Bake #7: Tina Bakes Streusel Cupcakes

And that's dedicated to you, Jen!! :)

I wanted to make a full-bodied kopi kampung (traditional Malaysian coffee, literally translated as village coffee) but I am not a regular coffee drinker and thus have none at home!! What a pity as this cake would be perfect with a cup of kopi kampung cap Hang Tuah (Hang Tuah brand), my fav type of coffee of all time!! Starbucks just ain't for me :)

Now, is this a cupcake or a muffin? What's the difference anyway, does anyone know? Cupcake or muffin, this is a good breakfast/coffee cake nevertheless. It's not sweet, thus you'd feel less guilty consuming it as compared to indulging in a sugar-frosted 'cupcake'. I like!! :) But I'm somewhat dissapointed that my streusel did not 'brown' as nicely as Martha's...

By the way, I had way too many streusels left - more than half of what I made - how about you?

I can't wait to enjoy a full cupcake, all to myself, accompanied by my fav breakfast beverage tomorrow morning (my two daughters and I shared the first cupcake that came out of the oven!!) and I can't wait to share these with the folks at the office too - my loyal cake testers!! The kiddoes will be bringing some to school as well, but I'm wondering if the kids will like this cake... I somehow think that this is an 'adult' cake. Well, I hope they do!!

Looking forward to our bake #8 (already?? yeay!!). What's it gonna be, Jen??

Bake #7: Jenny Bakes Streusel Cupcakes

Once upon a time, my usual morning routine was to make a stop at our neighborhood Starbucks store before heading to work everyday - rain, snow, sleet or shine! Vente double-shot decaf non-fat sugar-free extra hot latte (vente non-fat decaf cinnamon dolce latte during the holidays) Phew! Need to take a deep breath before saying that out loud; good thing that I was a regular as after a while, the girls behind the counter knew exactly what order to call out to the barista as soon as they saw me walk through the door. V, 2, Decaf, NF, ex-hot latte scribbled on my cup! My colleagues would often tease me that they'd need a programmer to de-code the long scribbles all over my Starbucks cup each time. Come to think of it, it can be quite a fun game, really! Pay attention to the check boxes and codes on the Starbucks paper cup the next time someone orders a complicated drink and you'll see what I mean. The same time my barista was preparing my cuppa, Steph would be nuping a coffeecake in the microwave and in no time, I'd have my latte in one hand, warm coffeecake on the other, then back to the car and off to work. Everyday. Every single work day. Without fail. I'm such a creature of habit. Oops, this is not a blog about my life, is it?
I was somewhat "reluctant" to get back to regular cupcakes this week and was hoping Tina would change her mind about this week's pick. Boy, am I glad she didn't. This cake takes me on a trip to memory lane and helped remind me of those days. Given my apprehension, I halved the recipe and by the time their wonderful aroma of the streusel filled the kitchen, I knew I should've just gone with the full portion! The cake base was surprisingly moist and soft - "surprisingly" because the batter sure didn't look like it was going to be the soft-texture type of cake. What do I know?
This cake is definitely all about the streusel topping though. Brown-sugar-flour-butter.....and I added a little oatmeal (the instant kind) to give it that extra crunch. How bad can that be?? I downed probably 2 (maybe 3) of these as soon as they were out of the oven. Gulped a cuppa and that, my friends, was the highlight of my day! Guess what I'll be having for b'fast tomorrow morning?
C'mon, have you baked yours yet?!?

Bake #7: Streusel Cupcakes

Wow!! Bake #7 already... yes!! This week, it's my turn to pick and I have chosen a coffee cake - the Streusel Cupcakes. This was one of the recipes that got my attention when I first got the book simply because of its traditional and down-to-earth appeal.

I can't find any official MS link for this recipe, so let me know if you need this!! I know I mentioned I might opt for a less cakey bake this week... found myself going through the book, yet keep coming back to this (pg 63). I guess I can't ignore a strong attraction!! :)

Happy baking!