brown sugar poundcakes with brown butter icing

...or she didn't have the baby yet, so let's eat cupcakes.

you see, she thought she was going into labor last friday morning. she wasn't far enough along, so the doctor sent her home. all weekend i waited. i slept with the phone next to me, just in case. but nope, it didn't happen.

so what a surprise when i heard her come in to the office monday morning. and by the end of the day, still nothing. not a thing. we were all expecting her to come back in on tuesday. and hey, if the woman still hasn't had the baby, she may as well eat cake.

but at 4:00 tuesday morning, i got the text - 8lbs 6oz! finally!

so mamacita, these cupcakes are for you. sorry you missed them. i'll make another batch to welcome you back in june.



for the cakes, i used all dark brown sugar because i like the butterscotchy/molassesey flavor of the dark rather than the light brown sugar, but use whatever you like (or have on hand).

after ferociously licking the whisk after making the icing, i decided it's absolutely divine and would make an awesome buttercream with a relatively plain - i'm thinking white - layer cake.

brown sugar poundcakes with brown butter glaze
adapted from Martha Stewart's cupcakes, makes 12 cupcakes

for the cakes
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1 cup + 2 tablespoons dark or light brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
6 tablespoons buttermilk

for the glaze
1/2 stick butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk

1. preheat the oven to 325F and line muffin tins with paper liners.
2. cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. add eggs, one a time, until incorporated.
3. mix in baking powder and salt. alternate adding flour and buttermilk until everything is incorporated.
4. fill muffin tins 3/4 full. bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then remove. cool completely before glazing.
6. while waiting for the cupcakes to cool, make the glaze. start by melting the butter over medium heat in a pan that is not nonstick. cook until the butter turns a nutty amber color, 6-10 minutes. pour off the browned butter (try not to get all the black sediment - it just tastes burnt) into a glass or heat proof bowl. add the sugar, vanilla, and milk. mix until smooth.
7. when the cupcakes are cool, glaze them. turn the cupcake upside down and dip into the glaze. swirl the cupcake as you pull it up and out of the glaze (to get the relatively flat top). eat immediately or let sit out for an hour or so for the glaze to dry.