Cupcakes for Mr. Darcy

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Place liners in a muffin pan or grease ramekins or teacups with butter and flour.

With your stand mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter and sugar for 5 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time, waiting for each to be fully incorporated. Add the salt and flavoring or spices and continue beating until fully incorporated. With mixer on lowest speed, add the flour in three installments, making sure each portion is fully incorporated before adding the next. When the batter is smooth, fold in the currants.

Scoop the batter into the cups, filling quite high. Bake for 20 minutes (longer if using ramekins or teacups) or until golden on top. Let cupcakes cool. Top with sifted powdered sugar or make a thin glaze by mixing a half cup of sifted powdered sugar with enough hot water to make a slightly cloudy mixture. Dip the cupcake in the liquid and let the excess drain off, then set aside to dry.

Note on flavoring and spices: You should decide to use either the rosewater or the spices for a whole recipe. To make both variations, you could divide the batter in two and use half of the rosewater in one part and half of the spices in the other part.