Maple Syrup Cupcakes

It’s Part III of my Fall dinner party wrap up and though fancy cheeseboards and decadent mac ‘n cheese got us through the first part of the evening, the dessert course is always the most coveted. Especially when there’s an Italian family involved.

While I whipped up some Maple Syrup Cupcakes, our guests brought so many delightful confections that we had a veritable smorgasbord of goodies to feast on.

All the bases were covered, including a decadent Fallen Chocolate Souffle Cake topped with strawberries from Sweet Melissa Patisserie...

My Aunt Janet’s famously best ever chocolate chip cookies (really, I’ve never had a better chocolate chip cookie and it’s my mission to get to the bottom of her secret ingredient)...

My Aunt Janet’s Grandma Mary Apple Pie (see the depth of that thing? I’m taking notes for the next time I attempt one of those bad boys...)...

 

And my own maple syrup cupcakes, a rich cake with cream cheese frosting that I couldn’t help but compare to homemade pancakes. They were full of fall flavor and a fun change up from the traditional chocolate or vanilla cupcake (not that there’s anything wrong with those). And the bonus element? These cupcakes were even better the next day when I tried them for breakfast, after the flavors had a chance to meld together. The one downside? Real maple syrup doesn’t come cheap...especially when you buy it at the specialty food store attached to your apartment building. Oops. Anyhow, aren’t you dying to get down to the details?

 

Maple Syrup Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
*Adapted from The Kitchn
for the cupcakes:
3 C all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 stick butter, slightly softened,cut into chunks
2 tbsp vegetable shortening, at room temperature
2 C pure maple syrup (not Mrs. Butterworth’s or any imitation maple syrup of the sort)
3 egg yolks
1 large egg
1 1/2 C whole milk
1 C walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped (optional, I left them out)
for the frosting:
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
12 oz cream cheese, softened
4 C confectioners’ sugar
2+ tbsp maple syrup

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Line two muffin tins with paper liners. I got sweet orange and yellow gingham ones (perfect for Fall!) from Bake it Pretty! In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Meanwhile, in your stand mixer (or in large mixing bowl with hand mixer) , beat the butter and shortening until completely combined. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the maple syrup. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is combined, about 3 minutes. Next, add the egg yolks and egg, one at a time. Beat together until just incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until incorporated. Slowly pour in the milk. Add the rest of the flour and mix until just combined. If adding walnuts, fold them in.

Fill the prepared cupcake pan about three-quarters full. Bake the cupcakes for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. The pans should be rotated midway through the baking time. Cool the cupcakes for 15 minutes in the cupcake pan, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the frosting: In your stand mixer, beat the softened butter until smooth. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined. Add the sugar and the maple syrup and beat until smooth. Frost the cooled cupcakes - I used a sweet pastry bag and tip set that I snapped up at Party City.
Makes 24 cupcakes

So there you have it. A roundup of desserts from our Fall Dinner Party, each one of them decadent and delicious and absolutely perfect for Fall. In fact, I had to send most of the leftovers to work to keep from eating every last bit of them!

The question of the day is: What's your favorite dessert? A sweet cupcake? A rich chocolate cake? Or do you skip the sweets in favor of more savory goods?

Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

Though I made many delicious dishes before Halloween, I also need to tell you about the cupcakes that I made for my sister Kimberly’s party last Saturday. For a few reasons. First, these were hands-down the best chocolate cupcakes I’ve ever made. Uber chocolatey with a Devil Dog-like texture, they were decadent and delicious. They were perfectly topped with a sweet vanilla buttercream, the perfect balance to the rich and not entirely sweet cake.

Second, I need to take a moment to recognize Ina Garten, who has officially solidified herself in my permanent go-to collection of recipes. Anything I’ve ever made of hers has been nothing short of perfection. If in any dish you’ve ever thought, wow that’s good but could use a little more... Well Ina goes for that little more. And ooooh mama does it show in taste, quality and presentation. I think this article should really be called Ode to Ina with a giant thanks and pledge to worship her cooking and baking skills until the end of time. The genius of Ina is that while her recipes may call for some extra steps (like alternating the addition of buttermilk and flour into your batter) or a laundry list of ingredients (this one includes 2 sugars, sour cream, buttermilk, coffee, among others), she chooses the right inclusions despite the caloric intake that a dish may incur. Would you think that 2 tablespoons of coffee would make a world of difference in your chocolate cake? Well it does. So don’t skimp on it.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream
*Adapted from Ina Garten
For the cake:
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 C granulated sugar
2/3 C brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 C buttermilk
1/2 C sour cream
2 tbsp brewed coffee, cooled
1 3/4 C all purpose flour
1 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
For the frosting:
2-3 C confectioners’ sugar (to taste)
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
red and yellow food coloring
sprinkles

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 muffin tins with paper liners. In a stand mixer (or in a giant mixing bowl with your hand mixer), cream the butter and both sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, whisk together buttermilk, sour cream and coffee. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Back in the stand mixer, add the eggs one at a time and then add the vanilla, mixing well. With the mixer on low, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture, alternating between the two in 3 parts. Start with the buttermilk and end with the flour. Mix just until combined and if necessary, use a spatula to complete the mixing. Fill the muffin cups about half way. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack and frost.

