Poor Annie Maxfield. Besides searching for a dress, flowers and a place to have the reception, the Salt Lake City bride-to-be faced an added complication - she needed an alternative to the traditional wedding cake.

Fiancé Jaren Brabham "just doesn't like the way they taste," said the University of Utah graduate student.

The dessert dilemma was solved when the couple stopped at a Salt Lake City coffee shop. Along with their java, they tried a hand-crafted, gourmet cupcake.

"They were the cutest things and tasted amazing," Maxfield said of the coconut cupcake from a new Salt Lake City bakery called Mini's. "And I don't usually like coconut."

After meeting with Mini's owner Leslie Fiet, Maxfield made plans to serve tiramisu- and coconut-flavored cupcakes at her Italian-themed wedding.

"We're using them as centerpieces as well as dessert," said Maxfield. Besides being simple and unusual, the self-serve nature of cupcakes will also save the couple a $300 cake-cutting fee for their August wedding.

Once largely a treat for children's birthday parties and bake sales, cupcakes are increasingly a grown-up sensation. Today, specialty bakeries make them by the dozens, giving them decidedly adult flavors, such as green tea, margarita, passion fruit and mocha latte.

Maxfield's decision fits right in with America's cupcake explosion, which first began about seven years ago at the famed Magnolia Bakery in New York City. Culinary myth has it that when the owners made their gourmet cakes, they often found themselves with extra batter. Instead of tossing it, they created miniature treats.

The cupcakes were a hit with. among others, baby boomers, fresh off low-carb diets and nostalgic for comfort foods of their childhood.

Not long after, Carrie Bradshaw and her girlfriends on HBO's popular comedy "Sex and the City" were seen eating cupcakes at Magnolia. Cupcake shops soon popped up all over the city. Cupcakes were featured in style and food magazines and quickly became culinary couture.

"They are whimsical and fun and easy to serve at showers, birthdays and office parties," said Romina Rasmussen, chef and owner of Les Madeleines bakery at 660 S. State St. in Salt Lake City.

Initially, Rasmussen said her customers were slow to try these mini cakes, which cost $1.75 each. (Larger cupcakes are $2.50.)

"In the beginning there was a stigma about cupcakes," she said. But once customers realized they were a far cry from the stale, shortening-frosted treats of their youth, they have returned for them regularly.

Rasmussen said she uses top-quality chocolate, fresh fruit purées and other ingredients that ensure the cupcakes are moist and the frosting is sweet and flavorful.

Les Madeleines' cupcakes are, for the most part, based on Rasmussen's travels. Her favorite cupcake is the "Shanghai," an exotic green tea and jasmine flavor. The "Bali" is a coconut cupcake with a passion fruit buttercream (don't call it frosting), while the "Jaipur" - the name of India's "rose city" - is a cardamom and pistachio cupcake soaked in rose syrup. There are more flavors on her Web site at www.les-madeleines.com.

Low cost and calories: Portion control is another reason to love these mini cupcakes, about four bites each, said Fiet, Mini's owner. When you want something sweet, a cupcake can satisfy the craving without ruining your waistline. Cupcakes also allow customers to avoid buying whole cakes that are usually only half-eaten and inevitably dry out.

"They are perfect if you want just a little bit," she said. "I don't feel guilty about eating one or two small cupcakes. It's a lot less calories than a piece of cake."

It was that love of small treats that led Fiet into the cupcake business. As a wedding photographer, Fiet regularly to New York City, where there are nearly two dozen cupcake shops with names like Buttercup, Sprinkles and Cupcake Caboose.

But when Fiet tried to special-order cupcakes for home, "no one would ship them to me."

That's when she began experimenting. "I probably tried 500 recipes and made 5,000 cupcakes," trying to capture the perfect balance of a moist cake and flavorful, but not-too-sweet frosting.

Today, Fiet has about a dozen specialty flavors, including margarita lime, pistachio nut and dark chocolate with organic peanut butter. The "diva" is her chocolate-vanilla cupcake, made with real Madagascar vanilla and premium chocolate, and topped with pink frosting.

Barely six months old, Mini's cupcakes are sold in several dining establishments around Salt Lake City, including Finn's, Jack Mormon Coffee Roasters, Nostalgia, The Beehive Tea Room and Big City Soup. They cost between $1.50 and $1.75 each.

Fiet also takes catering orders on her Web site at www.mini-cupcakes.com and has a booth at the downtown Salt Lake City farmers market at Pioneer Park and the Park Silly Sunday Market in Park City.

Fiet said she plans to add more seasonally flavored cupcakes t1o her rotation, including fresh raspberry, a caramel apple and maybe a spicy pumpkin in the fall.

"I'm always open to new things," she said. "I love smelling like a cupcake every day."

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* KATHY STEPHENSON can be contacted at kathys@ sltrib.com or 801-257-8612. Send comments about this story to livingeditor@sltrib.com.

Raspberry peach cupcakes with lemon frosting

This recipe, from Arlene Kay Butler, of Ogden, was a runner up in the "Cupcake Challenge" sponsored by Taste of Home magazine.

