Multigrain Bread with Cherry-Bourbon Butter and Maple Canada Day Cupcakes
Before the cupcakes, we ate bread for dinner tonight and last. Aviv’s organic, handmade bread, thankfully. I had no plan in mind and was running out the door when the heavens parted and an angel in bike shorts stepped out of a modest hatchback bearing a multigrain loaf, wrapped in a paper bag with a small jar of cherry bourbon butter. We ate most of it, some with the butter and some with sausage, lentil & barley soup I had in a thawed yogurt container in the fridge.
For those of you who haven’t heard about Aviv, every Monday he bakes dozens of organic artisan loaves (on Fridays he sends out a mass email letting everyone know what kind it’s going to be, and you can say yes or no) and then gets on his bike (or when he’s really overloaded, in his car) and delivers them around the core, selling them for $6 apiece (including delivery) and the proceeds go to support a school in Malawi. He has already met his goal of $2500 raised, but everyone loves his bread so much he’s still going. You can join Aviv’s email list here. OR you can find him now at the Hillhurst-Sunnyside Farmers’ Market on Wednesdays from 3:30-7:30!
And then it was time to make cupcakes for the big Canada Day bash tomorrow. (Not at our house – thankfully we don’t have to clean. Yet.) But what kind would be appropriate for such a holiday? A maple cake with maple icing came immediately to mind. And also? Maple anything is Mike’s favourite.
I pulled my Canadian Living Baking Book off the shelf, thinking they must have a recipe for maple cake, and they did – a Maple Crunch Layer Cake which modified itself nicely into a couple dozen cupcakes. I have a hard time using a cup of butter in a recipe though, so I cut the fat in half, and used half butter and half canola oil. They were lovely and perfect, with a tender, buttery crumb.
I still have a hard time making maple baking taste sufficiently mapley though; except for that Maple Pouding “Chomeur”, which was like a delicious ticking time bomb of sugar, butter and cream. Maybe next time I’ll use brown sugar instead of white to give them a boost.
Maple Cupcakes with Maple Frosting
I imagine this would make a pretty delicious vanilla-honey cake too; just substitute good vanilla extract for the maple, and honey for the maple syrup, reducing it a bit as honey is more intensely sweet than maple. Roger’s Golden Syrup would be delicious too. For a regular sized cake, bake the batter in two 9″ round pans that have been sprayed with nonstick spray for about half an hour, until springy to the touch.
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. maple extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt, thinned with milk
3/4 cup maple syrupPreheat oven to 375F. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar for a few minutes, until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition; beat in the maple extract.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another, stir together the buttermilk and maple syrup. Add the flour in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in two, beating on low speed just until blended after each addition.
Divide the batter among about 24 paper-lined muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes, until springy to the touch.
Maple Frosting
I tried this ratio and it worked, but you could cut the butter by half if you’re trying to reduce your fat intake. You may need to add a little extra maple syrup or even a couple teaspoons of vanilla. Essentially you adjust the proportions of each ingredient until you have a soft, spreadable frosting.
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups icing sugar
1/4 cup maple syrupIn a medium bowl, beat the butter with half the icing sugar until creamy. Add the remaining icing sugar and maple syrup and beat until well blended and smooth, adding a little extra sugar or syrup as needed to achieve a spreadable consistency. Makes enough for 2 dozen cupcakes.
One Year Ago: We went to Swiss Chalet.
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June 30 2009 06:24 pm | cake
Sprout on 30 Jun 2009 at 6:39 pm #
I have a house full of company coming tomorrow (Canada day) and I just popped on here to find something to make for dessert, and voila! Brilliant! I can’t wait to try them!
Sue (London, ON) on 30 Jun 2009 at 6:56 pm #
Oh Man! Those look good Julie. I love all things maple too. I just finished making dozens of your Classic Sugar cookies, rolled & cutout with my maple leaf cutter, drizzled with a citrus glaze…. YUM! They look so pretty!
I will try those maple cupcakes for another occassion… SOON!
