Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Irish Car Bomb cupcakes to celebrate!

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
From Smitten Kitchen

Makes 20 to 24 cupcakes

For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
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

Baileys Frosting
3 to 4 cups confections sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperatue
3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

Frosting:

Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.

Inspired

Wednesday is Chinese New Years, and when you think of celebrating Chinese New Years, you think of cupcakes right? =P JK

Lately, I've been inspired by mingmakescupcakes, and since I haven't dedicated enough time to baking, so I thought I'd cross off more from the list of cupcakes to make. Today's accomplishments are my versions of cupcake 11 and cupcake 19.

Cupcake 11 is a Chocolate Cupcake with Chocolate Ganache Cream Filling, but I decided to make the a Mint Chocolate Cupcake with a Caramel Frosting.




Ingredients:

1 cup cake flour
1/2 cup unsweetend cocoa
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp mint extract
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 c buttermilk

Icing:

1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla

Mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar on medium until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add vanilla, mint extract and egg. Add milk and flour mixtrue alternatively. Pour into lined cupcake pan. Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Melt butter, sugar, and cream in saucepan over medium heat. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Frost cupcakes when cooled.

Cupcake 19: Blueberry Cupcakes with Maple Brown Butter Frosting




Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of cake flour
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/14 tsp salt
1/2 stick of butter, melted
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup milk
1 cup blueberries

Icing:

1/2 stick butter
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/8 cup milk
1 T maple syrup

Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, mix butter and egg lightly. Add buttermilk and milk. Toss blueberries in a tablespoon of the flour mixture and set aside. Add milk mixture to flour and mix until just blended. Fold blueberries into batter. Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

In a saucepan, melt butter at medium temperature until golden brown. in a bowl, add butter to sugar, then add milk and syrup. Beat until smooth.

Cupcakes!

A friend of mine sent me to this link http://mingmakescupcakes.yolasite.com/ , and ever since, I've been inspired to try and make all 33 cupcakes on this list.

Here's my own twist on cupcake 23, a vanilla cupcake with a lemon filling and a meringue frosting. I substituted sugar for brown sugar and slightly browned the tops of each cupcake with a blow torch. ( I highly recommend a mini blow torch, it's so much fun to play with!)

Holidays 2010

Thanksgiving and Christmas seem to have come and gone so quickly this year. It's hard to believe that we're entering into 2011! Here are some food highlights from this holiday season.

Happy New Year! :)


Thanksgiving






Christmas

Strawberry Shortcake

First attempt at a Strawberry Shortcake...it's a sponge cake with fresh strawberries, strawberry jam and fresh whip cream...although next time, I'll opt for a basic yellow cake instead of the sponge cake

Birthday Cupcakes

Some cupcakes I made for a co-worker's boyfriend's birthday...a "new" twist on birthday cake!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache and a Vanilla Rum Frosting




And

Lemon Cream Cupcakes with a Cream Cheese filling and Lemon Frosting with homemade candied lemon rind





Anyone craving some baked goodies? I'll make it if you'll eat em! :)

Kirk & Arlene's Wedding

This past weekend I had the pleasure of coordinating Kirk and Arlene's wedding in Mountain View. The Ceremony was at the Rengstorff House and the reception was at Michael's @ Shoreline.

It was a beautiful day for an outdoor ceremony, and the weather was perfect...it wasn't too hot for a July wedding.

Here's how the ceremony decorations came out

The centerpieces were simple but elegant orchid plants.


Congrats to the bride and groom!



Thanks for helping me out Anna!