To make the frosting, beat the butter in your stand mixer (or with a hand mixer). Add in the sugar, one cup at a time until completely combined. Add the heavy cream, vanilla extract and almond extract and mix well. Add food coloring to the color of your choosing (I used red and yellow to make orange). Frost cupcakes (I used a piping bag and metal tip from my brandy new Wilton cupcake decorating kit that I snapped up at Party City) and douse with sprinkles or decoration of your choice.

Enjoy and be prepared to never be on the hunt for a chocolate cake recipe again! 

So there you have it. My favorite chocolate cupcake recipe to date. Not bad, huh? These could easily be adapted for any holiday or party by changing out the color of the frosting or the sprinkles. In fact, this exact version could easily work for Thanksgiving as well! So what I want to know is: What's the best cupcake you've ever had? One that you made, or one that you bought?

Autumn Apple Cupcakes + Cinnamon Frosting

This past weekend finally felt like Fall. While Shaun would prefer for the summer to never, ever end (he loves his shorts and flops and doesn’t mind the sweat-induced summer heat - me? I mind), I relish the cool breeze, multi-colored leaves and the spicy, warming flavors that autumn brings.

In case you didn’t know, I have a major crush on everything apple and everything pumpkin. And if you weren’t aware of this wild mild obsession, you’re about to find out with lots of delicious recipes during the upcoming months. When we were invited to a birthday party at Shaun’s aunt’s house, I couldn’t wait to devise the perfect culinary offering. Since the forecast was to be chilly, I decided that a healthy dose of autumn baked goods was in order. Enter apple cupcakes.

This uber moist cake is complete with autumn spices including nutmeg and cinnamon along with grated apples that add just a bit of crunch along with a major dose of flavor. Oh and the addition of the sweet cinnamon frosting is just the icing on the...er, cake. But truly, these little cakes were like a bit of heaven - I’ve never gotten so many compliments on one of my baking creations before!

Autumn Apple Cupcakes
*Adapted from Martha Stewart
2 1/4 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 C sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Juice of one lemon
3 C shredded apples, I used 3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two muffin tins with baking cups. I realized only too late that I only had 21 liners, not 24, so I buttered and floured those bad boys up and crossed my fingers that I’d be able to get my little delights out of the pan (spoiler alert: it worked!).

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

Meanwhile, grate your apples, after peeling and coring them up. Admittedly going through the motions of peeling and coring apples with just a paring knife was no doubt the lowlight of this entire process. I did, however, make grating them super simple by busting out the grater attachment on my food processor, which just made me happy and excited to use it. What can I say? Dorky things make me happy. Once grated, you will need to work quickly to prevent browning. Transfer the apples to a small bowl and mix in the lemon juice. Note: before adding the apples into your batter, you may want to drain them slightly or pat down with a paper towel. I did not do this and ended up with a lot of moisture at the bottom of my batter - something I would try to avoid next time.

In a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the grated apples. Lastly, add in the flour mixture, slowly, so as not to shoot flour all over your pretty kitchen. Mix until just combined.

Fill muffin cups about half way and bake for about 18 minutes. Note: a toothpick will not come out clean on these uber moist muffins until it’s too late and they are burned. You will need to watch them and remove from oven once the tops are firm and spring back up when lightly pressed. Transfer to a wire rack and frost with cinnamon frosting once completely cooled.

And of course I just had to do an immediate taste test. You know, just to make sure they tasted ok. And no, I couldn't even wait for the frosting.

Cinnamon Frosting
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
3 C confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon

In a mixer (or large bowl with hand mixer), beat the butter and cream cheese together. Slowly beat in the sugar, 1 cup at a time and mix until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and cinnamon and stir until combined. Frost apple cupcakes and resist the temptation to eat frosting by the spoonful (from experience, it doesn’t bode well for the stomach).

So what do you think? Are you a fan of fall flavors? If so, what's your poison? Or are you still lamenting the summer gone by?