Feather-Light Muffins

These muffins taste exactly like cake doughnuts without any deep frying. The secret is rolling them in melted butter while they’re still warm, then tossing them in cinnamon sugar. That warm butter soaks into the surface and the sugar sticks to it, creating a sweet, spiced crust on every side.

Cake flour instead of all-purpose is what makes them feather-light. Cake flour has less protein, which means less gluten development and a softer, more tender crumb. Combined with a touch of nutmeg in the batter, these have that unmistakable old bakery doughnut flavor.

Serve them warm. Once they cool, the butter coating firms up and loses that fresh-from-the-fryer quality. These are at their absolute best within 10 minutes of being coated.

Kitchen Tips

• Fill the muffin tins only two-thirds full. These rise more than you’d expect and will overflow if overfilled.
• Work quickly when rolling in butter and sugar. The muffins need to be warm for the butter to soak in and the sugar to stick.
• Don’t substitute all-purpose flour for cake flour. The texture won’t be the same and you’ll lose the lightness that gives these muffins their name.
• Let them cool for exactly 3 to 4 minutes before rolling. Too hot and they fall apart. Too cool and the butter won’t absorb.

Variations

• Add a tablespoon of pumpkin spice to the cinnamon sugar coating for a fall version.
• Roll in powdered sugar instead of cinnamon sugar for a beignet-style muffin.
• Fold ½ cup of fresh blueberries into the batter before baking.