Part of a balanced breakfast. But only if we're balancing caffeine & sugar
Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes is probably not a book I would have ever purchased for myself. Yet I was excited when I received a copy as a gift. It seems like the majority of cupcake books and magazine articles provide cute cupcake decorating ideas, rather than actual recipes for cupcakes. I tend to do the same thing though. When making cupcakes, I focus on the decorations while using basic cake and frosting recipes. While those recipes are good, they can get boring. This is why I like Martha’s book. Her cupcakes are certainly attractive. But they are also different. There are lots of ways to make cupcakes that I had never thought of. For example, Streusel Cupcakes. These are essentially coffee cakes in cupcake form – the perfect way to justify eating cupcakes for breakfast.
Streusel Cupcakes
Makes 24
Cupcake Ingredients
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. plus 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. sour cream
Streusel Ingredients
2 1/4 c. flour
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. plus 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
Milk Glaze Ingredients
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar, sifted
3 tbsp. milk
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line cupcake tins with paper liners.
2. Make the streusel by whisking flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut in the butter and combine until crumbly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Using a whisk, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
4. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add eggs, one-by-one, beating until each egg has been incorporated. Add vanilla. Finally, add flour mixture and sour cream. Mix to combine; but do not overmix.
5. Pour batter into muffin tins. Top with half of the streusel, gently pressing topping into batter. Sprinkle remaining topping over cupcakes. Bake for 20 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.
6. While cupcakes are cooling, make the milk glaze by whisking together powdered sugar and milk. Drizzle glaze over cooled cupcakes. Enjoy!
My Thoughts & Suggestions
The original recipe called for one cup of granulated sugar. In a lot of baked goods, I tend to prefer a mix of brown and white sugars. So I used a half cup of each instead. Other than that, I followed the recipe as it was given. These cupcakes came out moist and fluffy, and were a perfect morning indulgence alongside a cup of coffee.
Recipe Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes from the editors at Martha Stewart Living.
Yummm!