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!  .

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  .

From Bakingdom

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