Cinnamon Spiced Muffins

Every since the last cold spell we had I have been using a lot more cinnamon in my cooking and baking. I love the warming effect that you get from eating cinnamon. I have always thought of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger as winter spices. So, today I whipped up a batch of cinnamon muffins with cream cheese icing to warm up our tea time.

Cinnamon Spiced Muffins

(makes 12 muffins)

Ingredients:

1 egg

1/2 cup butter milk (regular milk can be substituted)

1/4 cup melted butter (veg. oil or coconut oil can be substituted)

1&1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon ( any warm spice can be substituted)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 deg. F. Place papers in muffin tins.

Mix egg, milk and butter in a small bowl. Mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Batter will be a little lumpy. Spoon batter into paper muffin cups fill 2/3rds full. bake approximately 20 min. Cool and ice with icing of your choice. 

Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients: 

1/2 a package softened cream cheese (125g)

1/8 cup melted butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

Directions: Blend butter, cream cheese and lemon juice in a small bowl. Slowly mix in powdered sugar. Mix until smooth and creamy. Ice cooled muffins. 

I hope you enjoy and stay warm. What have you been baking lately?

Cake Decorating: Cream Cheese Icing

This is a marble cake with Cream Cheese Icing. I omitted the orange zest. The decorations are made with Royal Icing. Normally the icing is off white because of the yellow coloring in butter. If you would like the icing to be white it would be good to use butter with out coloring or dyes. 

Cream Cheese Icing

1 cup unsalted butter (allow to soften)

2  (8ounce packages) cream cheese (allow to soften)

8 cups confectioners' sugar (sifted)

1 to 2 tablespoons milk 

1 teaspoon orange zest (optional)

In medium mixing bowl, cream butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add sugar 1 cup at a time. Add 1 tablespoon of milk and orange zest after the first 4 cups sugar.  Add the second tablespoon of milk at the end of mixing if needed.  Mix well. Beat on high until smooth. This icing would be great on carrot cake.

Cake Decorating tip: Do not substitute margin for butter. The margin will cause the icing to be too soft.