horchata cupcakes

Originally uploaded by Bake & Destroy!
This recipe comes from my hero Chockylit’s blog, www.cupcakeblog.com. She has the most amazing ideas, if her blog doesn’t inspire you you’re probably hopeless. Anyway, being the maverick that she is, she makes her own horchata. Me being lazy and mostly stupid, I do not. I live across the street from a decent Mexican place that makes their own, so I bought some with no ice and brought it home tonight to make these. I also cut down her recipe to make a dozen because I was pretty sure I was eating these all by myself anyway.

So, it’s too early to make any kind of decision about these. I find I like cupcakes better after a night in the fridge. I don’t know if that’s classy or not, but it’s true. So I’m going to have one for breakfast, which I know is classy, and figure it out then. The one I had tonight was very subtle, which horchata is. In her recipe Chockylit says to add confectioner’s sugar until the buttercream is the consistency and sweetness “you desire.” I’m too stupid to know what that means, so I dumped it all in, which made for a very sweet, pretty stiff frosting. I don’t think anyone is going to complain about cupcakes for breakfast, however, so no worries.
I wonder if I’d made my own horchata in the first place if the cupcakes would be more horchata-y. The world may never know. But, like I said, after a night in the fridge these might come out super cinnamon-y and almond-y. Either way they’re subtle but tasty and the cake is nice and fluffy.

For the cupcakes you will need:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup horchata
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 large egg whites

Then you:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line pan with paper liners.
2. Cream butter and sugar, beating until fluffy.
3. Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together.
4. In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix the horchata and vanilla together.
5. Alternately add the flour mixture and horchata mixture to the butter/sugar in three parts, beating well after each addition. Set aside incorporated mixture.
6. In a clean mixer bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
7. Fold egg whites into cake batter until incorporated.
8. Scoop batter into the prepared cupcake pans and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

For the frosting you will need:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup horchata
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted

Then you:
1. Cream butter.
2. Add horchata, vanilla and about half of the sugar, beating until well combined.
3. Add remaining sugar a little at a time until desired consistency/sweetness is achieved.