High Altitude Churro Cupcakes

Cinco de Mayo is a big thing at our place. Not because we’re super into Americanized drinking holidays (we don’t even drink), but because I gave birth to someone very special on a Cinco de Mayo. It also doesn’t hurt that we really like Mexican food.*

I don’t actually make cupcakes that often, but since we were going to have a birthday party for our son this year, it seemed appropriate. Since he’s the birthday boy, I let him choose whatever kind of cupcakes he wanted, well from a carefully crafted selection of somewhat Mexican themed cupcakes that is. He’s a preschooler and can’t resist anything that is sugar coated, so he naturally chose Churro Cupcakes.  After altering a few things here and there, mostly for altitude, I set to baking. It always makes me nervous to try new recipes for a crowd, especially when I’ve played Dr. Frankenstein, but all that worrying was unnecessary.

High Altitude Churro Cupcakes adapted from Lady Behind the Curtain

Cupcakes:

• 3 1/4 C + 1/2 TBSP all-purpose flour
• 1 TBSP baking powder (measure just below the top of the cup)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 TBSP ground cinnamon
• 1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 C sugar (measure just below the top of the cup)
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 C+ 1 1/2 TBSP milk

• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 C +2 TBSP granulated sugar
• 1 1/2  tsp ground cinnamon

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1/2 C (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
• 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 1/2-4 C confectioners’ sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. After the eggs are thoroughly incorporated, beat in vanilla.
4. Alternate adding flour mixture and the milk. Beat until just combined after each addition.
5. Fill each cupcake liner three-quarters full.
6. Bake 18-20 minutes or until the edges are starting to brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes in the middle of the pan comes out clean.
7. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. After they’ve cooled for about 5 minutes, cover the tins with plastic wrap to trap in moisture.
8. To make the cinnamon sugar topping, melt butter in a small bowl. In another bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. When cupcakes are completely cooled, dip the top of each cupcake into the butter and then into the the cinnamon sugar mixture.
9. To make the frosting, beat butter and cream cheese until light. Mix in vanilla and cinnamon, then add confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time until you get to 3 cups and then about 1/2 C at a time after that until the frosting becomes thick enough to pipe. My test is when I lift my beater the frosting stays in a nice stiff peak and doesn’t fall back into the bowl.
10. Pipe the frosting onto the center of each of the cupcakes. (I used a Wilton 1M star tip.)
11. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

*Most Mexican food is rife with FODMAPs, but it’s not impossible to come by! Tomorrow we’re eating fish tacos with garlic and onion powder instead of their more potent counter parts.