Becky's Special Spice Cupcakes w/orange citrus glaze

Okay, so I'm doing a ton of baking this weekend. Nibbley Bits has some orders! Yup - it's been awhile, but people still ask sometimes.

Sitting here right now, I already have baked 94 cupcakes and 40 macaroons this morning. There are some meringues in the works tonight, but am waiting for the general humidity and the heat in my oven to go down. This is my new weight-loss plan. Bake when it's hot out and sweat off the weight. The key: don't eat everything I bake.

These are a new recipe that I'm super excited about. Hope you enjoy!

Spice Cupcakes

Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 20 minute

Yields: 2 dzn cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for tins
• 4 cups cake flour, sifted, plus more for tins
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Pinch of ground ginger
  
• Pinch of ground cloves
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups milk, room temperature

1 recipe orange glaze


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush standard muffin tins with butter; dust with flour, tapping out excess. Alternately, you can use muffin liners
   

2. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, salt, and spices three times. (This makes for a really well mixed, super fine mixture.
   

3. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each.
4. Divide batter evenly among prepared cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.
5. To finish, place cupcakes on a wire rack set over a baking sheet; spoon glaze over cupcakes, and let set. Cupcakes are best eaten the same day they are glazed; keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

Enjoy for a nice light, delicate cupcake!