About Karen and Alan

Seth SmootKaren Tack and Alan Richardson are the creative duo behind Hello, Cupcake!: Irresistably Playful Creations Anyone Can Make and What's New Cupcake? Ingeniously Simple Designs For Every Occasion. The books feature jaw-dropping cupcake designs that run the gamut from 'corn on the cob' to 'spaghetti and meatballs,' and with their helpful step-by-step instructions, even you can recreate them.

In this video, Karen and Alan recall meeting while styling a shoot for Ladies Home Journal nearly 20 years ago. Karen, a cooking teacher and food stylist, worked well with Alan, a cookbook author and photographer with an art school background. The talented pair started to gain notoriety thanks to their flair for working with desserts, but it was a challenging assignment for Good Housekeeping that propelled them into cupcake land.

Karen and Alan love cupcakes because they are "hidden canvases waiting to be decorated," and when it comes to the decoration, Karen encourages letting your imagination run wild. She suggests you visit the candy aisle in your local grocery store, find a candy you've never seen before, and think about what its shape or coloring might represent in the miniature fantasy world that exists on each cupcake.

For more cupcake decorating tips and information on Karen and Alan's books visit their website, Hello Cupcake.

Cupcake Decorating

Ready to get decorating? Start off with Karen and Alan's basic cupcake recipe, which is specially formulated to stand up under the weight of all your sweet toppings. Check out this video to get their step-by-step instructions on cupcake mixing.

Before you start thinking of your own ideas, check out some of Karen and Alan's cupcake designs right here on KitchenDaily, along with helpful videos demonstrating the cupcake decorating process.

Once you're done decorating, we'd love to see your creations! Post them to our Facebook page or upload them and send them to us @KitchenDaily on Twitter.