Cinnamon Latte Cupcakes

Every morning, I walk to work, go to my favorite coffee place, and nod my head in affirmation to the barista's question, "You want your regular?".  My regular is a double tall latte with lots of cinnamon.  The coffee house that I go to has a special name for this - it's called a Caffé Viennese.

Whenever I make coffee at home, I'll also dust some cinnamon on top.  I got a craving for coffee cupcakes the other morning, and decided to make some - topped with cinnamon frosting of course.

I decided to use a cream cheese frosting on these cupcakes.  Cream cheese frostings are much quicker than the meringue buttercreams I usually make, and I wanted something that was both simple and a little lighter and less buttery.  Oh boy, cinnamon cream cheese frosting is delicious.  I don't love cream cheese frosting on everything (buttercream, in my opinion, is much more versatile), but when it works well with a cake or cupcake, it's amazing.

For the cupcakes, I started with a recipe originally from Cupcake Bakeshop.  They were everything I hoped they would be - fluffy, soft, and commanding a powerful coffee flavor.  The cinnamon cream cheese frosting cooled and enhanced the coffee cupcake.  Honestly, I think this is my new favorite cupcake (the sesame red bean cupcakes are a close second).  Curling up on the couch with the cat, a cup of coffee, and one of these cupcakes, was pretty much the best thing ever.

Latte Cupcakes

Adapted from Cook Like a Champion (originally from Cupcake Bakeshop).
Makes 19 regular cupcakes.

Ingredients
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dark roast coffee grounds
½ cup espresso (or strong brewed coffee)
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon coffee liquor or milk if non alcoholic
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350°.Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar. Beat on medium high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beat until incorporated.
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and coffee grounds in a bowl.
5. Mix together the coffee, milk, liquor, and vanilla.
6. Alternately add the flour and coffee/milk mixture to the butter/sugar/eggs mixture, starting and ending with the flour.
7. Scoop into cupcake papers about two thirds to three quarters full.
8. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Easy and delicious. You can play with the amounts to get the flavor you want.

Ingredients
6 oz cream cheese (at room temperature)
4 oz unsalted butter (at room temperature)
3 cups powdered sugar
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

Method

1. Beat the cream cheese and butter at medium speed with a whisk attachment until smooth (a minute or so).
2. At low speed, add the powdered sugar and cinnamon.  Beat until fully incorporated.