Gingerbread Cupcakes and a moment of pause...

I can't even remember when I baked these.  That's how long it's been and how busy I've been.

I want to say somewhere in late January?  It's April.  OMG.

April.

Life has been a whirlwind of working, moving, working, traveling, working . . .  you see the trend.

These cupcakes were a final ode to the holiday and winter season.  They were, in fact, delicious, though I can't fathom craving them now.  Oh well.  This would have been so much more appropriate in January . . .

Perhaps this is one of those perspective moments.

A chance to catch my breathe, a chance to restart, a chance to get back in touch with what is important.

Thank God for second chances.

 

Like these cupcakes.  I may have misread and therefore mis-measured the amount of baking soda for the recipe, therefore causing them to expand rapidly and spill over their baking pans and liners.  Yep, I did that.  Nothing a little glaze can't cover.  And I made up for it with the glaze.  Try a framboise butter glaze.  That's right, delicious and alcoholic.  And then some pink sanding sugar, which I affectionately call Barbie Sugar, on top, and ta-dah!

Okay, so you can kinda tell . . .

I'm not concerned.

So here's to being back in my own apartment after living out of a hotel room for most of this month!  And to Spring, and to rest!  *raises invisible cupcake*

*now wishes she had a cupcake*

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 1 cup unsulphered molasses
• 2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten

As for the glaze, I can't help you much.  Sometimes I just kinda wing it.

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 10 jumbo muffin tins with paper baking cups, and set aside. In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil. In a bowl, combine boiling water and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, sift together flour, ground spices, salt, and baking powder; set aside.
   
2. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until light. Beat in the brown sugar until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the molasses, baking-soda mixture, and flour mixture. Beat in the eggs.
   
3. Fill the cupcake papers three-quarters full, making sure that the batter is divided evenly. Bake cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center of them comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cupcakes cool a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
   
   
    Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living