For my birthday last summer, my husband’s Aunt Cristi got me the book Cupcakes Galore by Gail Wagman.

I’m embarrassed to admit that the book sat on a shelf for nearly a year before I got the nerve to even leaf through it much. The recipes contain so many ingredients and techniques that I’m unfamiliar with that I had let it intimidate me to the point of not even TRYING.

Then two of my best friends took me to see the film “Julie & Julia,” and I read the book that inspired the movie. Both the movie and the book encouraged me to overcome my fears by tackling projects that seemed to be just out of reach. Cupcakes Galore was the most logical place to start.

There are 113 recipes in the entire book. Even the author admits some of the recipes do not fit the classic definition of a ‘cupcake’ (i.e. the gelatin/fruit cups that use cupcake tins as a mold), but nevertheless my goal is to complete each and every recipe in the book. Rather than give myself a time limit, I am setting my sights on 1 to 2 batches a week. At that rate, it will take me about a year or two to get through everything.

As I work my way through the book, I will be posting my creations here on the blog. I will also be tweeting on my baking days, looking for people to take my creations off my hands (I do NOT want to eat 113 batches of cupcakes and end up weighing 400 pounds!) To help offset expenses and buy ingredients for the next recipe, I will be charging a small fee for the cupcakes and dividing them based on need (you want 4? 8? 10?), rather than on ‘typical bakery’ numbers.

Below is a list of all the recipes I will conquer during this adventure. You can refer back to this post as we make our way through the year. Once I’ve baked a certain type, I will gray out the name. After the post for a particular recipe has been featured on the blog, the name will change from gray to a hyperlink, so you can check out posts you may have missed.

GRANDMA’S FAVORITES
1. Zucchini Pine Nut Cupcakes
2. Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes
3. Black & White Cupcakes
4. Blue Blueberry ‘n’ Cream Cupcakes
5. Brownie Cupcakes
6. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
7. Lemon Meringue Pie Cupcakes
8. Apple-Cranberry Crumble Cupcakes
9. Maple Walnut Delights
10. Three-Gingerbread Cupcakes
11. Strawberry-Filled Oatmeal Cupcakes
12. Persimmon Nut Harvest Treats
13. Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Cupcakes
14. Yogurt Cupcakes
15. Poppyseed & Lavender Honey Cupcakes
16. Sunshine & Vitamin C Cupcakes

KIDS’ CUPCAKES
17. Yeti Cupcakes
18. Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes with Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
19. Root Beer Floats
20. Birthday Beauties
21. Chocolate Sundae Cupcakes
22. Cookies ‘n’ Cream Cupcakes
23. Hot Chocolate & Marshmallow Cupcakes
24. Jelly-Filled Cupcakes
25. Peanut Butter & Jelly Swirls
26. Rocky Road Cupcakes
27. Banana Split Cupcakes
28. S’Mores Cupcakes
29. Chocolate Malted Milk Shake Cupcakes

AFTER DINNER CUPCAKES
30. Burgundy Blues Cupcakes
31. Rum Raisin Cupcakes with Butter Rum Frosting
32. Beer & Peanuts Cupcakes
33. Kir Cupcakes
34. Cappuccino Cupcakes
35. Cuba Libre Cupcakes
36. Irish Coffee Cupcakes
37. Mint Julep Cupcakes
38. Mezzo-Mezzo Cupcakes
39. Margarita Cupcakes with Lime Glaze
40. Midnight Madness Cupcakes
41. Piña Colada Cupcakes
42. Pastis Cupcakes with Anise Frosting
43. After Eight Cupcakes

GOURMET CUPCAKES
44. Tarte Tatin Cupcakes with Caramelized Apples
45. Bourdaloue Cupcakes with Caramelized Almonds
46. Cevenol Cupcakes with Crème de Marron Icing
47. Crèpe Suzette Cupcakes
48. Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes
49. Earl Grey Cupcakes
50. Crème Brulée Cupcakes
51. The Arlésienne
52. Peche Melba Cupcakes
53. The Languedocienne
54. Ricotta Lime Cupcakes with Lime Glaze
55. Tiramisu Cupcakes with Mascarpone Cream
56. Linzertorte Cupcakes
57. Mendiant Cupcakes with Fig Topping
58. Marrakech Moments
59. Pineapple Surprises
60. Macadamia & White Chocolate Cupcakes
61. Orient Express Cupcakes with Ying Yang Frosting
62. Mini-Financier Cupcakes
63. Poire Belle Helene
64. White Chocolate & Raspberry Cupcakes
65. Gateau de Savoie (Savoy Cake)
66. Saffron & Orange Cupcakes
67. Strawberry Cheesecakes

HOLIDAY CUPCAKES
68. Valentine’s Day Cupcakes
69. Epiphany Cupcakes
70. St. Patrick’s Day Pistachio Yogurt Cupcakes
71. St. Patrick’s Day Irish Soda Bread Cupcakes
72. Mother’s Day Filled Rose Cupcakes
73. Easter Lemon Chiffon Cupcakes
74. Easter Lavender Butterfly Cupcakes
75. July 4^th Red Velvet Cupcakes
76. July 4^th Blueberry & Raspberry Cupcakes
77. Thanksgiving Carrot & Cranberry Cupcakes
78. Thanksgiving Apple Cider Cupcakes
79. Halloween Orange Juice Cupcakes
80. Halloween Pumpkin Pecan Cupcakes
81. Day of the Dead Chocolate Cinnamon Cupcakes
82. Chanukah Honey Hazelnut Cupcakes
83. Christmas Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes
84. Christmas Fruit Cupcakes with White Fondant
85. New Year’s Eve Pink Champagne Cupcakes
86. New Year’s Eve Confetti Cupcakes

CUPCAKES PLUS
87. Dessert Rose Cupcakes
88. Almond & Hazelnut Mini-Meringues
89. Deep-Dish Apple Pie Cupcakes
90. Chocolate Cupcake Pies
91. Cherry Almond Pie Cupcakes
92. Baklava Cups
93. White Chocolate Panna Cotta Cupcakes with Passion Fruit Sauce
94. Baba Au Rhum Cupcakes
95. Blueberry Tart Cupcakes
96. Strudel Cups
97. Boston Cream Cupcakes
98. Caramel Vermicelli Cupcake Flans
99. Clafoutis with Crème Anglaise
100. Charlotte a la Fraise Cupcakes
101. Black Forest Cupcakes
102. Cupcake Kebabs
103. Rosemary’s Summer Pudding Cupcakes
104. Chocolate & Nut Dacquoise
105. Gelée of Fruit with White Wine in a Cupcake
106. Dessert Cups
107. Special Occasion Cupcakes
108. Far Breton Cupcakes
109. Lamington Mini-Cupcakes
110. Party Sundae Cupcakes
111. Opera Cupcakes
112. Chocolate Charlotte Cupcakes
113. Aunt Florence’s Frozen Lemon Cupcakes

TOTAL: 113
DONE: 44
REMAINING: 69

Bon Appétit!