When I was growing up, my father would take us to get fresh hot doughnuts from Krispy Kreme every Sunday. The cake doughnuts, covered in peanuts or dipped in sprinkles, were always my favorite. And to this day, I crave cake doughnuts.
Fast forward 20 years to the time when both my sister and I lived in the same New York neighborhood. There was a fantastic bakery nearby where the counters were piled high with zucchini bread, apple walnut muffins, whoopie pies.
As a cook myself, I loved the setup as much as the pastries. It was an open commissary kitchen with a walk-up counter for ordering. As you waited in line, you could watch the bakers make all manner of homespun baked goods. Among the array of deliciousness displayed on the counter was what looked like a mini muffin coated in cinnamon and sugar. The texture of the crumb inside was less dense and more cake than muffin, and it had a cinnamon flavor and a pop of nutmeg. It was called a “puff,” or at least that is what my sister and I called it. A puff with a double-shot cappuccino was morning heaven.
My sister moved out the neighborhood years before I too relocated. Because the bakery is no longer close, I decided that I should try to re-create those puffs. A Google search brought up dozens of images for what resembled the mini bites of heaven, but it was amazing how the actual recipes varied greatly and how few delivered.
