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Bookish Cupcakes That Are (Almost) Too Pretty To Eat

Patricia Elzie-Tuttle

Contributing Editor

Patricia Elzie-Tuttle is a writer, podcaster, librarian, and information fanatic who appreciates potatoes in every single one of their beautiful iterations. Patricia earned a B.A. in Creative Writing and Musical Theatre from the University of Southern California and an MLIS from San Jose State University. Her weekly newsletter, Enthusiastic Encouragement & Dubious Advice, offers self-improvement and mental health advice, essays, and resources that pull from her experience as a queer, Black, & Filipina person existing in the world. More of her written work can also be found in Body Talk: 37 Voices Explore Our Radical Anatomy edited by Kelly Jensen, and, if you’re feeling spicy, in Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 4 edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel. Patricia has been a Book Riot contributor since 2016 and is currently co-host of the All the Books! podcast and one of the weekly writers of the Read This Book newsletter. She lives in Oakland, CA on unceded Ohlone land with her wife and a positively alarming amount of books. Find her on her website, Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky, and LinkTree.

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I’ve always been more in favor of cupcakes over cake. Partially because it’s like my very own cake and I’m notoriously terrible at sharing. On the other hand, a dozen cupcakes are much easier to share than a cake so it’s a win-win. Below are some beautiful bookish cupcakes that definitely inspire me to step-up my cupcake-decorating game.

These pretty, pretty cupcakes are destined for Kiera Cass fans anywhere.

These simple yet elegant Romeo & Juliet cupcakes have me swooning.

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This post wouldn’t be complete without at least one example of Where the Wild Things Are cupcakes.

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Butterbeer is life and I would have a hard time sharing these Butterbeer Golden Snitch cupcakes for sure.

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via The Collegiate Baker

Harry Potter everything, please.

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via The Pastry Studio

If you’re in the UK, you can actually order these edible book toppers for your own cupcakes!

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via Victoria’s Kitchen

I’m loving these Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland cupcakes!

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via Miss Cupcakes

These sorting hat cupcakes are genius!

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via My Cupcake Addiction

These Shakespeare cupcakes look almost too lovely to eat (but I would).

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via Beth’s Cupcakes

Lord of the Rings cupcakes can be served at Elevenses. Or second breakfast. Or lunch. Or tea. Or…

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via Cupcake Creations

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via Imaginarium Cakes

These Hunger Games cupcakes are squarely in that grey area between food and art.

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via Cakecrumbs

When the night is dark and full of terrors, these Game of Thrones cupcakes will give you a tasty distraction

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These Cat in the Hat cupcake toppers add plenty of fun that is funny.

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via SweetITis

Finally, this Very Hungry Caterpillar selection is almost a little too meta and way too cute.

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via Cutsie Cupcakes