Nothing beats cupcakes and donuts on tap.

• Position: WHAT'S NEW? Holiday Gift Guide - Product/service evaluation

Cupcakes are the new culinary craze and one of the nation's top houseware trends. Bakeries and stores specializing exclusively in cupcake sales started in New York and Los Angeles before spreading across the country. There now are numerous blogs dedicated solely to cupcake recipes and decorations. Caterers even report that new brides and grooms are choosing to go with a tower of cupcakes instead of a giant wedding cake at their receptions. In addition, one of the Food Network's fastest-rising shows is called "Cupcake Wars."

Okay, now that we've established the preeminence of the cupcake, what should we do about it? Make and eat our own cupcakes, of course. The Sunbeam Cupcake Maker ($49.99) lets you enjoy fresh baked, delicious cupcakes or muffins in about 10 minutes, as it can produce up to six regular-sized cupcakes at a time, with or without paper liners. In other words, when it comes to cupcakes, there no longer any reason to go the store-bought, preservative-filled route. Homemade has never been so easy and the kids (only the kids?) will love creating, decorating, and sharing their bounty (well, maybe the first two). Warm up and ready lights indicate that the cupcake maker is on and heating, an easy-lift handle helps ensure safe baking, and nonstick plates make cleanup a snap--and when it comes to snapping up treats, there is perhaps only one thing that goes as...