Who doesn't LOVE Cupcakes!!!

Martha Stewart published a whole cookbook with 175 recipes on cupcakes of all types, with or without icing, and for special holidays too!  There are theme cupcakes instead of the usual cake...my sister-in-law made cupcakes decorated with pacifiers for her daughter's baby shower this past weekend.  When I was in NYC, I was compelled to enter into Sur Le Table, the cook's gadget store, and found an 18-cupcake pedestal display holder (which I break out every once in awhile in the inn).

Growing up in the 1960's, box cake mixes and frosting from cans were popular, which my mother made practically every week.  When I became a mother of two children two decades later, cupcakes became popular.  I also made them from box cakes since I was guaranteed a tender cake crumb texture (which the children preferred), but I would always make my own frosting.  While my children were in middle school, I went to culinary school and learned in my baking course how to prepare cakes from scratch and piping techniques to frost and decorate them. 

A new bakery, White Mountain Cupcakery, opened up recently in North Conway located on Main Street across from Eastern Slope Inn.  They feature several different kinds of cupcakes to satisfy anyone's sweet tooth and also make wedding cakes and cakes for special occasions.  Bill and I are definitely planning on sampling these delectable treats at their ribbon-cutting ceremony this week.  

I'm happy to see that cupcakes have become popular again, since you can make any large type of cake into a little (cup)cake.  Here's my maple-inspired recipe for Maple Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream Frosting that I will make for our upcoming inn-to-inn tour -- March Maple Madness on March 27 & 28, 2010

 Recipe: MAPLE CUPCAKES WITH MAPLE BUTTERCREAM ICING

Yield: 2 dozen


Ingredients:


For cupcakes:


2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted


1 tablespoon baking powder


1 teaspoon salt


½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp.


2 cups pure maple syrup, preferably Grade B


3 large eggs, room temperature


1 cup milk


1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


For maple buttercream:


6 large egg yolks


2 cups pure maple syrup, preferably Grade B


1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into tablespoons


Baking Process:


For cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 F and line cupcake pans with paper liners. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Cream butter on medium-high speed until smooth; add the maple syrup and beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated, then scrape down the sides of bowl. Then add flour mixture and beat well to combine. Beat in milk and vanilla until combined. Fill each cupcake paper ¾’s full and bake 20 minutes for standard size and 10-13 minutes for mini cupcakes.


For maple buttercream: In a standing mixer bowl with a whisk attachment, beat egg yolks on high speed until pale and thick for about 5 minutes. At the same time, bring maple syrup to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat clipping a candy thermometer to the pan until it reaches 240 F for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. With mixer on medium speed, slowly pour the maple syrup in a steady stream down the side of the bowl until completely combined, about 1-1/2 minutes. Continue mixing until the bottom of the bowl is slightly warm to the touch, about 5-6 minutes. Add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, until completed incorporated after each addition. After all the butter has been added, scrape the sides of the bowl and continue beating the buttercream until it is fluffy, about 4 minutes. Then frost the cupcakes. Makes 24 standard or about 50 mini cupcakes.