Piece of cake Cookbook writer Elinor Klivans brings new life to an old sweet

You may think of cupcakes as old-fashioned, something a 1950s mother used to make for children’s birthday parties and school bake sales. But Elinor Klivans, a cookbook writer and cupcake advocate in Camden, has been rethinking the cupcake. When it comes to fancy desserts, granitas, creme brulee and caramelized peaches are fine, but a cupcake can be just as exciting for sweet tooths of all ages, she says in the introduction to her newest cookbook “Cupcakes!” recently released by Chronicle Books. .

With the author’s friendly tone and festive pastel-palate photos by France Ruffenach, “Cupcakes!” is nearly a celebration unto itself. It’s the perfect gift for a bridal or baby shower because it has a gentle, motherly storytelling style for guiding readers through a successful kitchen experience.

Indeed, Klivans, a former pastry chef, looks back to her mother’s own cupcakes for inspiration. “Cupcakes and I have a long and happy history together,” she writes in the introduction. “One of my earliest memories is of carrying a plate of my mother’s Butter Cake Cupcakes with Sticky Fudge Frosting to kindergarten for my birthday.”

These days, Klivans bakes cupcakes for her own grandchildren. Her mother’s confections have made the table of contents in “Cupcakes!” but so have contemporary variations: lemon meringue cupcakes, Boston cream pie cupcakes, apple streusel cinnamon swirl cupcakes, sticky pecan upside-down cupcakes and ice cream bonbon cupcakes.

“Cupcakes were what we grew up with,” said Klivans, who moved to Maine from Florida in the 1980s. “We carried them to school, and we had them at parties. But when I was thinking about this book, I realized: There’s more. A cupcake can be anything. A cupcake is a party.”

While sections of the cookbook are dedicated to basic recipes, holiday celebrations and kid-simple recipes, Klivans is quick to point out that cupcakes aren’t just for kids.

“Adults love them,” said Klivans, who sometimes serves platters of cupcakes at her dinner parties in Camden. “I serve them with a knife and invite guests to slice off a portion and taste each one. Plus they’re great with a dish of ice cream. But what isn’t?”

Ice cream, the dessert cook said, is her favorite after-dinner treat, which may have inspired her to return to an old custom among cupcake cooks: filling ice-cream cones with batter and baking them into a cakey treat. The book also reflects Klivans’ fondness for flavor of lemons and the combination of hazelnuts and chocolate.

Klivans became interested in baking when she moved to Maine after her husband got a job teaching college in the area. She began cooking dessert treats for a local restaurant, established herself as a pastry chef, and eventually decided that she wanted to branch out on her own as a writer and teacher. (She teaches from time to time around the country and has also been on TV food shows.) Her first stab at getting published came when she sent a story about – what else? – ice cream to Bon Appetit magazine. The editors agreed to publish the story, but she had to wait a year to see it in print. Still, it wasn’t long before she was making a name for herself in other cooking publications including Eating Well, Fine Cooking and The Washington Post.

Her own cookbooks, the first of which was published in 1994, have earned a reputation for being easy to follow, with straightforward, detailed writing. Her goal, she said, is to provide recipes that answer all the questions a cook might have. In that way, she addresses the anxiety that new cooks, in particular, may feel when faced with a baking assignment. “Cupcakes!” is a perfect primer because, in addition to recipes, the book includes lists of equipment, explanations of ingredients and a list of mail-order sources. Klivans assured, however, that she creates recipes with ingredients available in local markets throughout Maine.

Anyone just starting out as a parent or as a home cook can appreciate Klivan’s other titles, too: “Fearless Baking: Over 100 Recipes that Anyone Can Make,” and “Bake and Freeze Desserts: 130 Do-Ahead Cakes, Pies, Cookies, Brownies, Bars, Ice Creams, Terrines, and Sorbets.”

While many dessert lovers are looking to cut down on calories, Klivans was audacious enough to publish a book earlier this year, “Big Fat Cookies,” with 50 recipes for jumbo-sized desserts.

“I don’t recommend eating six cupcakes or a dozen big fat cookies,” said Klivans, who is trim and energetic. “Eat one. Sometimes my husband and I split a cookie. People are not getting fat on my desserts. They are getting fat on other things. I like to say: Bet you CAN eat just one!”

Klivans is now working on a new project: a cookbook about potpies. “It’s still baking,” she pointed out. “But this time, it’s savory baking.”

Alicia Anstead can be reached at 990-8266 and aanstead@bangordailynews.net.