Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I love cupcakes. I love that they are portable and portion controlled. I love that you can experience a unique and wonderful flavor without being overwhelmed by the idea of an entire layer cake made out of said flavors.  In fact, Dave and I had cupcakes instead of a traditional wedding cake, made of six different flavors and absolutely wonderful.

But I've not tackled the cupcake phenomenon myself for a handful of reasons.  I have trouble with frosting--both in the making and in the decorating.  I've tasted cupcakes so delicious that if I attempted and failed I would be devastated.  And let's face it, cookies are more my schtick.  Cindy just keeps telling me I "haven't applied" myself to cupcakes yet.



So this post is for her.

Suck it.

(Just kidding--Cindy actually did get to eat these, and the two other cupcake recipes I'll share with you this week and laughed when I said "suck it" to her face.)

Our friend Stacy had a birthday so Dave and I hosted a small get together of cupcakes and drinks.  Stacy prefers spice cake to all others, so I had my work cut out for me finding a good spice cupcake recipe.  I wanted a recipe that would provide a good flavor cake but not give me 2 dozen cupcakes since we were only having a small gathering.  These were perfect with a nice balance of nutmeg and allspice and a splash of rum for another level of flavor.  I paired them with a cream cheese frosting and dusted the tops with cinnamon for a pretty effect.  Not too shabby for the first time "applying" myself.

The cupcake recipe comes from Lori at Fake Food Free.  Lori helped me through my cupcake fears as she herself has had past troubles with cakes and cupcakes.  This recipe makes 10 perfectly sized cupcakes and came together very easily.  It also allowed me to try out the cake enhancer I picked up at King Arthur Flour.  The original recipe calls for potato starch to lighten the texture of the cake, but I opted to use the cake enhancer because it's supposed to do the same thing.  The cupcakes did have a light and fluffy factor.  Lori used a milk buttercream to frost her cupcakes, but I think the cream cheese frosting was the perfect option to provide a creamy but not too sweet topping to the little cakes.

Spice Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 Tablespoon potato starch or cake enhancer
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of allspice

6 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup milk or half and half
1 Tablespoon rum
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 egg yolk

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, cake enhancer, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, and allspice.

In another bowl, whisk together butter, milk, rum, vanilla, eggs and egg yolk until combined.

Gently pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and whisk together until incorporated.

Scoop or pour batter evenly into lined and prepared cupcake pan. Note: I used a standard ice cream scoop to portion evenly.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until the tops are golden and set and a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool cupcakes for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

In a small bowl using an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Add vanilla and beat to combine.  Gradually add powdered sugar, beating constantly to incorporate.  Continue beating until light and fluffy.

Pipe or spread frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Garnish with cinnamon or sprinkles if desired.

Makes 10 cupcakes.

Happy Baking,

The Cookie Princess

Printer Friendly Recipe

Pin It