Starbucks Chocolate Cinnamon Muffins

 When my Mom and I make a trip to Amarillo, it usually ends with us stopping at Starbucks for a sweet black tea and chocolate cinnamon bread.  My Mom is the one who even got me wanting this stuff in the first place.  I usually want vanilla bean scones or the berry pound cake.  I will never make that mistake again ;) This stuff is addicting.  Its moist, bitter, sweet, and then its spicy. Not hot spicy, I mean cinnamon, ginger and cloves.  It is sooooo good.  I usually tend to keep spiced bread recipes stowed away for fall this one I will use all year long.

Starbucks Chocolate Cinnamon Bread

3 sticks of unsalted butter (room temp)

3 cups of granulated sugar

5 large eggs (room temp)

2 cups AP flour

1 3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 TB cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

Start by creaming together 3 sticks of unsalted room temp butter with 3 cups of granulated sugar.  Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.  This could take up to 5 minutes to achieve. 

Once your butter is creamed add your room temp eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. 

If you are a multi-tasker you can begin to measure out your dry ingredients.  

In a mixing bowl sift together 2 cups AP flour, 1 3/4 cup cocoa, 1 TB cinnamon, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda, & 1/2 tsp baking powder.

Also in a liquid measuring cup add 1 cup buttermilk, 1/4 cup water and 1 tsp vanilla.

To your butter and egg mixture begin adding your dry ingredients.  You will alternate between dry ingredients and the milk mixture 3 times beginning and ending with your dry ingredients.  

Mix until just incorporated.  By the way if you are not sure what a pretty batter is well this is it.  It's a smooth, creamy texture and the color screams chocolate.  Its not too wet and its not too dry.  So now you know :)

Scoop batter into lined muffin pans, or grease and flour 2 loaf pans.   You can now mix up the chocolate cinnamon sprinkle for the top.

Cocoa-Spiced Sugar Crust

Mix together:

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cocoa powder

pinch of ginger

pinch of cloves

Generously sprinkle on top of the muffin batter.  

Bake at 375 for 17 minutes if you are baking muffins.  Bake at 375 for 35-45 minutes for a loaf.

I made the muffins today because this was a pregnancy craving and I didn't think I could make it the full 45 minutes on waiting for the loaf to finish!!

These muffins are light, moist, chocolaty, spicy and just out of the world.  You can eat them for breakfast, make them for a brunch of even have as a dessert.  I wouldn't stop at just one either!!  My Husband had eaten three before I got then out of the pan to take pictures.  He is a icing man also so he suggested a glaze over the top.  I have no problem with that but why fix something that is not broken!

Devils Food Cake With Seven Minute Icing

Devils Food Cake with Seven Minute 

Icing

Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup oil

2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

4 large egg yolks, at room temperature

8 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted over double boiler

2 1/2 cups whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

To make the cake

Preheat oven to 350°F
Prepare a baking dish for the cake.  I used just a regular baking dish I am going with how my Nanny use to serve it.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

In a separate small bowl, beat the egg yolks until thick and lemon-colored, about 2 minutes. Add the beaten yolks to the butter mixture and beat well. Add the chocolate, mixing until well incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.

Icing

4 egg whites

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup cold water

2 TB light corn syrup

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine the egg whites, sugar, water, syrup, and salt in the top of a double boiler and place over boiling water. 

Just beginning the Seven Minute Icing

On the high speed with your electric mixer, beat for 6 minutes, or until the icing stands up in soft peaks.

3 minutes 

Remove from the heat, add the vanilla, and beat another minute. 

7 minutes

My Nanny, my Dads Mom use to make this for his birthday every year.  Well as time goes by things begin to fade away but memories are still there.  Although my Nanny may not remember making this cake, my Dad does.  For his 54th birthday this last week I made it for him.  It doesn't hold a candle to hers but its the thought that counts right?  The cake recipe I did some adjusting to but the icing was perfection.  

Dads birthday cake.  Not everything has to be so commercialized in appearance.

My mom always tells stories around the holidays when lots of pies are being made how my great Aunt Sylvie use to make mile high meringue for her pies.  That too is something I haven't conquered but since I had the stability with the icing I piled it high on the birthday cake.  You can always scrap it off but what do you do when you don't have enough?!  I love icing so the 1 part icing to 1 part cake suited me very well!