Sweet, Savory, and Sometimes Boozy Cupcakes

Taking cupcakes to the next level is a specialty of Cupcake Wars―here are recipes from one of its popular winners.

Europeans serve savory cheese after a nice meal. Americans prefer something sweet and sugary. Alison Riede manages to marry the two concepts with her wildly original and surprisingly delicious cupcakes. She starts with the flavors and winds up with something that defies expectation. Recipes for salty, nutty, spicy, savory, tart, fruity, and chocolaty desserts include:

• Lemon Olive Oil Cupcakes with Sage and Sea Salt Buttercream
• Rosemary Parmesan Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting and Toasted Almonds 
• Cucumber Mint Cupcakes with Lime Buttercream and Fresh Mint
• Banana Cupcakes with Mango Filling and Banana Rum Frosting
• Chocolate Pinot Noir Cupcakes with Strawberry Filling and Dark Chocolate Pinot Buttercream

One taste and it will be clear why Cupcake Wars handed her the crown. Her recipes are simple and straightforward, illustrated with mouthwatering photographs. This is a truly original winner of a cookbook.

100 color photographs

Alison Riede is a 2011 winner of Food Network's Cupcake Wars. She is the owner of Santa Barbara–based cupcake shop Sugar Cat Studio and has dedicated her baking skills to creating savory flavors to offset the traditional sweetness of the cupcake. Her cupcakes were featured in the 2010 Academy Award celebrity gift baskets. Riede studied surface pattern design at Syracuse University and has since meshed that knowledge with her passion for baking.