Snickerdoodle Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Having book marked Orangettes recipe for Cinnamon Buns almost 6 months ago, i thought it was time to face my fear of anything involving yeast. After all, i dont think you can legitimately call yourself a food blogger without the ability to bake bread. Or at least attempt to. For someone who enjoys baking, not knowing how to bake bread is sort of like being a driving instructor who has never changed a car tyre, missing an integral skill needed to do the job better.

So with enthusiasm and abit of anxiety, i followed the first step in the method for making the Cinnabon Buns. I wont bore you with the details, but needless to say, something went wrong and the dough was so sticky i couldnt roll it.

I'm not sure what went wrong, but being inexperienced in all things dough related (damn my fear of yeast!), i was unable to salvage it.

Feeling very disappointed in myself and massively craving cinamon and cream cheese frosting, I googled a recipe for cupcakes involving the two ingredients. I came across Stephanies Kitchens recipe for these cupcakes. 

These cupcakes were quite nice, but they didnt rise very much. That might have been somthing to do with the size of the cases. I used Muffin cases as they were the only ones i had in the cupboard. I also used the pretty silicone cup and saucer cases my lovely friend Kay bought me for my birthday.

Furthermore, the frosting was very sweet and ultimately put people off eating more than one. 

So all in all, not a very successful day in the kitchen. In the days before this blog, I would have taken it very personally that both recipes were abit of a flop. 

However, I have done enough baking now to know that sometimes, good recipes turn out bad. The way i see it, there are so many variables involved in baking, its a case of learning from each attempt and adapting things the next time.

I'm definitely going to try the Cinnamon Buns again and overcome my fear of yeast. And no, I have never changed a car tyre. But luckily for me, i'm not a driving instuctor.

Recipe - Snickerdoodle Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting by Stephanies Kitchen

makes 18 cupcakes

1 1/2 cups cake flour (or add 1 tablespoon cornstarch per 1 cup all purpose flour to make your own cake flour)
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup milk

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla. Slowly add the flour and milk, alternating between the two until well incorporated. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl whenever needed. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. You will need 18. Evenly distribute the batter between the cups. Bake at 350 degrees for about 18-20 minutes. Top with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting and sprinkle a bit of cinnamon-sugar on top for extra prettiness.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
4 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream the cream cheese and butter until creamy and smooth. Add half the sugar, milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix until smooth. Add remaining sugar and beat until light and fluffy and creamy.