muffincakes?

01Aug08

muffin + cake

We could argue all day over what constitutes a cake vs. what constitutes a muffin. These, for example, have a base that is exceptionally sturdy, no thanks to Paula Deen and her recipe, but they’re spicier and more flavorful than the average muffin. They are also topped with what proved to be the real reward of this endeavor: a truly scrumptious, if softish, cream cheese frosting flavored with lemon zest, ginger, and dark brown sugar. I hoped that if I gave the muffins hats, no one would recognize them. Spice cupcakes are more marketable than squash muffins around here.

While Paula is not necessarily my go-to chef, I can usually count on her for baked goods, and I was relying on her for day 2 of the squash decimation campaign. The results may have been hampered, however, by the fact that the recipe was actually for zucchini bread, not squash cupcakes. I split the recipe in two, with half undergoing the cupcake treatment and the other half retaining its original quick bread character, and they both became a little tough after a couple of hours out of the oven. The bread did, however, make excellent toast, and the cupcakes retained their delectability thanks to their darling little frosting chapeaux.

Note: I did try to think of a better name for these chameleonic little cakes, but nothing seemed to quite fit. “Cupmuffins” seemed a trifle redundant, and Tyler’s suggested “I don’t know what to call them but don’t call them cakes because they’re not” was too long. Not that it matters, because they are all gone.

Pros: mysterious, good use of squash, strong frosting vehicle, makes good toast

Cons: without frosting, not so much on the eating-out-of-hand front

summer squash cupcakes/summer squash bread

adapted from Paula Deen

I cut out the walnuts because I wasn’t the only one eating these, but I’m sure they’re very good.

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup water
2 cups grated summer squash (use a food processor unless you have a lot of time on your hands)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, summer squash, and lemon juice. Mix wet ingredients into dry; add nuts and fold in. Pour into buttered and sugared muffin tins or loaf pans. Split, the recipe makes one loaf and 8-10 muffins. For loaf, bake for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Alternately, bake in muffin pans for about 35 minutes; this will vary depending on tin size and oven fluctuations, so start testing them around the 25 minute mark.

lemon-ginger cream cheese frosting

While I used a Heidi Swanson recipe as a starting point, the real inspiration for this frosting came from a dessert made by some (very indulgent) family friends of ours that consists of strawberries topped with a mixture of cream cheese and brown sugar. The comparatively low amount of powdered sugar means that this frosting isn’t very stiff, but it held up well enough to be piped out of a Ziploc bag. It can also be eaten straight from the bowl…I would guess.

Note: the amounts given for the grated fresh ginger and the lemon juice/zest are estimates, as I was adding and tasting. I recommend you do the same.

4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp fresh grated ginger, or to taste
1 tbsp lemon juice, or to taste
2 tsp grated lemon zest, or to taste
Pinch salt

In a bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, combine together cream cheese and butter until creamy. Turn the mixer speed down and add the confectioner’s and brown sugars, a little at a time. Increase speed to medium-high, beating until light and fluffy. Add crystallized ginger, ground ginger, grated ginger, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt, beating until well mixed.

Frosting can be spread or piped equally well.

Filed under: baked goods, summer, sweet, the farm   |  1 Comment
Tags: cupcakes, muffins, quick breads, summer squash