Snickerdoodle Cupcake

Last Thursday, I got my brand, spankin' new copy of Martha Stewart's Cupcakes! Although I was pressed for time yesterday, I really wanted to try out one of the recipes. I went for the one that I had the most ingredients for, but didn't involve messing around with chocolate. So I tried the Snickerdoodle Cupcakes, which are topped with Seven Minute Frosting and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

When I made my Seven Minute Frosting, I was hoping to make it in a way that would completely cook the egg whites. In Seven Minute Frosting, you boil sugar, water, and some corn syrup to 230 degrees, and then pour it slowly into heavily beaten egg whites, and let it beat for.....yes, seven minutes. According to some egg association website, adding the boiling liquid to the eggs only brings the temperature up to about 120 degrees--not a completely safe temperature for all populations. So, if you want to get your eggs to 150-160 degrees before using them for frosting, you can cook the eggs in a double-boiler (I use my Kitchen Aid mixer bowl over a pan of water) while whisking them. I learned (the hard way), that the way to keep egg whites from becoming scrambled eggs over simmering hot water is to add some of the sugar from the recipe. Oops. Now I know for next time.