Have a great Canada Day!
robin on 30 Jun 2009 at 7:49 pm #
man i wish aviv was up for riding his bike out to california…. i would get on that email list so fast. that cherry butter looks amazing!!!
Cheryl on 30 Jun 2009 at 9:04 pm #
That always bugs me too – not getting a good maple taste once baked. Like your maple walnut white chocolate cookies – amazing dough but just good cookies.
Jen @ MaplenCornbread on 01 Jul 2009 at 3:18 am #
These are GREAT cupcakes!!! Mmmmmm maple goodness!!! Happy Canada Day, from a fellow Canuck gone south!
Aimee on 01 Jul 2009 at 3:47 am #
This is always a tricky holiday for me as it also happens to be my hubby’s birthday.
I’m sure these cupcakes would be a hit for everyone, birthday boy included!
Steph on 01 Jul 2009 at 4:11 am #
Those cupcakes look so good! I like that they’re lower in fat than most.
Kate on 01 Jul 2009 at 5:39 am #
Happy Canada Day!
I will send this link to our daughter in CA who will be celebrating Canada day with her Canuck husband
Natalie (Michigan) on 01 Jul 2009 at 6:49 am #
Happy Canada Day to you and yours!
Bites from other Blogs | Travelling Secrets on 01 Jul 2009 at 9:58 am #
[...] is Canada Day, and in tribute, Dinner with Julie baked some Maple Cupcakes. Maple cupcakes are a fitting treat for the holiday because maple syrup is so closely associated [...]
Katharine on 01 Jul 2009 at 11:01 am #
Yummy yummy yummy yummy yummy! Happy birthday Canada!
Carol SB on 01 Jul 2009 at 8:03 pm #
Happy Canada day, Julie… and everyone else here. And Sue, love your idea of the maple cutout cookies… I too have a maple leaf cookie utter. Good plan! (although I’ve gotta admit the Dare maple Leaves are just great by me… good maple flavour)
Manon from Ontario on 02 Jul 2009 at 5:00 am #
Hello Julie,
You could use maple sugar instead of the white sugar, that always enhances the maple flavour.
Hope everyone is ok, heard about someone at the hospital…
Have a great week.
MFO
Barb on 02 Jul 2009 at 5:57 am #
I live in Lethbridge. Do Aviv’s legs look like they can make the trip?
Christina on 02 Jul 2009 at 6:04 am #
I love the Canadian flags!!
I have get to find the little American ones for our “old school” 4th of July BBQ! lol
Emilee Clark on 02 Jul 2009 at 7:39 am #
Love the story about Aviv. Happy Belated Canada Day!
Becky and the Beanstock on 02 Jul 2009 at 11:19 am #
That’s the way I like my angels — in bike shorts and bearing bread.
Shannalee on 02 Jul 2009 at 11:19 am #
Oh, how lovely! I am absolutely smitten with the idea of bike-delivered homemade bread!
BTW is it a weird question to ask how one celebrates Canada Day? I know that the Fourth of July in the States is all about BBQs and fireworks – what are the standards for Canada’s celebration?
Amber on 02 Jul 2009 at 4:26 pm #
wow love the bread delivery! I thought I had it good with a gentleman farmer who delivers farm fresh, free range eggs to my door every week. Can we get the recipe for the cherry bon-bon butter? Would love that!
Grace Wong on 02 Jul 2009 at 4:51 pm #
LOLOLOL!!!
This is on a *completely* different tack, but I just fixed your Roasted Chickpea with Garlic and Chard for supper (I don’t know what it is, but I’m finding the older I get, the less I need meat in my diet). I must admit, it looked kinda iffy being plated, and my husband took one look at it and said, “I don’t know if I *should* eat it, or if I did already” …
Hilary on 03 Jul 2009 at 5:16 am #
Great recipe for Canada Day! I love the cupcakes decorated with the little flags – nice touch.
Dana mccauley on 03 Jul 2009 at 4:11 pm #
Bourbon cherry butter – cool!
Walmart Online Coupons on 29 Jun 2011 at 8:23 am #
Wonderful siteA lot of useful information hereI’m sending it to some friends ans also sharing in deliciousAnd obviously, thanks for your sweat!