Cupcakes and a Return

Can you tell that I've been busy?!  Since June 15 I have worked all but 2.5 days.  Thus, my absence.  At the beginning of June, I started teaching a college girls' Bible study (it's on a weeknight, which I can be at more often than Sunday mornings).  I've been wanting to make cupcakes and decided this was the right time to try a fun recipe out!

One of the best cookies, in my opinion, is the snickerdoodle.  And it has translated well into other forms...so why not a cupcake?  I saw this recipe from Recipe Girl and decided to give it a whirl! 

Other than not cooking properly for some reason...seriously, the cupcakes from the same pan all cooked differently...these were great!  I have a liking for icing and this one was great.  Try them out sometime! 

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes (from Recipe Girl)  www.RecipeGirl.com

CAKE:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature (I used Smart Balance)
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk (I used skim)

ICING:
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (I use 50% 1/3 less fat, and 50% fat free)
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:
2 Tbsp. sugar + 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 28 muffin tins with paper liners. (I made 24 full cupcakes and 24 mini)
2. Sift together both flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
3. Cream together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Add vanilla. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with milk, beating until combined after each addition.
4. Divide batter evenly among lined or greased cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake 20 minutes (mine were perfect at this point.  Remove to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

5. For Frosting:  Blend cream cheese and butter. Add sugars, vanilla and ground cinnamon. Spread onto cooled cupcakes, or scoop into piping bag and pipe on the frosting decoratively. If you don't have a piping bag, you can just use a zip-loc bag and cut the tip out!  Place sugar-cinnamon mixture in a fine sieve and sprinkle it lightly over the cupcakes.
Yield: 28 full-sized cupcakes


Recipe Source: cake adapted from Martha Stewart (frosting is from Recipe Girl)