so i've recently started reading The Secret Life of Bees.
i'm loving it. and it got me all inspired to bake with honey.
i also have recently fallen in love with the show Cupcake Wars. so cupcakes seemed like an obvious choice.
i altered a recipe for plain vanilla cupcakes i found on a blog. substituted 1/3 cup of honey for half the sugar. and added 2 teaspoons of mint extract.
sadly, i forgot to add the second stick of butter. the recipe said 1 cup so, in my head, that computed to just 1 all around. they're not terribly dry, but i think they would have been the perfect consistency had i not forgotten.
the frosting is beautiful. tastes wonderful. the honey flavor is subtle, but you can tell it's there because the whole cupcake tastes a little different than it does with normal sugar.
my family doesn't like the additionally mint flavor at all. i think it's great. it really freshens up a really dense cupcake. the honey works kind of like molasses and makes the cake rather dense.
oh well. to each his own. =)
my only real problem with this recipe is the HUGE amount of butter it requires. is that normal for cupcake recipes or is there another way to achieve moist cupcakes without causing arterial blockages?
here is the recipe for your baking enjoyment.
cake2 sticks butter, room temperature
1 c. sugar
1/3 c. honey
4 eggs
2 3/4 c. flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 c. milk
2 t. mint extract
cream together the butter, sugar, and honey. beat in each egg, one at a time. mix together all the dry ingredients in a separate container. alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk until everything is all mixed together. add mint extract.
bake at 350 degrees for 17 minutes.
frosting1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese
4 T. butter
4 T. honey
3-4 c. confectioners' sugar
beat together the butter and cream cheese. mix in honey. add confectioners' sugar until desired taste and consistency is achieved.
