going to eat a bit of cake that is only two mouthfuls at most, it should be satisfyingly extra rich and moist and topped with a shiny chocolate glaze.

Get the recipe for Chocolate Friands

Recipe courtesy of Tartine/Chronicle Books.

Kids will love helping make these for parties. Try serving them with jam as a sweet-cake dessert, or crumbled over canned peach slices as a way to incorporate fruit into a kid's dessert.

Get the recipe for Magnolia's Vanilla Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of "The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook: Old-Fashioned Recipes From New York's Sweetest Bakery" by Jennifer Appel and Allysa Torey. Simon & Schuster.

The marriage of lavender and honey is truly wonderful in this cupcake recipe. If you can find lavender honey, it will enhance the flavor even more.

Get the recipe for Lavender & Honey Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of "500 Cupcakes" by Fergal Connolly. Sellers Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
 

Chocolate and ice cream are a match made in heaven. These impressive cupcakes are a lot easier to make than they look! Just cut cupcakes in half, scoop in ice cream, and pop in the freezer.

Get the recipe for Chocolate Ice Cream Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of "500 Cupcakes" by Fergal Connolly. Sellers Publishing. All Rights Reserved.

Use intricate paper wrappers to embellish the cupcakes, which are very simply iced and decorated. You can create an impressive display with very little effort.

Get the recipe for Garland Cakes

Recipe courtesy of  "Bake & Decorate"  by Fiona Cairns. Excerpted with permission of Rodale. All rights reserved.

A cake stand piled with these enchanting creations in pastel pinks would be lovely for a girlie afternoon tea or birthday party. Make more for a larger celebration or even a wedding.

Get the recipe for Rosebud Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of  "Bake & Decorate"  by Fiona Cairns. Excerpted with permission of Rodale. All rights reserved.
 

The combination of sweet potatoes and pecans in this moist cupcake just might remind you of your favorite Thanksgiving casserole!

Get the recipe for Sweet Potato-Pecan Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

This little cupcake recipe offers the best of both worlds, with both chocolate and vanilla packed in each bite.

Get the recipe for Half-Moon Cupcakes

Courtesy of "Cupcakes". Excerpted with permission of Thunder Bay Press.

Ice cream that won’t melt! This recipe is perfect for any children’s party, especially during the summer. These are decorated as the real things -- soft-serve vanilla with a chocolate bar, raspberry ripple, or mint chocolate chip -- but use your imagination and get the children to help.

Get the recipe for Ice-Cream Cones

Recipe courtesy of  "Bake & Decorate"  by Fiona Cairns. Excerpted with permission of Rodale. All rights reserved.
 

Chocolate teams beautifully with the wake-up taste of grapefruit, especially if the fruit’s bold flavor  profile is softened by using it in an irresistible cream cheese frosting. These cupcakes are a perfect finale for casual gatherings such as picnics, but are elegant enough for dinner party fare.

Get the recipe for Chocolate Cupcakes with Grapefruit Smooches

Courtesy of  "Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce"  by Cathy Thomas. Excerpted with permission of John Wiley & Sons Inc.

These cupcakes make a delightful romantic gift for your true love on Valentine’s Day -- don’t forget to attach a lover’s message.

Get the recipe for Love-Heart Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of "500 Cupcakes" by Fergal Connolly. Sellers Publishing. All Rights Reserved.

These cupcakes make a delightful romantic gift for your true love on Valentine’s Day -- don’t forget to attach a lover’s message.

Get the recipe for Love-Heart Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of "500 Cupcakes" by Fergal Connolly. Sellers Publishing. All Rights Reserved.

These cupcakes will inspire your inner idol with miniature microphones made from an ice cream cone and a doughnut hole coated with silver sprinkles. There’s a licorice remote antenna at the base of the cone, so rock out and conquer the stage.

Get the recipe for Karaoke Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of What's New, Cupcake?  by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. Excerpted with permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2010

Boxed brownie mixes are plenty of people’s dirty little dessert secret. These brownie bites may start with packaged mix, but their flavor is boosted thanks to a couple not-so-secret ingredients: coffee and rum. Sometimes you just have to think outside the box!

Get the recipe for Mocha Rum Brownie Bites

Recipe courtesy of "Booze Cakes" by Krystina Castella and Terry Lee Stone. Quirk Books.

Melissa, host of Food Network’s Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa d’Arabian, put together this recipe for healthy cupcakes. Incorporate your favorite fruits and vegetables to make a perfect after-school snack!

