Spice Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

How is one expected to go about their daily business when their whole apartment smells like spice heaven?  That's the dilemma I was faced with when I put these baby cakes in the oven.  The warm comforting scent of cinnamon and ginger hung around my apartment for hours.  These golden teddy bear brown cakes sat cooling on my table, taunting me, begging to be eaten.  I wish I could have had them all to myself.

These sweet little cakes started out with that oh so heavenly spice cake I was telling you about.  A bit more substantial than the average airy vanilla cupcake, these cakes are loaded with flavor all by themselves, including a gentle heat that warms the back of your throat.  No wonder people were willing to sail thousands of miles for this stuff.  Spices make life much more exciting.  But as if that weren't enough, perched on top is a generous dollop of sweet and tangy maple cream cheese frosting.  It's just the right amount of sweet, and oh so smooth and creamy.  Finally they're hit with a sprinkling of demerara sugar to make them sparkle.

I couldn't help myself.  I had to have one before we packed them up for Canada day.  I couldn't believe my taste buds.  These cupcakes turned out to be even better than the smell had promised.  I couldn't stop dancing with delight.  I wanted everyone in the world to try one.  As long as they left one more for me.  

Inspired by The Hungry Mouse