Sprinkles Cinnamon Sugar Cupcakes

Cinnamon Sugar Cupcakes - made December 2, 2016 from Sprinkles Baking Book by Candace Nelson

Still playing with my new Sprinkles Baking Book like a kid with a new toy. After the red velvet cupcake, I'm almost equally agnostic between the next few favorite flavors: coconut, lemon, pumpkin, banana and cinnamon sugar. The cinnamon sugar was the easiest to make since the "frosting" is really just melted butter, cinnamon and sugar, a no-fail combination that I prefer to most actual frostings.

Hence this seemed like a good one to try out next. And it was. Equally easy to make as the red velvet cupcake batter and I'm getting the hang of baking cupcakes properly. Usually I tend to underbake them and the texture therefore turns out a bit dense. This time, I baked it just the right amount of time and subsequently, the texture was cakey-fluffy like it should be.

The awesome thing about having a topping of melted butter and cinnamon sugar? You can dip the cupcake top in melted butter while the cupcake is still warm then roll the buttered top in the cinnamon sugar and enjoy the cupcake warm. Something you don't always get to do when a traditional frosting is involved since you can't frost a too-warm cupcake without endangering the frosting. Not so with this topping. And really, there's almost nothing better than warm cupcake, warm melted butter and crunchy-sweet cinnamon sugar. I don't think I'll ever eat this kind of cupcake at room temperature again. It's too good when it's at least lukewarm.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2/3 cup buttermilk, shaken
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons lightly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs

Cinnamon Sugar Topping
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. 
3. In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk and vanilla.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars on medium-high until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until combined, 1-2 minutes. 
5. Slowly add half the flour mixture, then the buttermilk, then the remaining flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Do not overmix.
6. Divide the batter evenly among the liners and bake until the tops are just dry to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 21-23 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool completely.
7. For the topping: in a shallow bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Brush the tops of the cupcakes with the melted butter, turn them upside down, and roll them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, tilting them from side to side to cover as much of the top as possible. Invert and serve.