more variations on the cupcake theme

21Aug08

I promise to you that I am not biased against cupcakes in their purest form. I’m quite fond of them. But our original plan was to make Paula Deen’s Gooey Butter Bars, which Tyler objected to on the grounds that they were “too rich” and he would therefore only be able to eat one per day (as opposed to inhaling mass quantities of them). So we settled on Snickerdoodle Cupcakes from The Cupcake Project, which is a little bit like saying that you’re worried about the health effects of cigarettes so you’re going to smoke a bowl instead. In other words, potato, po-ta-to.

I will say, however, that these little cakes survived the hybridization process much better than their muffin brethren.

Full disclosure: this recipe is absolutely terrifying to read. The first step involves simultaneously boiling water and melting sugar, and then combining them, so you’re like, at what point in this recipe should I plan to get my burns treated? Then, of course, there is the small matter of beating egg whites until they no longer resemble themselves, blending all the ingredients in three separate bowls without getting the order mixed up, and folding the ingredients together so that the whole thing doesn’t deflate. It takes no small measure of mental fortitude to undertake this cake.

But it’s actually – I promise – not that hard. Timing the sugar/water deal is a little bit tricky, and the initial combination of two very hot and very volatile ingredients is a little bit scary with the bubbles and the hissing and all, but once you get them together the sugar dissolves pretty nicely, and the water seems to prevent the sugar from burning. Everything else takes a little more time than average, but not all that much of a challenge, especially if you’re careful.

And these cupcakes are terrific. They’re so worth it. Miguk Momma commented that they really do taste like snickerdoodles, a fact I attribute to the presence of baking powder, which gives it the same tang that cream of tartar contributes to the original cookie. But they are a different beast (otherwise I would just bake the cookies, which are considerably easier). They’re more delicate and caramelly, almost richer in flavor, and they have a really nice fluffy crumb. These are snickerdoodles for parties. Parties when you have a lot of time beforehand.

pros homey yet fancy; cupcake tops are especially delicious and almost negate the need for frosting; helps get one’s sugar-melting skills up to par

cons not exactly a quick endeavor

A Few Notes:

• The recipe calls for egg whites to be beaten with sugar to “stiff peaks.” Like me, you may not have any idea what this actually is. Therefore, I took some pictures. It looks like a little wave, and the mixture is glossy, kind of like marshmallow cream. It may look droopy on the beater, but the important aspect here is that it’s fixed in that position.
• I chose to frost these with my lemon-ginger cream cheese frosting, back by popular demand. This time, however, I added a bit more powdered sugar to part of the batch to see if I could get it up to standard frosting texture, and it worked, but it muted the zing of it a little bit. I plan to keep tweaking this – possibly adding more lemon and more ginger to keep the original flavor. And honestly these cupcakes almost don’t need it.
• The original author of this recipe added cookie dough to the cupcakes, but she said she had a hard time distinguishing the cookies from the cakes. I decided not to bother, and I’m glad I didn’t, as I don’t think they need any other embellishment.

snickerdoodle cupcakes with lemon-ginger cream cheese frosting

Please note the presence of both frosted and non-frosted cupcakes.

adapted from The Cupcake Project

1 1/2 C granulated sugar, divided
1/2 C boiling water
2 eggs, separated
2 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
1/2 C (1 stick) butter, softened
1 t vanilla
1 C milk
cinnamon sugar for the tops of the cupcakes
two recipes lemon-ginger cream cheese frosting

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Heat 1/2 C sugar in heavy 8-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly.
3. When sugar starts to liquify (stick to the pan), put the water on. I put it on medium and it was boiling around the same time the sugar caramelized, but you may wish to adjust based on your stove. (My parents have a gas range.)
4. When sugar is melted and golden brown, even if it’s still lumpy, pour in the boiling water. Keep stirring, even if it makes a lot of noise in the pot, but stand back a little bit.
5. Reduce heat to low.
6. Stir it until the sugar dissolves. Ideally, you want to stir pretty quickly so that the sugar gets integrated as you pour in the water, but if this doesn’t happen, just cook it until all of the lumps dissolve.
7. Beat egg whites in medium bowl at medium speed with electric mixer until soft peaks form. (This is NOT the stage in the picture above. For this, you just want to be able to pull the eggs up in peaks, even if they fall.)
8. Gradually add 1/2 C granulated sugar, beating at high speed until stiff peaks form. (See above.) Set aside.
9. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl; set aside.
10. Beat butter and remaining 1/2 C sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy.
11. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla extract.
12. Gradually add sugar syrup, mixing until well blended.
13. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.
14. Fold in egg white mixture.
15. Fill cupcake liners halfway full. I used an ice cream scoop.
16. Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.
17. Bake for twenty minutes, checking for the last five. (My parents’ oven runs hot, so we ended up baking them for eighteen minutes.)
18. Let cool on a rack.
19. When cool, frost.

Filed under: Cupcake Project, cupcakes, hybrid foods, sweet   |  3 Comments
Tags: cream cheese frosting, Cupcake Project, cupcakes, snickerdoodles