Chocolate Boozy Cake Love: Holiday Throwdown Part 2

Aren't you special...

If anyone can come up with a more official title for these, I would greatly appreciate it. I'm looking for something a little more original than the obvious. (HINT: The three special ingredients are Guinness, Jameson, and Baileys).

I am SO thrilled that so many people were able to try these. I have been planning on making them for quite a long while. I thought they would be pretty labor intensive, but with strategic planning it really wasn't too bad. I waited so long to make them that they became kind of grandiose in my mind. Fortunately, they lived up to the occasion and vice/verse.

Because I was so busy when I made these, I made the cupcakes and the ganache the night before I intended to fill/frost them. I have heard that the cupcakes will keep for up to two weeks in the freezer before you want to use them!

These are definitely grown up cupcakes. Sure, there's straight Jameson in the chocolate ganache and Baileys mixed into the cream cheese icing, but they have a subtle, dark chocolatey sweetness that makes you feel downright fancy. No one element of the cupcake stands alone and overpowers. Every flavor leads into the next fluidly, and beautifully. The original recipe called for buttercream icing, but I said no thank you. Why would I make an icing that is almost completely butter and only good in very small quantities when I could use cream cheese? (AND THEN ADD BOOZE TO IT!)

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes
1 cup Guinness (or some equally flavorful dark stout)
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder*
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

*I used regular unsweetened cocoa and it came out wonderfully. I would have bought the good stuff if MurderKroger had it.

Jameson Chocolate Ganache (Can only be described as sexy.)

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate

2/3 cup heavy cream
2 Tbl butter, room temperature
2 tsp Jameson (...seriously.)

Bailey's Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8 oz. bar of cream cheese, at room temperature
4 oz. butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioners sugar
6 Tbl Bailey's Irish Cream*

*Regarding the alcohol: I really could not get any of the flavor I was looking for in the icing and the ganache until I added the full recommended amount. That said, feel free to add as little as you want or more to your taste. Just be careful that the frosting doesn't become runny.

Method: Cake

Preheat the oven to 350. I forgot to get an exact count, but I would recommend preparing for about 24 cupcakes. I used silver liners because really, what else is there?

Bring the stout and 1 cup butter to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Enjoy the smell. Add cocoa powder to the mixture and whisk together. Let the mixture cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 tsp. salt. In an electric mixer (or a stand mixer if you're lucky enough to have one), beat the eggs and sour cream until blended. Add the beery chocolate mixture to the eggs and beat until just blended. At a slow speed, gradually add the flour mixture. Once the all of the flour is in the bowl, turn off the mixer and use a rubber spatula to fold the mixture until it is completely combined. Divide the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 of the way.

Bake for about 17 minutes, check that a toothpick comes out clean since this batter is very moist. I forgot to do this, and my cupcakes were a *tiny* bit underdone, but I like moist cake so I will chalk it up to good luck.

Method: Ganache Filling

I always prefer to use a double boiler when melting chocolate, but I was short on time so I went with the quick and dirty method. I roughly broke up the chocolate, put it in a microwave safe bowl, and heated it at thirty second intervals. Stir the chocolate at every 30 second mark, and keep an eye on it. Once it starts to get melty I usually switch to shorter intervals.

While you are microwaving or using your own preferred method to melt the chocolate, heat the cream until it simmers. Add the simmering cream and room temperature butter to the melted chocolate and whisk gently to combine. Stir in the whiskey to taste.

Method: Fill the Cupcakes

You can buy cupcake corers, you can buy 1 inch round cookie cutters, or you can take inventory of your kitchen tools, spend NO money, and find something that works.

I am in the Alton Brown school of thought when it comes to "unitaskers". I used the end of a large wooden spoon to simply press a round hole in the cupcakes. This was the easiest way I could think of, and it worked beautifully.

I used a large star tip on a pastry bag to fill the cupcakes with ganache, and I had enough ganache to let it spill over the top into a pretty little peak. The appearance of the cupcake is up to you!

Method: Frosting (last one, promise)

Put the cream cheese, butter, and confectioners sugar in your bright green stand mixer (or large bowl), and beat on medium high until light and fluffy. Slowly add the baileys, I would recommend drizzling it while on low speed so that you don't overload the frosting and make it runny.

I used a smaller star tip to create the tiny peaks. It was my first time! I thought they came out pretty well.

Please enjoy these as much as I (we, everybody, all those randos at the 5 Spot) did.

love and... money. Yeah, money.

-E

Lemon Gem Cupcakes

Warning: For Lemon Lovers Only

I promise this wont turn into a cupcake blog (that trend isn’t gonna stick around for long). There’s way too much fun to be had in the kitchen to waste it on cupcakes or being vegan all the time. Yes, as an exercise in discipline I’ve been trying out a vegan diet. I’m trying to keep it interesting, and many vegans will tell you that they’ve been “opened up to a whole new world of taste!”, and I’m sure if one were to have completely unlimited resources then that is surely the case, but I am not one of those lucky people. It’s somewhat stringent, but I really did enjoy the pine nut based variation on alfredo sauce I made with my lovely friend Tracey this week. And THESE, these adorable babycakes could fool just about anybody. They are super lemony, and the icing (which is more like a glaze) is kind of unwieldy, but they are very tasty and make it look like I know what I’m doing!

The only part of this recipe that required a little bit of doing was the sifting and the zesting. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH LEMONS and you don't have to go back to the store like me. Zesting is one of those things that I haven't completely figured out the secret to yet, I'm sure Alton Brown has some secret method that will make my life a lot easier. I will update if I can find it! I have a pretty cool zester, but a clean metal file (like you would find in a wood shop/garage/home depot) works. Some box graters have a zesting side- you know, the one you always accidentally cut yourself on!

These are very pretty cupcakes, nice and moist and glowy.

Adapted from Isa Chandara Moscowitz

Lemon Gem Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flower

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup canola oil

2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup rice milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

For the frosting:

1/4 cup non-hydrogenated soy margarine, softened*

1/4 cup soy milk

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted**

*A note on soy margarine: Obviously, you don't have to make this recipe vegan, I just chose to for experimental purposes. I used Earth Balance buttery sticks and they worked just fine.

**A note on sifting: I know, it's kind of a pain, but this extra step will ensure that your cakes or whatever you are making has a smooth and fluffy texture. Sifting not only works out any lumps that may be hiding in your dry ingredients, it also aerates the flour/sugar/etc. so that it incorporates into the recipe better and comes out fluffier.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a twelve-muffin tin with paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl (I just put it straight into the Kitchenaid) combine the oil, sugar, rice milk, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Once the wet ingredients are well incorporated, pour in the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. The recipe said to fill each cupcake liner about 2/3 full but I found that I had a lot of leftover batter- I'd go for about 3/4 full.

Bake for 17-20 minutes. Even though I have a mad-hot gas oven, these took awhile to get done. I checked them at 18 minutes but ended up putting them back in for another four. Look for a slight browning on the top, and give them time to cook through so the bottoms aren't too dense and soggy. Once they are cool enough to touch, let them cool on a rack and DO NOT FROST until they are completely cooled.

While they are in the oven, go ahead and make the frosting. Or make it beforehand, whatever. I found that this frosting recipe yielded a lot more than I needed, so if anyone can think of something to do with a bunch of lemon frosting I'm up for ideas.

Whisk the margarine until fluffy- I also did this in the Kitchenaid and I would recommend using either a stand or a hand mixer so you can get the right consistency. Stir in the soy milk and lemon juice, add the confectioners sugar and mix until smooth. Keep working with it until it feels right. I added sprinkles for a little visual interest.

Just be patient, be careful, and be open minded to vegan baking once in awhile!

Enjoy!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes & Gig Posters

The last few days have been a constant stream of creative JUICE! Which is great because I have felt a little blocked lately. Maybe it was having Moonage Daydream stuck in my head, maybe it's because I had the opportunity to dance away the stress a few times this past week (with my good friend Santa!)

I am a big fan of carrot cake, and I might have a hard time fully trusting someone who is actually opposed to it. The great thing about this recipe is that it has no raisins, although it wouldn't hurt to add them. It makes them a little more fun, plus I think it would be pretty easy to convert this into a vegan recipe. (Don't act all bummed out, there's nothing wrong with trying to cut out eggs and cheese once in awhile!) These really are ridiculously good, I made them for a gallery opening last november and someone came up to me with half a mouth-full and described them as "LIKE, THE BEST THING I'VE EVER PUT IN MY MOUTH!!" These are incredibly easy to make, and there's not too much icing so the cake can really speak for itself. I'm sure you will get the same response!

Before I get to the recipe, I would like to mention that I have been able to do some really fun design and illustration lately, so if you like what you see and you have a need for it, let me know! One of my oldest dearest Nashville friends asked me to do this gig poster a few days ago, and for making this happen in such a short amount of time- I'm not disappointed in myself. To check out the line up for the show you can click here.

In other news, please send good thoughts/energy/what-have-you my way, I really need a job and I'm trying to stay super positive about it!

For the Carrot Cake, Serves 12 (This recipe doubles beautifully if necessary):

1 1/4 cups shredded coconut (I always end up having leftover, and I prefer unsweetened)

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil, plus more for pan if needed

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups shredded carrots

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

For the Cream Cheese Icing:

8 oz cream cheese at room temperature

3/4 cup confectioners sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, spread 1 cup of the shredded coconut out on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden brown, about five minutes. DON'T FORGET, this stuff will burn so fast. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside to cool.

In a bowl (or a stand mixer, thats what I did) combine the sugar, 1/3 cup oil, orange juice, vanilla, and eggs. Mix in baking soda, baking powder, allspice, and salt. Add the flour, mix, then add the shredded carrots, walnuts, and the remaining 1/4 cup shredded coconut.

I had some muffin tins at some point during college, but I think an old roommate ended up with them; that's ok though, she would leave the gas oven on... I think she was trying to kill me so I'll take my life over my muffin tins. The point is, you can get 3 packs of aluminum muffin tins -liners included- at most grocery stores, and if they're not too caked after ward they are totally reusable. They're usually between $2-$4. Also, if you can find them, get the silvery cupcake liners. They hold up extremely well and they look sooooo good.

So, oil your pan or divvy out your liners and start filling them with batter. They should be about 2/3 full each, otherwise you will have total cupcake overflow and a burnt mess in your oven, and your smoke alarm will probably start screeching (and if you don't have a smoke alarm, shame on you). I always try to put less in than I think is necessary and then go back over the tops with the leftover batter, just to make sure I'm not overdoing it.

Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean, about 25 minutes depending on your oven. Let them cool completely on a rack if you've got one before icing them.

While the cake-lets are baking, whisk the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together until smooth by hand or in an electric mixer. Only spread it on the cupcakes at room temperature, otherwise they will fall apart. Store in an airtight container for up to a week. Garnish the cupcakes with the toasted coconut.

Enjoy!