Makes 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
FOR THE SWIRL
1/4 cup (1/2 stick or 56.5 grams) unsalted butter (melted)
1/3 cup (85 grams) brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
FOR THE CUPCAKES
1 1/2 cups (190 grams) plain flour
1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick or 113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (113 grams) sour cream
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To make the filling: In a small bowl, stir all of the ingredients together until combined. Set aside until ready for use. To make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180 C). Line a muffin pan with cupcake papers; set aside. In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Scrape the bowl, making sure there are no streaks of flour remaining (do not over mix). Place one tablespoon of batter in each of the paper liners in the prepared muffin pan. Make a small well in the middle of each cup of batter with a toothpick. Stir the filling to make sure the butter is combined, then spoon a scant 1 teaspoon of the filling into each cup. Use a toothpick to swirl the filling and batter together. Add another tablespoon of batter to each cup and repeat the filling/swirling process. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting. Excellent with Coffee Icing and Cream Cheese Frosting (1/2 recipe)
Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
8 ounces (250g) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 cups confectioners’ sugar (pure icing sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla
In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together until completely combined. Add the sugar, one cup at a time, beating well between each addition. Stir in the vanilla until thoroughly combined. Beat the mixture well, until light and fluffy, adding up to a tablespoon of heavy cream, if the frosting is too stiff.
