CINNAMON, HONEY AND MINT CUPCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard cupcake or muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners.
• For the snickerdoodle cookie: In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt and set aside. With a hand mixer, beat the granulated sugar, butter and egg together until creamy. Add the flour mixture and mix until fully incorporated.
• Put the cinnamon sugar on a small plate. Scoop about a tablespoon of the batter into the cinnamon sugar mixture and roll around to coat in the sugar. Drop into one of the cupcake liners and flatten the dough; repeat to fill the remaining 11 cupcake liners. Set aside.
• For remainder of the cookie dough, scoop teaspoonfuls of the dough onto baking sheets. Bake until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Cool completely.
• For the cake batter: Combine the cake flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a small bowl and set aside. Combine the granulated sugar, butter and honey in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and mix on medium until the mixture is creamy. While the mixer is running, add the eggs and yolks one at a time, thoroughly mixing after each egg. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the sour cream, ending with the flour. Mix on medium until the ingredients are all fully incorporated.
• Fill the liners (on top of the cookie dough) three-quarters full with the cupcake batter. Bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting.
• For the mint tea: Add the mint leaves and sugar to 1 cup boiling water and let steep for 5 minutes. Strain out the mint and set aside to cool completely.
• For the cinnamon honey glaze: Put the butter in a small bowl and stir in the honey and cinnamon sugar until smooth.
• For the mint buttercream: Combine the granulated sugar, salt and egg whites in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer. Set the bowl over a medium saucepan of gently simmering water, and whisk until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is frothy and smooth and reaches 160 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer the bowl to the mixer and beat on high speed with a whisk attachment until the mixture has cooled completely and formed stiff and glossy peaks, about 7 minutes. With the mixer running, add the butter one piece at a time. Continue beating until all of the butter is incorporated and the mixture looks smooth. Add the cooled mint tea, confectioners' sugar and mint extract. With the paddle attachment, beat until fully incorporated and smooth.
• To assemble: Brush some of the cinnamon honey glaze on top of each cupcake, frost with mint buttercream and top with a mini snickerdoodle.