Saturday, February 19, 2011

Review: Zombie Cupcakes by Zilly Rosen

Synopsis (via Goodreads):
The cupcake craze is still going full blast, and the invasion of cupcake shops spreads across the planet. But if there’s one thing that sticks in the throat, it’s that those cupcakes are so damn cutesy. Zombie Cupcakes will rise up through the ranks of sugary-sweet cupcake books by featuring a ghoulish army of delicious little creations that are anything but sugar-coated. Recipes range from Zombie Flesh, to Zombie Brain, Gravestones, Maggots, Night of the Living Cupcake, 28 Cupcakes Later, and more! The recipes feature complete cooking and icing techniques, along with full-color photos and even illustrations of some of the more difficult techniques, making the book perfect for beginners and more accomplished pastry chefs alike. Each recipe also features a difficulty rating, prep time, and cooking time, and sidebars of zombie trivia will be sprinkled throughout the book.
My Thoughts: There are two things you need to know about me:

#1 - I adore Halloween.  I have ridiculous amounts of love for the holiday.  I start planning my H-day decorating months in advance.  I dress up.  I have Halloween-themed decorations up year-round in my room (the rest of the family nixed the year-round H-day decors in the main part of the house.  Jerks.).  I love all the assorted goblins and ghoulies associated with the holiday.

#2 - I make the most amazing banana bread you will ever eat.  Seriously.  If you ever tasted it you'd be like "MY GOD!  You are a genius, Kelly!  You've ended world hunger with this fabulous bread!"  And I'd nod sagely and go about my merry way.  So, while I make the most amazing banana bread ever, I'm not so great with the other types of baking.  I mean, I can make a passable cupcake... most of the time.  However, I'm just not at the level where my cupcakes will make people gasp in wonder and bow down before me.

Oh, man!  Do I wish I had the skills to make these.  And, honestly, maybe I do.  Maybe there's an artistically inclined, zombie sculptor buried inside of me.  I've seen the way I draw, though, so I kinda doubt it.

The book starts out easily enough with some basic recipes, such as the dark chocolate ganache that used throughout as well as instructions on how to make the various decorative bits like the knives, gravestones, flies, and teeth.  Yes, teeth.  Isn't that awesome?!?!

The cupcakes range from movie-themed (Resident Evil, 28 Days Later) to general zombie-themed (severed hands, moonlit graveyards) and the book is sprinkled throughout with trivia from various zombie movies.  Seriously, if I had even the slightest bit of skill I'd be all over the brain-y cupcakes.  Those are just neat!

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

2 comments:

  1. I am stuck in some crazy rut where I love everything Zombie. This is pure awesomeness. Great review.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Looks good...I want to make some of these...
    My dad made me a whole set of zombie-y themed cupcakes from a Zombie Ate My Cupcake. You'd like the designs in that, they are amazing.
    Halloween food- for the win all year round.

    ReplyDelete