Cappuccino Muffins

This recipe is from Tuesdays with Dorie and Tracey's Culinary Adventures has the recipe posted. I used the espresso in the milk method and only used a teaspoon of Cinnamon in the batter instead of a tablespoon.  I also went the muffin route. Per suggestion of The Way the Cookie Crumbles, one of my favorite blogs. Good Choice. Only minor flop was that I left them in the oven like 3-4 minutes too long. They were just on the verge of being over done. We enjoyed them regardless.  A bit of powdered sugar on top. Perfect!  Recipe makes 12 standard size muffins.  I also opted out of the frosting.  Didn't need it.  Next time I will sprinkle a  few more mini chocolate chips on top.  I tested it on half to see if the chocolate was overwhelming but it wasn't.



Cake
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
3/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, or 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Frosting
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and line the bottom with parchment or wax paper. Place the pan on a baking sheet.

To Make the Cake: Stir 2 tablespoons of the sugar, 2 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon and the espresso together in a small bowl. * I also combined the 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, the remaining 1 1/4 cups sugar, the baking powder, salt and the remaining 1 tablespoon cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients over the flour mixture and gently whisk until you have a homogenous batter. Now, using the whisk or a rubber spatula, fold in the butter with a light touch, just until the butter is absorbed. You'll have a smooth, shiny batter.


Oh yeah, melt your butter in the beginning, before you start anything else. Otherwise you'll end up like me and have to wait for it to cool down and STARE down the batter for ten minutes.

It really looks like too much butter, but after nice gentle folding for about two minutes it looks pretty and shiny like this.


Scrape half of the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
*I use a 1/8 cup to scoop batter into individual muffin/cupcake liners. I also used a 1/2 tablespoon to sprinkle and evenly divide up the chocolate chip/ cinnamon sugar/ espresso mixture per muffin*

Sprinkle the chocolate over the batter and dust with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Cover with the rest of the batter and smooth the top again.  My muffin liners were all about 90% full and puffed up all perfect looking!

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cake is puffed and beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan; a thin knife inserted into the center will come out clean. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and let it rest for 15 minutes before unmolding it onto another rack. Peel off the paper, invert it onto the first rack, and cool to room temperature right side up.

To Make the Frosting: Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and fit the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cook, stirring gently and often, just until they melt. Be careful not to overheat the mixture so much that it thins out; the chocolate should be smooth, very shiny, thick and spreadable. (If it thins, leave the frosting at room temperature for a bit, until it thickens a little.)

Using an offset metal icing spatula or a table knife, spread the frosting in generous sweeps and swirls over the top of the cake. Allow the frosting to set at room temperature, then cut the cake into 9 squares, each about 2 1/2 inches on a side.


Playing Around
Cappuccino Squares: If you like the cappuccino flavor combination of coffee and cinnamon, you can easily switch the balance in this recipe by adding a jolt of coffee flavor to the batter. Just mix 1 tablespoon instant espresso into the milk and warm the milk in a microwave oven until it is hot enough to dissolve the coffee. Cool the milk and carry on.

Thanks TWD for this recipe. I'll definitely make this again!