Special Teatime Treats

     It's starting to get into that time of year when you are going to be having company over more often. Between Christmas and New Years it seems that people start to drop by more often than the rest of the year. Entertaining your friends and family can be a lot of fun. You get to catch up with people, maybe have something to drink, and of course serve and eat good food. Cupcakes are a treat that you can whip up in no time, and I don't know anyone who doesn't like a cupcake with tea!
  For this post I have decided to make a cupcake with warm flavourings that go well with a cup of tea or coffee. But I also have made them just a little special too since it is getting close to the holiday season. So drum-roll please!..... because here is my post for spice cupcakes with Baileys Irish Cream icing.

Spice Cupcakes
*Recipe by Martha Stewart [8.]

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cake flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg and mace
• Pinch of ground cloves
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, mace, and cloves by sifting it into a bowl. Set aside
3. In another, large bowl beat the butter, brown sugar and eggs together until fluffy.
4. Now you are going to add the flour mixture and the milk to the butter. Add the flour in three separate additions and the milk in two additions; alternating between the two. Make sure to mix the ingredients together after each addition.
5. Pour batter into the lined muffin cups, filling them 2/3rds full. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick poked into the centre comes out clean. Let cool completely before icing.

Baileys Icing
Makes enough to ice 12 cupcakes.

Ingredients: 

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 2 tbsp Baileys (or more, depending on your taste)

Directions:

1. Beat the butter in a medium sized bowl until fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix in.
2. Add icing sugar to the butter 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.
3. Add the Baileys to the icing and mix until combined. You can add more if you like, according to your taste; just make sure to add more icing sugar if the icing starts to get to wet.

And there you have it! A very special cupcake for special occasions. A treat to enjoy with friends over a cup of coffee and a conversation on a wintry afternoon.