these cupcakes are simple and quaint i think. very much not-fussy in any way…unless you overfill your cups like i did the first time. that really has nothing to do with flavor and everything to do with aesthetics, but it irks me either way. despite my love for cinnamon and cream cheese and honey…i didn’t really love these cupcakes. the flavors were flat somehow. i think i’ll use the basic recipe for the batter again. i like the crumb and they were tender, but just lacking.

“breathe in, breathe out, carry on, carry out…”

listening : don’t wanna know why, whiskeytown

cinnamon cupcakes

adapted from simply recipes

1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 egg, plus 2 egg whites at room temperature

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

preheat oven to 350 F and line a muffin tin (12) with liners or spray well.

combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a bowl, whisk together.

beat butter in mixer until creamy, add sugar and beat until light and fluffly. scrpe and add egg and whites one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition and being sure to scrape the bowl. add vanilla and beat to combine.

add flour and buttermilk alternately, beginning and ending with flour, until just combined. fill lined or sprayed cupcake tin with batter (about 3/4 up the sides) and bake for 18-20 minutes.

cool on a rack completely before frosting.

honey cream cheese icing

this is a pretty loose frosting, i just kind of threw it together. it sets nicely in the refrigerator.

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon honey (more or less depending on how strong your honey is)

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

combine all ingredients into a bowl and using a hand mixer, blend well until creamy and fluffy.

over the weekend angela, from my year without spending, presented me with a kreativ blogger award…very exciting! so, basically you get to learn 7 things about me you didn’t know, here goes!

1. i always have been and still am afraid of the dark. when i turn the lights off in the house at night (if i don’t make sean do it for me) i run/skip from room to room very quickly and then end it all with a little squeal of relief when i land in my bed.

2. when i was 18 and working as a lifeguard i broke the tip of my tail bone off at work.

3. i wear jeans and a cardigan or hoodie every day usually with my old, white cons. i own quite a few dresses, but i never seem to be brave enough to get out the door in one. this is only one of my many habits that seem to rule my days.

4. i love a sad song. i can’t really explain it, but there’s this singular feeling i get and it’s comforting.

5. i’m in love with love…and lousy poetry. that’s from a weakerthans song, but, it’s true.

6. i’m shy and can be very awkward. this often leads people to believe that i am bitchy and unfriendly. i’m not, i’m just terrified of them. then, if you get to know me, you realize i’m kind of a wacky goof.

7. i am very protective of my friends and family. once one of my friends went through an abrupt and awful break-up after many years of being together. when we moved her out of their house,  i threw one of his favorite shoes off the deck and into oblivion…that’s what happens when you hurt my friend, i will inconvenience you. she doesn’t know i did it…shhhh, it’s a secret ;)

so…i’m passing this on to a few lovely gals:

hannah : honey and jam

elise : belle of the bakery

natalie : the southern hostess

hilary : let her bake cake

nadia : la port rouge

deb : your destiny is stone golden

johanna : birds on a wire