Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes. As I mentioned on Friday, I have been doing some experimentation with the beer and chocolate combination.
The Guinness-chocolate ice cream that I made totally kicked butt, so I couldn’t wait to see how I liked beer and chocolate in my cake. The answer? I like it, a whole heck of a lot. This was my first time doing Guinness-chocolate cakes, and I was totally optimistic that I would love it, and I was definitely right. These cupcakes are fashioned after the popular drink that consists of a shot of Baileys Irish Cream and Irish whiskey dropped into a pint of Guinness. These cupcakes consist of a Guinness-chocolate cake base, which has a wonderful depth of flavor and is also supremely moist.
While you can’t really taste the beer in the cupcakes (it serves as more of a flavor enhancer for the chocolate), you can definitely taste the alcohol in the filling and the frosting. I think I need to start converting more drinks into baked goods, this was too much fun (and way delicious!). Cookie Monster Cupcakes. Heart Cupcakes. Pink Heart–Filled Cupcakes with Strawberry Taffy Frosting These vanilla bean cupcakes really have heart.
Cut or bite into one to see how much love went into them. The best part: they’re surprisingly simple. And if your sweetheart happens to be a chocolate fan, you could just as easily bake your heart into some chocolate cake batter. If you go that route, I recommend finishing them off with generous spoonful of decadent ganache for a true death-by-chocolate experience. Makes 12 cupcakes Cupcakes ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature1½ cups granulated sugar3 large eggsSeeds from 1 vanilla bean2 teaspoons baking powder½ teaspoon baking soda¼ teaspoon salt2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour1⅓ cups whole milkRed food coloring Frosting 10 bite-sized pieces strawberry taffy2 tablespoons heavy cream1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature2 cups powdered sugar12 pieces Sweetheart candy 1. 2. 3.
Chocolate Cupcakes with Flaming Strawberries. Call me easily amused, but these little torch-topped cupcakes delight me.
Besides being a cute novelty item for a party, I think they would add a little drama to the end of a romantic meal. I've been looking for something different to serve for Valentine's dessert, and this is definitely different. The strawberries are hollowed out and filled with a bit of liquor, then ignited with a match. For the cake portion, I chose a One Bowl Chocolate Cupcake recipe because 1. it's quick 2. it is easy, and 3. it fits my prerequisite for a light ending on date night. I should say, a light ending provided you don't eat too many. The cakes are just sweet enough, and have a light, fluffy crumb - the perfect vehicle for rich chocolate buttercream. Notes for flaming strawberries:Any alcohol below 80 proof will not ignite well. Shaina made a margarita version of this on Babble Food. Mini Oreo Cupcakes.
Vanilla Chai Cupcakes. July 15, 2010 When I first heard someone say “chai tea” I sort of cocked my eyebrow and thought to my self; “wait, what?”. Suddenly this phenomena of chai burst out of nowhere and at first I thought it was pretty funny. Technically ‘chai tea’ is a misnomer. In Hindi and a lot of other languages the word chai means tea. It’s not a type of tea, it’s the word for tea. Then, I discovered the chai latte. They remind me a lot of Indian desserts with cardamom and cinnamon, things my Mother makes. Vanilla Chai Cupcakes (Makes 12) 100g butter 1 cup caster sugar ½ tsp vanilla bean paste 2 eggs ½ quantity chai spice mix (recipe follows) 1 ¼ cups plain flour, sifted ½ cup buttermilk ½ tsp bicarb soda ½ tsp apple cider vinegar (white vinegar is fine) Chai Spice Mix 1 ½ tsp ground cardamom 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground ginger ¼ tsp ground cloves ¼ tsp ground nutmeg Mix spices together in a small bowl.
Vanilla Chai Buttercream 125g butter 3 cups icing sugar, sifted ½ quantity chai spice mix 1-2 tbs cold milk.