Thursday, June 3, 2010

Sundays on the Sunporch: Streusel Cupcakes



It's always nice to have one day a week to just bum around, isn't it? I think that is what Sundays are for. Wake up. Maybe change out of your jammies. Read the paper. Spend time with the ones you love. So on Sundays at Silly Goose Farm, Dave and I are hanging out with the kiddos on the kitchen sunporch. And since I have tons of cookbooks to test and recipes to try, I've decided to wake up a little earlier on Sundays and try a new, tasty morsel for us to enjoy.



The first recipe in this series comes from everyone's favorite domestic diva... the one, the only, Marthaaaa Steeewaart! (just say it as if you're the announcer at a professional wrestling match - you'll get the idea). We call her "Marfa" around here. For our anniversary, Dave gave me the Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book. I couldn't wait to try all the delicious (and adoreable!) recipes, and though the Streusel Cupcake option was perfect for Sunday brunch on the sunporch.
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Streusel Cupcakes
(Makes 24)*

2 1/2 cups all-purpse flour
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sour cream
Streusel Topping (see recipe below)
Milk Glaze (see recipe below)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

2. With an 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. Stir in vanilla by hand. Add flour mixture and sour cream; stir until just combined.

3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups. Sprinkle half the topping over cupcakes, gently pressing it into the batter. Sprinkle evenly with remaining topping. Bake, rotating tins halfway though, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes.** Transfer tins to wire rack to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

4. To finish, place cupcakes on a wire rack set over a baking sheet; drizzle evenly with milk glaze. Glazed cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.
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Streusel Topping
(Makes enough for 24 cupcakes)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

Whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt; cut in the butter using a pastry blender, your fingertips, or two table knives until combined but still crumbly. Refrigerate 30 minutes before using.
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Milk Glaze
(Makes enough for 24 cupcakes)

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted***
3 tablespoons milk

Whisk together ingredients until smooth. Use immediately.

*I used a larger muffin tin, so I ended up with 12 cupcakes. I thought this was the perfect serving size for a light, quick breakfast or brunch option. However, if I was serving this at a more formal brunch, I would stick with the standard cupcake size.

**I ended up baking these little buggers for closer to 30 minutes, since they were the bigger size. BTW - I'm sure Marfa has endless cake testers at her disposal, and I'm sure they're all gold-plated, but I use toothpicks or wooden skewers, and those work just fine.

***I though the glaze was a little thin, so I added 1/4 cup more confectioners' sugar. I think adding a 1 tablespoon of coffee or maple syrup to the glaze would be a really nice addition, in which case reduce the milk by 1 tablespoon.

I can't wait to dig up more recipes and continue this tradition. Of course, dear friends, you are always invited to come join us. We would love to have you!

What do you do on Sunday mornings? Is there another day of the week that is your "relaxation" day? I would love to hear!

1 comment:

Christine said...

Oh my goodness, those look absolutely delicious.