My family loves to bake together. Every year, I get a birthday cake and then something special for Mother’s Day too. Now this year, my birthday and Mother’s day are only two days apart and I still have enough birthday cake for quite a few people. It’s so good we have to take it really slowly. However, if we were going to bake something I think we would make some more cupcakes.

A personalized cupcake from the Big Book of Cupcakes ($19.95), written by the belle of southern baking, Jan Moon, and presented by Southern Living sounds like a great idea. From traditional favorites like red velvet and carrot cake to new pairings such as Maple Bacon and Carmel Sea Salt Mocha, the Big Book of Cupcakes offers over 150 foolproof recipes that will satisfy you (and your kids) sugar cravings all year long. Here is one of the many recipes found in the Big Book of Cupcakes.

Mother’s Day Cupcakes

Toppings: edible pearls, edible glitter

Additional ingredient: 1 ½ cups strawberry jam

White Cake

½ cup butter, softened

1 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

2 ¾ cups all-purpose soft-wheat flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 ½ tsp. almond extract

Paper baking cups

Vegetable cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.

3. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in extracts.

4. Place jumbo paper baking cups in 2 (6-cup) jumbo muffin pans, and coat with cooking spray; spoon batter into cups, filling two-thirds full.

5. Bake for 18 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely.

Makes 12 jumbo cupcakes.

Strawberry Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

½ cup strawberry puree

1 tsp. strawberry extract (optional)

6 cups powdered sugar

¼ tsp. salt

1. Beat butter, strawberry puree, and, if desired, extract, at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.

2. Gradually add powdered sugar and salt, beating at low speed until blended. Beat at high speed 2 minutes or until creamy. Makes 3 cups.

Vanilla Bean Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla bean paste

1/8 tsp. salt

1 (16-oz.) package powdered sugar

1. Beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.

2. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Beat at high speed 2 minutes or until creamy. Makes 3 cups.

Note: We tested with Neilsen-Massey for the vanilla bean paste.

Finishing Touches

1. Fill each cupcake with strawberry jam. How-To Fill: To fill cupcakes, insert the end of a wooden spoon or dowel into the center of the cupcake to make a hole. Fill a zip-top plastic freezer bag with filling or frosting. Use scissors or kitchen shears to snip about ¼ inch from one corner of bag; insert bag into the hole in the cupcake. Squeeze gently until filling comes to the top of each cupcake. Note: If you want to fill and frost 1 recipe of cupcakes with the same frosting, you will need about 6 cups of frosting total.

2. Frost the top of each cupcake smooth with Strawberry Frosting. How-To Frost: Place a heaping spoonful of frosting in center of cupcake. With an offset spatula, push frosting to edges while turning cupcake. Rotate cupcake, and lift the frosting with the spatula to create peaks.

3. Insert metal tip no. 3 into a decorating bag; fill with Vanilla Bean Frosting. Write Mom on top of each cupcake. Insert metal tip no. 21 into a decorating bag; fill with Vanilla Bean Frosting. Pipe a border around the top edge of each cupcake.

4. Sprinkle each with edible pearls and edible glitter.

Disclosure – A product was provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the writing of this review; however, opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation