An Experiment with Booze

Well folks, I finally broke down and tried to incorporate one of my favorite drinks into a cupcake: Baileys Irish Cream. We had just gotten a huge care package from my mother-in-law that contained numerous cupcake supplies, including adorable new cupcake liners. I was itching to try them and after nursing a cold all week, I finally felt well enough to get into the kitchen.

First I had to decide what to bake, and since I have gotten a lot more comfortable with some of my regular recipes, I wanted to try something new. I brainstormed with my husband and we decided on chocolate chip cupcakes with a Baileys Irish Cream frosting. I found a recipe for the frosting and got to work. The cake turned out AMAZING. I used the coca cola cake recipe and added chocolate chips. When I opened the oven I saw these:

I impatiently waited for them to cool by starting dinner for the evening. About twenty minutes later, I started the frosting. By the way, here is a frosting tip:

Add your powdered sugar a few tablespoons at a time. Slowly adding it reduces the grainy texture you can end up with sometimes and causes the frosting to thicken with less sugar. This is one of the best batches of frosting I have made yet.

After frosting them all up, I placed on my new cupcake stand shipped all the way to me from the U.S. I have to pat myself on the back here people, because these cupcakes are so pretty and they taste absolutely amazing. These are simple cupcakes that sound fancier than they really are. A great way to make people ooh and aah when you tell them what it is, when really it is less ingredients than classic buttercream frosting.

Like I said, they are super pretty and crazy delicious! For the cake, just use your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe. I used my Coca-Cola recipe which can be found here.

Just add some chocolate chips and you're good!

Bailey's Irish Cream Recipe:

3-4 cups icing sugar
1/2 cup butter (softened)
3-4 tablespoons of Bailey's Irish Cream

Beat your butter until light and fluffy.
Add icing sugar a few tablespoons at a time, incorporating the sugar completely until adding any more.
Once your frosting gets thick, drizzle the Baileys one tablespoon at a time.
If your frosting is too thin after thin, add a few more tablespoons of icing sugar.

The end! Told you it was easy. Pit in a piping bag and, once your cupcakes are completely cool, ice them and enjoy :)

Coca-Cola Cupcakes a.k.a. Heaven

Well I figured I should post this recipe, because it is one of the best cupcakes I am currently making. Coca-cola cake is a big thing in the South. It is amazing. The coke does something so great to the cake. It is moist, it is fluffy. It might be the perfect cupcake. This is saying a lot, because in the process of this new endeavor, I have learned I am not big on chocolate cake. I thought I was, but apparently not so much. While my favorite cake is still the German Chocolate, most of the chocolate cupcakes I have made, I have not liked very much. I thought they were bad cupcakes, but other people love them. So apparently it is me. Anyways enough rambling, here is the Coca-Cola cupcake recipe, complete with Coca-Cola buttercream frosting:

Coca-Cola Cake:

Ingredients Part One: 
1 cup coca cola
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup powdered cocoa

Ingredients Part Two:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk with 2 teaspoons vinegar. let set for five minutes before using)
2 large eggs, beaten

Part One Instructions:
Combine coca cola, oil, butter, and cocoa powder in a saucepan. Heat until melted, whisk until integrated well.

Part Two Instructions:
Mix flour, sugar, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl.
Add buttermilk and eggs, and vanilla. mix until well integrated.
Slowly pour in part one mixture until integrated with part two.
Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full.
Bake on 325 degrees for 22 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Coca-Cola Frosting

Ingredients:
 1/4 cup powdered cocoa
6 tablespoons coca cola
1/2 butter (softened)
3 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:
 Combine cocoa, cola, and butter in saucepan.
Heat on medium until melted and then bring to a boil.
Remove from heat
Add powdered sugar and vanilla.
Stir until blended well.
Let frosting cool until stiff enough to frost cupcakes.

I'm in Business!

Well it is official! I am in the process of baking my first paid order! The coffee shop down the road wants to buy my cupcakes. Of course this is very small scale, because it is such a small place, but it is something! I am delivering three jumbo lemon cupcakes, and three jumbo peppermint black and white cupcakes. I saw the samples I left with him for sale today in his shop and it was the coolest thing!

Like I said, they are really big! They wont be this big when I sell them at the Underground/First Alleyway starting in September. Part of the reason they requested them be so big is because they thought cupcakes and muffins were the same thing. I was actually told the cake is too soft because they thought they were muffins! So we will see how long the cakes last, the Koreans might not enjoy them, but even if not it is ok because I got to see them on sale! And I know in September, I have an expat market to sell to starting in September.

Peppermint Black and White cupcakes and Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Ganache

Well I did it! I tried a different chocolate cake and it rose and is super yummy :) the frosting also came out much better since I used the correct amount of white chocolate this time. Here is the end result!

Then since we were already making chocolate cupcakes, we decided to try our hand at chocolate peanut butter cup cupcakes with a dark chocolate ganache. First time making ganache, and it turned out great! The ganache made it almost look like a real peanut butter cup!

When I finished I went ahead and packed up a little sampler for the coffee shop that asked to try my cupcakes and Justin is en route there now :) Hopefully I will have good news later!

Now it is time to clean and cook dinner but I hope to have more to report soon! For now, here are the recipes I used for the two cupcakes today:

Peppermint Black and White Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream and beginning and ending with flour.

3. Pour batter into cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

4. Cool in pan for five minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Frost when completely cooled.


Peppermint White Chocolate Frosting:

Ingredients:

 4 1/2 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (for white chocolate frosting only, use vanilla)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick/3 oz./85g) unsalted butter, softened
Pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler. Stir until smooth. Let cool to room temperature.

2. Sift the confectioners' sugar into a medium bowl. Stir in the milk and vanilla. Add the butter and salt and beat until smooth. Stir in the cooled white chocolate. Refrigerate until firm enough to frost the cupcakes, about 30 minutes.


For the Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes, use this chocolate recipe, but spoon in a small amount of peanut butter and then cover with some more chocolate batter. 


Chocolate Ganache: 

9 ounces of prefferred sweet, semi sweet, or dark chocolate
1 cup of heavy cream


Instructions

Bring heavy to a boil, pour over chocolate and whisk until melted and fully incorporated. Let cool.