I realized that I haven't posted a recipe yet! Oh my! Today is the day and it's sure to be a treat.
This is one of Doug's favorite cakes of all times and was one of the first I tried out in cupcake form. It's Spice Cupcakes. This cake also happens to be the base for our yummy Apple Pie Cupcake that you see above.
The original recipe is from a 1976 edition Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. The recipe is one of those fun ones that's written in 1/3 measurements...so doubling and tripling and quadrupling it is quite fun. Most of the baking I do right now is using standard home recipes and making them large enough to make four dozen or more cupcakes at a time. Eventually, and I do say eventually, I will convert everything to weight. Eventually. Maybe. Yep...maybe.
One of things I do in my kitchen before I bake anything is read the recipe first...even if I have it memorized. Do you know what a cupcake looks like when it's missing baking powder or baking soda? Yep, I do! How about sugar? Although I do have to say that they might have been good with a roast!
The very next thing I do is pull everything I'm going to need for the recipe out of my pantry and premeasure into bowls. If you are low or missing anything, now is a great time to find out...not when you have added liquid to your flour and realize you are missing two eggs, or vanilla...or anything else. Flour plus liquid equals a glutinous mess that won't wait for the rest of your ingredients.
I also sift my dry ingredients. Most recipes do much better if dry ingredients are sifted. I measure first and then sift.
Do make sure that your refrigerated items sit out for at least 30 minutes before you mix them in. Having your eggs, butter and milk products at room temperature does help your recipes and makes a huge difference. Also, when a recipe calls for butter or oil and your sugars to be creamed...do it. There's a nice little chemistry going on between the fats and the sharp edges of your sugar granuales when you cream them together. Once you add in the flour, this little chemical reaction/romance is going to make your cupcakes tasty.
Once your through mixing everything, get ready to fill your pan. My favorite liners are the chocolate brown glassine liners for darker batters or white glassine liners for lighter colored batters.
Here's the pan I use to make my cupcakes. It makes 24 cupcakes.
Notice what I use to fill the cups. This little tool is a life saver and saves me lots of headaches and time. I have a smaller one for my mini cupcakes.
Once your cupcakes are done, remove them to cooling racks quickly otherwise they will continue to bake in your very hot pan. We have racks that stack. Two dozen will fit nicely on one tray.
Here's my recipe. I'm sure there's an enormous amount of variations you could use to come up with equally yummy cupcakes. If you do choose to substitute sugars or fats, there will be a difference in the taste and texture of your cupcakes. Just saying. Otherwise...have fun!
Spice Cake
Makes 40 cupcakes
Easy
2 cups granulated sugar
1 ½ cup brown sugar
1 1/3 cup shortening
6 eggs - room temperature
4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
1½ tsp soda
1 ½ tsp cloves
1½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
2 cups buttermilk - room temperature
Cream shortening and sugars together till light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one. In a separate bowl, sift together the rest of dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to creamed mixture, alternating with buttermilk and mixing until moistened after each addition. Do not over mix.
Fill liners 2/3 full. Bake in 350° oven for 15-17 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and cool on racks.
Ice with your favorite buttercream or cream cheese icing.
If you want to make the Apple Pie Cupcakes, here's what I do:
Using a cupcake corer, remove a small amount of cupcake from it's center.
Fill with your favorite Apple Pie filling, either store bought or homemade, just to the top of the cupcake. Ice with Brown Sugar Cinnamon frosting. Top with pie crumble and drizzle with caramel.
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup cream cheese, room temperature
2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
4-5 cups sifted powdered sugar
Cream vanilla, butter and cream cheese. Add in brown sugar and cinnamon and beat till smooth. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until consistency you need. You can add a small splash of milk if it's too thick.
Pie Crumble
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, flour. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the butter. The crumble topping will be thick and crumbly. Sprinkle onto a baking sheet and bake for 25-28 minutes in a 350° oven. Crumble should be nicely browned. Let completely cool and then break apart into cupcake topper sizes.
- Sprinkle on your cupcakes and grab a glass of milk!
Enjoy! Let me know how yours comes out!
Eat Dessert First,
Terri and Doug Milton
She Makes Cupcakes
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