Cupcake Friday: Thanksgiving edition

Yum, yum, a thousand times YUM.

Whatever you are doing, stop it right now & go bake these cakes!!

ORANGE-GLAZED CRANBERRY SPICE TEA CAKES
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp grated orange zest
1/2 cup sour cream
1 c fresh or frozen (and thawed) cranberries, finely chopped

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
4-5 Tbsp whole milk
1 tsp grated orange zest
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325. Spray 3 mini muffin tins (for 36 tea cakes) with non-stick cooking spray. Sift flour - nutmeg in a medium-sized bowl & set aside. Beat eggs & sugar on medium speed in a large bowl until mixture thickens and lightens to a creamy color, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer & scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. On low speed, mix in applesauce - orange zest until blended. Mix in the sour cream until no white streaks remain. Mix in the flour mixture. Fold in cranberries. Fill muffin cups with about 1 1/2 Tbsp batter, to just below the top of each cup. Bake just until the tops feel firm & a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 16 minutes. Let cool in muffin tins for 5 minutes. For the glaze, whisk powdered sugar, butter, 4 Tbsp milk, zest & vanilla until smooth. Add up to 1 more Tbsp milk if needed. Remove warm cakes from pans. Use a toothpick to poke 3-4 holes in each warm cake. Use a spatula to spread a thin layer of glaze over each. Let cool completely; glaze will become firm.



P.S. If you can manage not to gobble them up straight away, they're even better after they've set (sat?) overnight.
P.P.S. Would you think less of us if I confess that Jan Michael didn't even take any to work & we kept them all for ourselves?