Can you believe it’s been a year and a half since I’ve made a cupcake? That’s just not right. I almost called these muffins, because, well, cupcakes without frosting are basically muffins, right? And you could argue that these are completely acceptable to eat for breakfast. I won’t judge. But they are cake, truly, through and through.
Further proof that a cupcake doesn’t need a mile-high mound of frosting to be delicious, a simple dusting of powdered sugar is more than satisfying.
The texture is maybe the most striking part of these cupcakes, incredibly light and delicate with a crunchy, buttery crumb topping. That with the perfect smattering of miniature chocolate chips and a snowy white dusting of powdered sugar, you don’t even notice the lack of frosting. Cupcake perfection.
The recipe was inspired by a cake on pinterest, the original source of which took some serious sleuth-work to uncover (thank you, Google Images!) Converting it into cupcakes required a bit more scientific experimentation, but the result is well worth the effort.
Despite the perfection inside, they are far from perfect in appearance. Weighted down by the crumb topping, they rise flat and even, not domed like most cupcakes, so be sure you do not overfill them. Overflow or not, the sumptuous texture of these cupcakes will make you forget their rustic appearance (rustic is basically a hipster term for ugly anyway, right?)
