Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes for St. Patrick's Day

Last year for St. Patrick's day I made Green Velvet Cupcakes.  This year I wanted to be a little more adventurous so I made Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes.  I was a little wary, as I haven't baked a lot with booze and I didn't want the flavors to be too overpowering.  But these recipes married these flavors perfectly.  The Guinness Stout Chocolate Cupcake on it's own is one of the best chocolate cupcakes I have ever tasted.  This cupcake is now in my top 10 favorites.  I took it to my office's annual Pot O' Luck Luncheon and it received rave reviews.  Give it a try.  I'm sure it will end up as one of your favorites too.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
Yield: Approximately 24 cupcakes
Prep Time: 40 minutes ♦ Bake Time: 18 minutes  

Guinness Stout Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 cup Guinness Stout
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar (granulated)
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoons salt
2 eggs, room temperature
2/3 cup sour cream (full-fat)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Prepare cupcake tins with 24 liners, and set aside.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine Guinness and butter over medium heat. Stir frequently, until the mixture comes to a soft boil. Remove from heat, and add the cocoa powder. Whisk until combined and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk together the salt, flour, baking soda and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the eggs and sour cream until creamy. Add the Guinness and chocolate mixture to the eggs and beat just until combined. Reduce the speed to low, and slowly add the flour mixture. Beat just until the flour is incorporated, then finish combining using a spatula, folding the mixture together until no white streaks remain.
Fill your cupcake liners no more than half full. Bake for 17 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Jameson Irish Whiskey Ganache Filling

Ingredients:
8 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons Jameson Irish Whiskey

Directions:
Prepare the cupcakes for filling. To do this, hollow out a circle in each cupcake, about 1/2 to 2/3 the depth of the cake. I used the metal edge of my pastry tip, but you can also use a spoon, a knife or a cookie dough scoop:

To make the whiskey ganache, pour the heavy cream into a medium, microwave safe glass bowl. Heat cream in microwave until it's steaming hot, but not boiling. Remove from microwave and add chocolate. Allow the chocolate to sit in the hot cream for 1 minute. Then, using a whisk, stir the chocolate and cream until the chocolate is melted. Add the butter and whiskey and continue to stir until smooth and shiny. Allow the ganache to cool until it's thick but soft. Using a piping bag or a spoon, fill each cupcake with ganache. Prepare frosting.

Baileys Irish Cream Buttercream

Ingredients:
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups confectioners sugar
6-10 Tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream

Directions:
To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the softened butter until it's pale and fluffy. Scrape the bowl as needed. Reduce the speed to low and add the confectioners sugar. Add the Irish cream and beat the frosting for 3-4 minutes, until very light and fluffy. Frost cupcakes and decorate as desired.  I dusted mine with gold edible glitter and crowned it them with golden sixlets.  These are delicious!!!

Enjoy!!!

The Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

This past year Stef over at the Cupcake Project set out on a quest for the Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake recipe.  I was completely intrigued by this, Vanilla being my absolute favorite cupcake flavor.  When she posted the recipe for, what she declared, was the Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake, I immediately printed it out and placed it in my "must try" stack of recipes.  That was at the end of September 2011.

It is now six months later and I have finally gotten around to testing out this recipe.  It is delicious!  I have made it twice this week already, it is that good.  I have posted other Vanilla Cupcake recipes on this blog and they are good, even great but this is the Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake!  Thanks Cupcake Project for this amazing Vanilla Cupcake.

The Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

by Stef at the Cupcake Project

Yield: 16 cupcakes / Preheat oven to 350 F

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar

1 vanilla bean

1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

 2 large eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup full-fat sour cream

1/4 cup canola oil or vegetable oil

1 tablespoon pure (not imitation) vanilla extract

2/3 cup whole milk

Just look at those flecks of Vanilla Bean in the batter.  Yum!

In a small bowl, combine sugar and seeds from the vanilla bean. (For those of you who are new to using vanilla beans, check out this video to learn how to get the seeds out of the bean.)

Using the back of a spoon, move around the bowl and apply pressure to break up any clumps of seeds and to better infuse the vanilla flavor into the sugar. Set aside.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add the vanilla bean sugar and mix until well combined.

Add butter and mix on medium-low speed for three minutes.  Because there is so little butter, you'll end up with a very fine crumb texture.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.

Slowly add milk and mix on low speed until just combined.  The batter will be liquid.  (Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong.  It's supposed to be that way.)

Fill cupcake liners just over 1/2 full.

