The NY Baking Company Silicone Baking Cups and French Toast Cupcakes

.  I've been on a baking hiatus for quite some time now.  My last few posts have been few and far between, only including a few life updates and Stitch Fix reviews.  And I don't even know when I found the time to crank those posts out.

Boo.

For those of you around me regularly, you know that the wedding is the only thing swirling in my head these days.  Sometimes I feel like it's literally the only thing I can talk about.  And although it's been a blast, it's absolutely exhausting.  Which leaves next to no energy to even think about whipping out the stand mixer, figuring out which ingredients I need to buy, blah, blah.  Sob story, I know.

But just this last weekend I was finally motivated to get back in the kitchen because 1) Robbie actually requested I make something to bring into his work and 2) I had a product to review!

Let me present:  Silicone Baking Cups by The New York Baking Company.

For you traditionalists, I'm right there with ya.  I never gave these modern silicone baking cups a second glance not only because I love picking out designs to suit the exact situation I'm baking for but because I just didn't trust them.  Who knew what those crazy little rubbery things were going to do to my cupcakes?!

But to be honest...

I've been converted.

The silicone baking cups work exactly how any regular paper/foil baking cup does, no extra prep or special instructions.  And with an investment of only $8.95 for 12 reusable cups, who could argue that's not a steal?!

So when Robbie requested that I bake something for him to bring to his new work group, I had the perfect opportunity to test out this schnazzy product.  And since this would be my baking debut with Robbie's new co-workers, I had to go for a best-ever cupcake recipe.

French Toast Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream.

And according to Robbie's report, these cupcakes were nothing short of a hit!  A cinnamon-ey, moist, buttery cupcake topped with a cinnamon streusel [for that ever-so-slight French Toast crunch], and finished with a semi-whipped Maple Buttercream is a recipe that will never disappoint.  And because technically the name is a breakfast item, there's absolutely no shame in starting your day off with one of these lovelies.

The only note I made baking these cupcakes in the silicone cups is that the cake tops baked pretty uneven.  Since this is my first time using them I'm not exactly sure why that happened, but just to be safe next time I would flatten the tops of the batter.

And my one "complaint" is that I didn't have two dozen of the baking cups to make the full batch all at once.  Looks like I'll be making an Amazon purchase here shortly...

Lastly, one big thank you to The New York Baking Company for introducing me to another unexplored baking corner I otherwise would have never ventured.  You've most definitely turned me into a believer!  .