snickerdoodle cupcakes

Like any good mom (laugh) I held off on giving Carter any sugar until his first birthday.  For his ridiculously large and over the top first birthday party I ordered cupcakes and a mini 6 inch triple layer personal snickerdoodle cake covered with cream cheese frosting and dusted with cinnamon and sugar.  Carter took a few bites and stuck his fingers in it like any cute little one year old would and then got down from his highchair.  As my family helped me clean up from the party I got to the highchair and took a bite of the tortured cake.  I was in love at first bite.  I called my sister in law over to try and to make a long story short we sat around the highchair and polished off the entire cake.  It was my reward for making it through the first year of parenthood and worth every single delicious calorie.  The entire family was in love with this cake.  A few months later the cake was requested for my brother in laws birthday.  I called the bakery to order and they were out of business.  I knew the owner so, I called her and asked if I could have the recipe.  Apparently this is not something you do because she was totally offended that I even asked.  Soon after Martha came out with her cupcake book and the family was saved because she had a recipe for a snickerdoodle cupcake.  Thank you Martha.  I have made this as a cake and as cupcakes and it is fantastic!  The best thing is you can bake the cupcakes and freeze them and pull one out and frost it when the hankering for a snickerdoodle cupcake hits.  I have not made a lot of cupcake flavors but, thus far this is my favorite hands down. 

snickerdoodle cupcake

source: martha stewart

cupcake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups whole milk

frosting:
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

  

topping: 

1 tbsp. sugar + 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 muffin tins with paper liners.

2. Sift together both flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together 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. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with additions of milk, beating until combined after each addition.

4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake about 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

1. In a medium bowl, use electric mixer to blend cream cheese and butter. Add sugars, vanilla and ground cinnamon. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Dust cinnamon and sugar mix over frosted cupcakes using sieve.