Bake for 14 minutes and then test to see if they are done. They are done when a toothpick comes out without wet batter stuck to it.  The cupcakes should appear white with specks of vanilla bean. They should not turn a golden brown.  If they are not done, test again in two minutes.  If they are still not done, test again in another two minutes.

When the cupcakes are done, remove them immediately from the tins and leave them on a cooling rack (or just on your counter if you don't own a cooling rack) to cool. Once cool, frost with your favorite frosting and decorate with your favorite sprinkles.  I chose to frost these with my Vanilla Buttercream.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:
1 lb unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup shortening, not butter flavored
3 tbls milk
2 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
2 lbs powdered sugar

Directions:
In the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment beat butter and shortening on high until light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes.  Mix in milk, vanilla and salt.  Gradually add powdered sugar until frosting is of the desired consistency for piping.  Using your favorite piping tip, pipe frosting onto cupcakes, sprinkle with your favorite decors.

ENJOY!

Cinnamon Streusel Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Cinnamon is by far my favorite spice. As a child I adored Cinnamon Toast and my Mom made sure there was always a shaker of Cinnamon Sugar in the cupboard to enjoy this treat. I love baking cupcakes for friends. I love to make them in their favorite flavor(s). 

 

During my recent participation in a production of "My Fair Lady" I made a new best friend for life. Wanting to make him some cupcakes, I asked him what his favorite flavor was. He said anything with Cinnamon. Cinnamon Buns being his favorite sweet treat of all time. This started my quest for the ultimate Cinnamon Cupcake. This Cinnamon Streusel Cupcake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting fit the bill. Every time I bake them now I know he will be one happy camper.

Cinnamon Streusel Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Basic Yellow Cupcake Ingredients

No-stick cooking spray with flour

3 cups cake flour, sifted

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2-1/2 cups sugar

1 cup butter at room temperature

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups milk

Cinnamon Streusel Ingredients

1 cup of brown sugar

2 tablespoons of cinnamon

2 tablespoons of maple syrup

Cooking Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place liners in 24 to 36 2-1/2-inch muffin cups. 

Sift together the flour and baking powder into a medium bowl and set aside.
 

In a large mixing bowl mix the sugar and butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds, or until mixture is light yellow and well blended. Add the eggs to the mixture one at a time, beating on medium for 30 seconds after each egg. Add the vanilla and mix until well combined. Add the sifted flour mixture and the milk alternately, mixing at low speed until both are fully incorporated. Do not over-mix.

For the cinnamon streusel, in a small bowl mix the brown sugar, cinnamon and maple syrup until well combined.

Fill the cupcake liners 1/3 full with cake batter. Add a heaping teaspoon of the cinnamon streusel to each one, then spoon on batter until cups are 2/3 full. (You should have some streusel left for spinkling on top of cupcakes.)

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Set the baked cupcakes on a rack to cool. 

  

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

 

1 lb. cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 lb. unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup white shortening (such as Crisco)

1 lb. powdered sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Dash of salt

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment whip the butter, cream cheese and shortening for 5 minutes. Set a timer, do not under beat. Gradually add the powdered sugar to the mixture and scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla, cinnamon and salt and mix until combined. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes using a decorative tip. Top the cupcakes by sprinkling a little of the leftover streusel mixture, cinnamon sugar or some brown sugar on top.

The frosting can be used right away or stored in the refrigerator up to a week.

Enjoy!

Cherry Chip Cupcakes with Sweet Cherry Buttercream

 

Today is George Washington's Birthday.  When I was in Elementary School we used to get today off to celebrate.  That was before George Washington and Abraham Lincoln's Birthdays got joined together to give us President's Day and a three day weekend.  To commemorate today, I wanted to make something cherry flavored to honor the story of Washington's honesty when he chopped down the cherry tree. To that end, I made these yummy Cherry Chip Cupcakes. They look as good as they taste.

Cherry Chip Cupcakes
Makes 1 dozen standard cupcakes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons cherry extract

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated
1/2 cup sweet cherry chips, such as Log House

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners; set aside.

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter, sour cream, eggs, cherry extract, and lemon zest and mix well, until the mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the cherry chips, and get rid of any remaining flour by stirring the mixture by hand, with a spatula.

Place three tablespoons of batter in each prepared baking cup. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Sweet Cherry Buttercream
Makes 12 ounces

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup Crisco shortening

3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons cherry extract (to taste)
1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Beat the butter and shortening on high speed for 6 minutes, until very light and fluffy. Beat in the sugar until combined. Stir in the cherry and vanilla extracts, lemon juice, and salt. Add the heavy cream and whisk on high for 8 minutes.  Pipe onto cupcakes using your favorite piping tip.

