my friend and i made these to celebrate/entice his new boyfriend. actually, i mostly made them, he mostly watched and kept me company, as my kitchen is spacious enough for one cook/baker. but, my point is: new boyfriend=big frackin’ deal, so cupcakes were a necessity. these are actually vanilla bean and cinnamon pound cakes with some chocolate frosting for good measure 😉
they were really tasty, but i think that the frosting may have been a bit much…i mean pound cake and frosting…really necessary? apparently so in this case. my friend told me the new bf loved them, “delicious” was the quote. i didn’t ask if he took all the credit, but i hope he did.
vanilla bean poundcakes
adapted from gourmet
i added a little cinnamon b/c i like cinnamon. you don’t have to…or you could rub some zest into the sugar for a citrus version (like the original version!)
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, gutted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 sticks room temperature butter, unsalted
4 large eggs, room temp
1 tablespoon milk
preheat oven to 325 F with rack in the center. either line a cupcake pans with paper liners (about 20) or butter an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pan.
sift together flour, salt and baking powder.
mix sugar and cinnamon and rub vanilla bean guts into the sugar with your finger tips until fragrant. add sugar mixture and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat at high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down sides as needed, then beat in milk. at low speed, mix in flour until just combined, or fold in with a spatula. spread batter into pan and rap against counter to eliminate bubbles, or fill muffin cups about 1/2 full. for cupcakes bake for 25-30 minutes or until tester comes out clean. for loaf, bake for 1-1 1/4 hours. allow to cool completely before frosting.
pound cake improves its flavor over time…so these will last a few days if you can help it 🙂
chocolate sour cream frosting
from sky high
i love this frosting, it is yummy. the book recommends that you use while warm, but i find that difficult, so i let it chill to room temp (at least) before piping.
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 stick unsalted butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup room temperature half and half
1/2 cup room temperature sour cream
melt chocolate, butter and corn syrup in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. remove from heat and whisk until smooth.
whisk in half and half and sour cream. use while soft, but not too.
Elyse
wow, cindy! these cupcakes look like they could win over any new dating prospect. they shout “date me.” man, do they look delicious! i mean, cinnamon and vanilla poundcake AND chocolate sour cream frosting. could i have one (three) now??
Mermaid Sweets
Wow, what gorgeous pictures, they look like they blong in Martha Stewart magazine.
cindy*
thanks guys…well, gals i guess.
Bonbon Oiseau
ooo! these just won me over! but the blossoms? how did you make the blossoms? i am so fraqckin’impressed 🙂
cindy*
i wish i had the skills to make those, but i don’t…i am trying to figure it out though (or something similar) and i will keep you posted 🙂
chocolatecup
woah. they look very very pretty! 🙂 and delicious!
Ingrid
They look terrific! Loved how you guys did the frosting. Speaking of the frosting it sounds interesting, sour cream?! I like sour cream, oooh, just thought of something, creme fraiche, even better! Thanks for the recipe!
~ingrid
Nikki Jean
I love pound cake cupcakes! But I’ve never had any with cinnamon in them. yum. sounds good!
Dawn
another wonderful creation here my friend!
I have such a hard time finding those cupcake liners…any tips?
onesilentwinter
so wonderful!! totaling enjoying your blog!!!!!!
Hannah
those are so so lovely!
Sophie
Cindy, they look fantasticly yummie :)!!!
unconfidentialcook
Mmmm on that frosting!
Mónica Pinto
They look so tempting! Love the photos.
Gillian
these look amazing!!
could the sour cream be subbed for mascarpone instead?
cindy*
gillian, i don’t see why not…and if anything try it and find out 🙂
and, a big thanks to everyone else. <3!
Sean Rahe
All I know is that you have some mad punk rock piping skills. I bet if you had to make a liberty spiked punk rock cake, you could pull it off… including this guy’s facial expression.
<3.
Sophie
Vanilla bean and chocolate can’t be beat! Have a lovely holiday weekend!
Oh yes, btw, my hubby always comes to the rescue when I have computer problems :D. I don’t have luck with fixing compy stuff! 🙂
Justin Schwartz
these are so pretty
Stacey
Oh my goodness those look DELICIOUS! You are so talented! I love your blog.
Stacey