Get the recipe for Magic Fruit-and-Veggie Cupcakes

Cocoa Puffs cereal, covered with melted chocolate and then dusted with cocoa powder, adds layers of chocolate and crunch to this fluffy, light mousse. Your gourmet friends may turn up their noses at using Cocoa Puffs, so don’t tell them the secret of these delicious little crunch balls until they have tasted them.

Get the recipe for Cocoa Puff Chocolate Mousse Cups

Recipe courtesy of  "Sweet Magic"  by Michel Richard with Peter Kaminsky. Permission of Harper Collins.

White House pastry chef Bill Yosses uses honey from the White House beehive in this cupcake batter, as well as the icing. He does not specify how to decorate the cupcakes, but if you want to keep with the garden theme, place a sprig of fresh herbs on top of each one.

Get the recipe for White House Honey Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of "A White House Garden Cookbook" by Clara Silverstein. Red Rock Press

These cupcakes are inspired by the story of Pinkalicious, a little girl who eats too many of her favorite pink cupcakes until she develops an acute case of “pinkititus,” and turns bright pink herself. For the pinkest cupcakes, search out bright pink cupcake liners and a variety of pink decorations from edible glitter, jimmies, sanding sugar, and sprinkles to doll them up. Forget restraint—the glitzier, the better.

Get the recipe for Pinkalicious Princess Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of "Sticky, Chewy, Messy Gooey Treats for Kids" by Jill O'Conner. Chronicle. 2009.

These elegant little cakes are topped with fresh raspberries, almonds and a drizzle of white chocolate, making them perfect with after-dinner coffee.

Get the recipe for Raspberry Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of "The Illustrated Kitchen Bible: 1,000 Family Recipes from Around the World" by Victoria Blashford-Snell. Used by permission of Dorling Kindersley Limited. 2008.
 

Fresh young-coconut juice, the naturally occurring clear liquid found inside a coconut before it has matured, flavors these moist cupcakes. It may be found at your local juice bar or at natural foods stores such as Whole Foods.

Get the recipe for Gluten-Free Young Raspberry Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of "Blackbird Bakery Gluten-Free" by Karen Morgan.Chronicle Books.
 

Most red velvet cakes have white icing, but since they’re flavored with cocoa to begin with, chocolate frosting makes a terrific topping, too. Try this recipe to see how you like the flavor combination!

Get the recipe for Red Velvet cupcakes with Chocolate Hearts

These cupcakes are pushed to maximum peanuty capacity and still remain moist and fluffy. Chunky peanut butter, molasses and flaxseed give them an intense flavor and nutty texture.

Get the recipe for Vegan Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Excerpted with permission of De Capo Press.

House Special: Pork Lo Mein and Vegetarian Fried Rice. Green fruit chews with green frosting and nonpareils sit 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.

Get the recipe for cupcakes 

Recipe courtesy of What's New, Cupcake?  by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. Excerpted with permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Even if you're not a fan of angel food cake, this chocolate version has an alluring texture. The icing is “angelic” because it’s a sweet, pink icing that is light and low in sugar compared to icing on the calorie killers that are store-bought cupcakes.

Get the recipe for Chocolate Angel Food Cupcakes with Angelic Icing

Recipe courtesy of "Secrets of a Skinny Chef" by Jennifer Iserloh. Rodale 2010.

Express yourself on a heart cut from pound cake and dipped in melted pastel-colored frosting. The message to you: everything sounds sweeter when it’s written on a cupcake.

Get the recipe for Sweet Talk Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of What's New, Cupcake?  by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. Excerpted with permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2010

In this amazing cupcake recipe, vanilla cake is swirled with caramel and chunks of chocolate, and topped generously with cream and more caramel, nuts and chocolate.

Get the recipe for Caramellos

Recipe courtesy of  "Cupcakes"  by Janet Smith. Excerpted with permission of Whitecap Books.

Sometimes you just need to fit into that particular pair of pants (or skirt or dress or tube top), but you’re not willing to give up cupcakes. Now you don’t have to, thanks to these vanilla-scented gems that also happen to be vegan-friendly.

Get the recipe for Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes with Fresh Berries

Recipe courtesy of "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Excerpted with permission of De Capo Press.

Mini cupcake jewelry made from Ring Pops will turn your little girl’s party into the one not to miss. Set up gem stations where kids can choose from their favorite candies and sparkling sugars to create their own Ring Bling Cupcakes.

Get the recipe for Ring Bling Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of What's New, Cupcake?  by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. Excerpted with permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2010.

This cupcake is a little taste of chocolate heaven topped off with fluffy marshmallows and crunchy pecans.

Get the recipe for Mississippi Mud Cupcakes