Recipes adapted from Darla of Bakingdom.com

 Enjoy!

Vanilla Almond Cupcakes with Anise (Licorice) Swiss Meringue Buttercream

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Today begins a new year and a new commitment from me to cupcake baking and to updating this Blog.  2011 brought changes both good and bad, wanted and unwanted into my life.  The loss of my sweet Mother being the most difficult. But life does go on and we learn to deal with what life puts in our way.  

The next big change was my return to one of my great loves - the theater. Performing the role of Mrs. Pearce in a local production of "My Fair Lady". Rehearsals and performances took up most of my spare time from August to November.  Theater and this production brought me back in contact with a lot of wonderful friends.  It also brought a new friend into my life who has become very dear. I am currently in rehearsals as Dotty Otley/Mrs. Clackett for a production of "Noises Off" that opens the end of January.

The other major event in my life was the adoption, with a friend, of a beautiful five month old gray tabby kitten.

We named him Jackson Pearce.  He is a ball of mischief and has stolen my heart.  He's not a very good baking assistant though.  In fact, he has to be put in the other room whenever I bake or he is up to his paws in flour.

So, what about the cupcakes? Just because I have been busy doesn't mean I haven't been baking. Getting back involved with theater has given me a whole new group of people to bake for who enjoy my cupcakes. 

Our wonderful Music Director on "My Fair Lady" loves Black Licorice. I would always buy him Black Licorice and bring it to him at rehearsals. When he learned I baked cupcakes, he asked me if I could make him a Licorice cupcake and this is what I came up with...

Vanilla Almond Cupcakes
with Anise (Licorice) Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Now, I personally don't like the flavor of black licorice at all and I never eat it but I have to admit these cupcakes were pretty tasty.  The vanilla almond of the cupcake was exactly what was needed with the anise flavor of the buttercream.  And the Swiss Meringue Buttercream was the perfect compliment to the anise flavoring. Decorating them with mini Licorice All Sorts gave them just the right flair and added to the drama of these cupcakes.  If you like licorice, you are going to love these.  Here are the recipes...

Vanilla Almond Cupcakes

Makes 2 1/2 Dozen

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups cake flour

1 1/4 all purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch cubes, room temperature

4 large eggs

1 cup whole milk at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line standard cupcake pans with your favorite paper cupcake liners ( I love black liners for the Anise Cupcakes!).

2. In bowl of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine dry ingredients (flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt) and mix on low speed until blended. On medium-low speed, add cubes of butter, a few at a time, and mix each one for a moment before adding the next few, until each cube of butter is incorporated. Be sure there are no large chunks of butter in the batter before moving onto step 3.

3. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Be sure each egg has been incorporated before adding the next.

4. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together milk, vanilla, and almond extract. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl with spatula after each addition. Beat until just incorporated (try not to over beat).

4. Using a 1.5 oz cookie scoop, divide batter among liners (should be 2/3 full). Bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17-20 minutes.

5. Remove from oven onto a cooling rack for 10 minutes.  Remove from pans and let cool completely before frosting.

*Recipe adapted from Billy’s Bakery Vanilla, Vanilla Cupcakes via Martha Stewart by Sweetapolita

 Anise (Licorice) Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Ingredients:

5 large egg whites

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

Pinch of salt

1 lb. (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 teaspoons anise flavoring (more to taste if needed)

Directions:

To make the frosting, combine the egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl (I used the bowl of my Kitchenaid mixer) set over a pot of simmering water.  Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F and the sugar has dissolved.  (A candy thermometer is crucial anytime you are cooking sugar.)

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (using the bowl of your mixer makes this step a breeze).  Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.

Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated.  If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (don't worry, it will come together!).  Stir in the anise flavoring and mix until incorporated.  Using your favorite decorating tip pipe frosting onto cupcakes and decorate with black jimmies and mini Licorice All Sorts..

Yield: about 5 cups

Enjoy!

Key Lime Cupcakes with Key Lime Buttercream for my Nephew's Wedding

I was very honored when my nephew asked me to make Key Lime Cupcakes for his wedding Reception.  He and his fiance were married on a beautiful September day up the canyon in a beautiful park.  The reception was casual and low key.  Full of lots of wonderful food, family, friends and cupcakes!  His Mom, my sister in law, made a yummy Vanilla Almond Cupcake and I made Key Lime.  The wedding colors were lime green and purple, so the cupcake cases were lime green and purple.  It made for a very lovely cupcake tower topped by a cutting cake.