Cupcake:

1 cup vanilla or white chips

6 tablespoons butter, cubed

1 (18 1/4 -ounce) package white cake mix

1 cup milk

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup fresh raspberries

1/2 cup chopped, peeled fresh peaches or frozen unsweetened peach slices, thawed and chopped

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 cups confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Fresh raspberries or peaches, for garnish, optional

Equipment:

24 cupcake liners

Cupcake pans

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place paper liners in cupcake pans. Set aside.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chips and butter. Microwave at 70 percent power until chips melt. Stir until smooth.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, milk, eggs, vanilla and melted chips. Beat on low speed 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes more. Fold in fruit.

Fill paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven. Let cupcakes cool for 10 minutes in pans. Then remove from pans to wire racks and cool completely.

For frosting, beat butter, confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in a bowl until smooth. Frost cupcakes. Top with fruit if desired.

Makes 2 dozen.

Source: Arlene Kay Butler, Ogden, as published in Taste of Home magazine April/May 2007

White Russian cupcakes

Cupcakes:

1 (18.25-ounce) package plain yellow cake mix

1 (3.4-ounce) box vanilla instant pudding mix

1 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup whole milk

4 large eggs

1/4 cup vodka

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Kahlua

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Kahlua whipped cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon Kahlua

2 tablespoon semisweet chocolate shavings, for garnish

Place a rack in the center of the oven. Heat to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set pans aside.

Place cake mix, pudding, oil, milk, eggs, vodka, 1/4 cup Kahlua and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop machine and scrape sides of bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down sides again if needed. Spoon or scoop 1/3 cup batter into each lined cupcakes cup, filling it 3/4 of the oven.

Bake until cupcakes are golden and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 17 to 20 minutes. Remove pans from oven and place on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Brush top of cupcakes with remaining 2 tablespoons Kahlua.

Run a dinner knife around the edge of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcake up from the bottom of pan using the end of the knife. Pick cupcakes up carefully with your fingertips. Place on wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

Place a large, clean mixing bowl and electric mixing beater in the freezer to chill for 1 minute. Remove bowl and beater. Pour cream into bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until cream has thickened, 1 1/2 minutes. Stop machine and add sugar and Kahlua. Beat cream on high speed until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Place a heaping tablespoon of whipped cream on each cupcake and swirl to spread with a short metal spatula or spoon, taking care to cover tops completely. Garnish with chocolate shavings. Serve.

Makes 22 to 24 cupcakes.

Source: Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor, by anne Byrn (Workman Publishing Company, 13.95)

Key lime pie cupcakes with coconut meringue

Cupcakes:

1 large lime, scrubbed (for 1 teaspoon zest and 2 tablespoons juice)

4 large eggs

1 (18.25-ounce) package plain yellow cake mix

1 (3.4-ounce) box vanilla instant pudding mix

1 1/4 cups water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon coconut flavoring

Filling:

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup key lime juice

Coconut meringue:

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

3 large egg whites (from above)

1/2 teaspoon coconut flavoring

1/3 cup granulated sugar

Equipment:

Cupcake pans

24 paper cupcake liners (2 1/2 inch size)

Pastry bag with a fitted medium tip

Place a rack in the center of the oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set pans aside.

With a citrus zester or fine grater, zest lime and reserve 1 teaspoon. Cut lime in half and juice. You should have 2 tablespoons. Set aside.

Separate three of the eggs, place whites in a large mixing bowl and set aside for meringue.

Place yolks in another bowl. To this bowl, add remaining whole egg, cake mix, pudding, water, oil, coconut flavoring, lime zest and lime juice. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop machine and scrape down sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down sides again if needed. Batter should look well-blended.

Spoon or scoop 1/4 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it 2/3 of the way full. Place pans in the oven. Bake until cupcakes are lightly golden and spring back when lightly pressed with finger, 18 to 22 minutes. Remove pans from oven and place on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes.

Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees.

Run a dinner knife around the edge of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcake up from the bottom of pan using the end of the knife. Pick cupcakes up carefully with your fingertips. Place on wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before filling.

To prepare filling, place sweetened condensed milk and key lime juice in a small bowl and stir to combine. Spoon mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a medium tip. Press tip 1/4 -inch into center of each cooked cupcake. Squeeze bag to release about 1 tablespoon filling into cupcake. Scrap off any excess filling with a rubber spatula. Place cooled cupcakes nearly side by side on a baking sheet.

To make meringue, add cream of tartar to reserved egg whites and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until frothy, about 45 seconds. Add coconut flavoring and 1 tablespoon sugar. Continue beating on high, adding 1 tablespoon sugar at a time, until whites form stiff peaks. Spoon 2 tablespoons meringue onto the top of each cupcake and swirl to spread just to edges with a short metal spatula or spoon. Place pan into oven . Bake until meringue is light, nutty brown in color, 5 to 6 minutes.

Remove from oven. Run a dinner knife around edge of cupcake liners. Lift each cupcake from the bottom using the end of the knife. Remove cupcakes from cups carefully.

Serve at once or allow to cool 10 minutes.

Store cupcakes in a cake saver at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Source: Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor