Mrs Kostyras Spice Cupcakes Recipes

MRS. KOSTYRA'S SPICE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush standard muffin tins with butter; dust with flour, tapping out excess. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, salt, and spices three times.
• With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each.
• Divide batter evenly among prepared cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.
• To finish, place cupcakes on a wire rack set over a baking sheet; spoon glaze over cupcakes, and let set. Cupcakes are best eaten the same day they are glazed; keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

MRS. KOSTYRA'S BABKAS

Steps:

• Butter three kugelhopf molds (each 1 1/2 quarts and 8 inches in diameter); set aside. Butter a large bowl; set aside. Heat milk and butter in a saucepan over medium-low, stirring, until butter is melted.
• Sprinkle yeast and a pinch of sugar over the warm water in a small bowl. Let stand until foamy, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Whisk together 4 eggs, the egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until thick, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla, liqueur, zests, yeast mixture, and milk mixture; whisk 1 minute more. With a wooden spoon, gradually stir in up to 10 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, until a sticky dough forms. Stir in dried fruits and almonds.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead, dusting with flour if it seems sticky, until smooth and soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer to buttered bowl. Loosely cover with buttered plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours. Punch down dough. Loosely cover with buttered wrap; let rise until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours more.
• Punch down dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface; knead 1 minute. Divide dough into 3 equal pieces. With lightly floured hands, roll each piece into an 18-inch-long rope. Fit each rope into a buttered mold; press end of rope into dough to seal. Loosely cover with buttered wrap. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together remaining egg and the cream in a small bowl. Brush dough with egg wash. Bake until golden, about 35 minutes. Let cool slightly in molds on a wire rack, about 10 minutes. Unmold onto rack, and let cool completely, larger sides down.

SMALL-BATCH CELEBRATION CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 6 hollows of a standard muffin tin with paper baking cups, skipping every other cup to allow for extra air circulation. Whisk together milk, egg, and vanilla in a liquid measuring cup. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
• Drizzle in butter and beat until crumbly. Slowly beat in milk mixture, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Divide evenly among baking cups, filling each about two-thirds full.
• Bake until light golden and a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes, then remove from tin and let cool completely on a wire rack, about 30 minutes.
• For the Frosting: In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar and salt and continue to beat until completely incorporated and frosting is smooth and creamy. Frost cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles; enjoy the same day they're made.

MRS. KOSTYRA'S SPICE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8-by-8-by-2-inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, salt, nutmeg, mace, and cloves three times.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time, beating to combine after each addition. Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake until cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto a plate, remove pan, and invert cake again onto the rack, so it's top side up.
• Using a toothpick, poke holes all over the top of the cake. Brush top and sides of cake with glaze while the cake is still warm; let cool.
• Dust the cake with confectioners' sugar, place on a serving platter, and serve.