Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

I made these for my mom a week or so ago as a surprise.  She had spent the day visiting my grandfather, and while they were there, my grandmother fell and hurt herself, so it was a long day for my mom.  I decided to pull up her Pinterest and find something sweet to surprise her with.  I found snickerdoodle cupcakes and decided to give them a try.

As you might expect, the cupcakes have cinnamon and sugar like a snickerdoodle cookie.  They were pretty quick to toss together.  Once they're baked, you frost them and shake some more cinnamon and sugar on the top.

However, the frosting was an issue; Martha Stewart recommended 7-minute frosting, which looked absolutely cloud-like and beautiful but is made with egg whites, 6 of them, for that matter, and I had used up my last egg in the cupcakes themselves (not to mention the fact that I get a little freaked out about eating uncooked egg whites).  So I whipped up a buttercream instead, which unfortunately was just weird.  I don't know if it was the heat (it was randomly hot that day), or if I screwed something up, but my mom described it as "wiggly."  It never looked right.  It tasted fine, but I think the texture weirded my family out, because lots of these cupcakes were tossed, unfortunately.  I am still not sure what happened, and I didn't try them, but I'd say if you give these guys a shot, go with the 7-minute frosting!
How adorable is he?

Recipe:

snickerdoodle cupcakes
from Martha Stewart
yield 28 cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, plus 1/2 teaspoon for dusting
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar, plus plus 2 tablespoons for dusting
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk
seven-minute frosting

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.  Sift together both flours, baking powder, salt, and 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon.

2) With electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.  Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low.  Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with 2 additions of milk, and beating until combined after each.

3) Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full.  Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.  Cupcakes can be stored up to 2 days at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

4) To finish, combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 2 tablespoons sugar.  Using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip (Ateco No. 809 or Wilton No. 1A), pipe frosting on each cupcake: hold bag over cupcake with tip just above top, and squeeze to create a dome of frosting, then release pressure and pull up to form a peak.  Using a small, fine sieve, dust peaks with cinnamon-sugar.  Cupcakes are best eaten the day they are frosted; keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

seven minute frosting:

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
6 large egg whites, room temperature

Instructions:
1) Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar with the water and corn syrup in a small saucepan; clip a candy thermometer to side of the pan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves.  Continue boiling, without stirring, until syrup reaches 230 degrees.

2) Meanwhile in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form.  With mixer running, add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, beating to combine.

3) As soon as sugar syrup reaches 230 degrees, remove from heat.  With mixer on medium-low speed, pour syrup down side of bowl in a slow, steady stream.  Raise speed to medium-high; whisk until mixture is completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl) and stiff (but not dry) peaks form, about 7 minutes.  Use immediately.

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