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How to make truly cute cupcakes

Baking scene hipsters know cupcakes have become so ubiquitous (and achingly ironic) as to be nearly passe.

But then, they probably haven't seen Karen Tack and Allen Richardson's March of the Penguins rendition, which crafts cupcake penguins from mini doughnuts, chocolate cookies and marshmallows. Or watched a little boy's fascination with Kaye Hansen and Liv Hansen's construction site created from a bed of cupcakes topped with "dirt" frosting and chocolate tractors and trucks.

These and many other whimsical, inspiring and utterly gorgeous creations are set out in two new cookbooks aimed at helping you turn humble cupcakes into fanciful works of art.

First is Kaye Hansen and Liv Hansen's "Little Cakes," which offers simple, elegant and often silly recipes and designs for cupcakes and other small baked goods, including bugs, ice cream cones and pails of sand.

Second is Karen Tack and Allen Richardson's soon-to-be published "Hello, Cupcake!", which walks the reader through cupcake designs for sunflowers, dog faces, even one that resembles bagels and lox.

-- Associated Press

Cutting board made of cork

An eco-friendly cork cutting board, which has been made from wine-cork scraps that have been heated and pressurized, is a knockout. The cutting surface is naturally self-healing, and it won't dull knives. Cork naturally repels moisture, odors and bacteria, and it is more sustainable than wood since once the cork is removed, the tree is still intact and healthy, ready to produce more cork. The board measures 12 by 18 inches and sells for $26.95 online at www.crateandbarrel.com.

-- Newsday

Cut the cheesecake fat

Typical cheesecakes contain as much as three-quarters of a pound of fat, most of it from the cream cheese and heavy cream or sour cream in the filling. In addition, a traditional graham cracker crust can add an entire stick of butter.

Making a healthier -- yet still satisfying -- cheesecake is just a matter of choosing the right ingredients.

In most cheesecake recipes you can, at the very least, replace regular cream cheese with Neufchatel (reduced-fat cream cheese) which has fewer calories and about a third of the fat.

Additionally, you can replace about half the cream cheese with a smooth puree of reduced-fat cottage cheese, which will cut fat and calories even more.

If you're adapting a recipe that calls for a graham cracker crust, you can cut fat and calories quite a bit by using a small amount of canola oil rather than a lot of butter to bind the crumbs together.

-- Associated Press