I love Key Lime.  Any citrus flavor is on my top 10 list and Lime is up near the top.  This recipe is easy because it starts with a cake mix.  But don't let that fool you.  These beauties have a wonderfully intense lime flavor.

Key Lime Cupcakes

Makes 24 Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 (18 3/4 ounce) box lemon cake mix (I use Duncan Hines)

1 (3 oz) box lime gelatin

3/4 cup lemon lime soda (do not use diet)

1/3 cup key lime juice

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular size muffin cups.  In large bowl, beat cake mix and gelatin with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds.  Add remaining cupcake ingredients.  Beat with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds; beat on medium speed additional 2 minutes, scraping bowl as necessary. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full.

Bake 17 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pan around 10 minutes.  Remove from pan to cooling rack.  When completely cool top with Key Lime Buttercream.

Key Lime Buttercream

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup Crisco

2 teaspoons real vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 cups powdered sugar

6 tablespoons key lime juice (more if desired for consistency and flavor)

Beat butter and shortening together on high with the electric mixer for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.  Beat in vanilla and salt.  Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time alternating with the key lime juice.  Continue beating until light and of good piping consistency.  Using your favorite piping tip, pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes.  Decorate with green non pariels and freshly grated lime zest.  Yum!

Enjoy!

Butterscotch Hi Hats for My Sister's Birthday

I apologize for being absent from the Blog for so long.  But that doesn't mean I haven't been baking.  My sister had a Birthday, a milestone Birthday at that.  But I won't be one to divulge a lady's age.  Anyway, my sister loves, loves, loves butterscotch in any way, shape or form.  When we visited Retro Bakery in Las Vegas she fell in love with their Hop Scotch Cupcake - A Vanilla Cupcake topped with Vanilla Buttercream and dipped in Butterscotch Ganache. 

Hop Scotch Cupcake from Retro Bakery

I knew this was the cupcake I had to recreate for her Birthday Cupcake this year.  But I needed to step it up a notch...why not fill the cupcake with Butterscotch Pudding?  Brilliant!  Butterscotch Hi Hats were born and my sister was a very happy Birthday Girl!  Here are the recipes I used to create this decadence.

Amy Sedaris' Vanilla Cupcakes
Makes 2 dozen

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1¾ cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
2½ teaspoons baking powder
2½ cups flour
1¼ cups milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Line standard muffin tins with paper or foil liners.

To make cupcakes: In large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, vanilla, salt and baking powder. Add flour in 3 batches, alternating with milk. Beat at low speed for 30 seconds or until mixture is smooth and satiny.

To bake cupcakes: Divide batter evenly among cups. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until tops are pale gold and toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 45 minutes or until at room temperature.

Butterscotch Pudding Filling

I used Jello Butterscotch Pudding and prepared it using the directions on the package.  Once pudding is made chill in the refrigerator up to one hour.  You can use any commercial pudding mix you like or make your own homemade Buttescotch Pudding.

Using a Cupcake Corer, core the center of the cupcakes, fill with Butterscotch Pudding and replace the bit of cored cupcake.  Let cupcakes set while you make the Vanilla Buttercream.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

1 lb unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup shortening, not butter flavored
3 tbls milk
2 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
2 lbs powdered sugar

Directions:

In the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment beat butter and shortening on high until light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. Mix in milk, vanilla and salt. Gradually add powdered sugar until frosting is of the desired consistency for piping. Using a plain round piping tip, pipe frosting onto cupcakes.  Place cupcakes on A sheet pan and place in freezer for 20 minutes before dipping in the Butterscotch Ganche topping.

Butterscotch Coating for Hi Hat Cupcakes
adapted from Martha Stewart

12 ounces Butterscotch Chips
3 tablespoons Canola or Vegetable Oil

Combine butterscotch chips and oil in a medium heat proof bowl set over a medium saucepan of barely simmering water, stir until melted and smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool about 15 minutes.

Holding each cupcake by its bottom, dip cupcake in the butterscotch to coat frosting, allowing excess to drip off. Transfer to a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack. Spoon more coating around edge of cupcake and any exposed frosting, none of the frosting should show.  Let cupcakes stand at room temperature.  (Check out my post on Hi Hat Cupcakes if you would like to see photos of this procedure and how easy it is.)

Enjoy!