2.29.2012

A Little Facelift with a Side of French Toast Cupcakes

Ahem.  Notice anything a little...different around here?

Yes, LSM has been through a [HUGE] design overhaul.  Personally, it makes me feel like a new woman.


But how great does LSM look?!  Well at least I think so.  I'll be honest, when I decided that LSM needed a face lift, I started searching for blog designers with a fair amount of skepticism.  Between you and me, my old design didn't exactly come out like I had wished and the process was a tad painful.  It was completely my fault though, I wasn't sure what I wanted design wise, so there was nothing to really work with.  But this time around, I had a good idea of what I wanted LSM to look like.  It was just a matter of finding the right blog designer to pull it off.  And guys, Sharon pulled. It. Off.  I knew right away when I stumbled upon Redbud Designs that we were made for each other.

It'd be an understatement to say how utterly excited I am about this new design.  It's everything I was hoping for and more.  Cliche?  I know.  But it's the truth.  And I can't say enough how ridiculously simple the process was.  I shared a few blog designs and pictures of things that were 'me' and here we are.  My style replicated to perfection on LSM.  Sharon, I may ❤ you.


So in honor of LSM's lovely new design, I felt compelled to share with you one of the best cupcakes I have had to date.  I kid you not.  You can hate me for a millisecond for holding out on you guys, but I was saving these for this special moment.  And once you take one bite, you'll be too busy shoveling the rest of the cupcake into your pretty face to worry about me.  I promise.  I brought these into work a few weeks ago and one particular Assistant General Auditor has [un]subtly been suggesting that a second round of these cupcakes would be welcomed with open plates.  I guess I could easily be convinced if I suddenly noticed a slight increase in my bank account...

So what is it about these cupcakes that has undoubtedly left its mark on my office?  Let's begin with the [cup]cake: super soft and loaded with cinnamon goodness.  But the real kicker is a crunchy layer of cinnamon streusel nestled atop these dang good cupcakes.  Oh, and the luscious, rich maple buttercream doesn't hurt either.


Let's be real, that entire paragraph doesn't do these cupcake confections any justice whatsoever.  You'll just have to trust my word that these are ah-mazing.  Or better yet, whip up a batch for you and yourself.  And I say you and yourself, because you won't want to share  .



Ingredients:
Streusel:
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
5 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

Cupcakes:
3 c. all purpose flour
2 c. sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
1 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 c. sour cream
4 eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Maple Buttercream:
1 c. unsalted butter, softened
4 c. powdered sugar
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. maple syrup
2 tbsp. heavy whipping cream

Garnish:
Powdered Sugar (optional)

Directions:
  1. For the streusel, combine brown sugar, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.  Cut in butter by hand until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Cover and freeze until ready to use.
  2. Heat oven to 350°F.  Line a muffin pan with liners; set aside.
  3. For cupcakes, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl.  Add butter, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract, and mix well until smooth.  Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full.  Sprinkle tops of batter with scant 1 tablespoon of streusel (make sure to completely cover the tops).  Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean.  Let cool completely on wire rack before frosting.
  4. For buttercream, beat butter on high speed until light and fluffy.  Beat in sugar until combined.  Stir in vanilla extract, salt and maple syrup.  Add heavy whipping cream and beat on high for 4 minutes.  Frost cupcakes as desired and sprinkle with powdered sugar using a sifter.

Yield: 2 dozen cupcakes

18 comments:

  1. Love the new look! (And your French toast cupcakes!) :D

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  2. just lovely Jess and those cupcakes look so good.

    Anne xx

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  3. Beautiful and delicious looking, and most importantly - very unique which I really like

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  4. Jess
    Your new look is gorgeous! Very spring like and feminine.

    You cupcakes look good too!

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  5. Very cute, girl! Love the new design. I'm still working on mine (slowly) but learning a lot -- perhaps I should outsource? :)

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  6. Thank you so much for your kind words, Jess! YOU made it easy. ;) Thanks for the inspiration!

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  7. Delicious looking treats and great looking blog. It's great. We all need a facelift now and then!

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  8. Your blog is beautiful and SIMPLE! I love it. And these cupcakes look amaazing. I'm your newest follower!

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  9. These are delicious! I make them all the time but i top them with crumbled bacon.

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  10. Sounds yummy! I will have to try these!

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  11. These look so good! French toast is a favourite of mine for breakie. Thanks for sharing! Would love for you to link up: http://iamaddictedtorecipes.blogspot.com/p/link-party.html
    Have a great weekend!

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  12. Holy Moly!! Love your new look!!! Ain't you just downtown now! And it makes your posts even more enjoyable. Thank you!

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  13. New birthday year, new design? I LOVE the new look, a lot. The headings/categories are like digital washi tape!!

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  14. Love the new look almost as much as I love these cupcakes!

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  15. I love french toast and these look amazingly delicious! Thank you so much for sharing at Mix it up Monday and I hope you'll stop back soon :)

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  16. Oooo, this looks so good. We are so glad that you linked up to "Strut Your Stuff Saturday." Hope you'll be back next week! -The Sisters

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  17. I was wondering more about the icing on these, are you able to pipe it on and swirl like a cupcake, or is the icing not stiff enough to handle this? I think I am going to try these out soon and maybe sprinkle some candied bacon on top!! Yum-o-licious!!

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