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A young and slightly ignorant woman who has always loved baking and cooking, I want to make people happy with food as often as I can. I'm here to whisk away and explore!

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Welcome to 2013!

I'm not going to fill this blog post with all the wonderful or sorrowful things that happened in 2012. Because why look back when we can all eat cupcakes instead? Know what I mean, know what I mean? Of course you do.
2013 is going to be awesome.
I'm determined to make 52 new cupcakes this year. One new recipe a week.
I'm a little frightened by my own determination. 52 cupcakes is a lot of cupcakes.
But it's okay. Because the first test recipe turned out spec-tac-oo-lar.
Spectacular!
So here's to a little toast to the New Year...with a Chocolate Bailey's Irish Cream Cupcake!

I turned a chocolate cake recipe into a little party with a generous dose of Bailey's Irish Cream in the batter. I had two bottles of Baileys, one the traditional flavor and then another that was Caramel. I decided to go with the good old Irish Cream this time around, but Caramel would have tasted uh-MAYzingg!
Not like these weren't amazing already. :)
But the best part by far was the frosting, of course. Isn't the frosting always the best part? Or is that just me and my frosting love taking over?

It was a Swiss Meringue Butter cream with a dash of Irish Cream. I've never made Swiss Meringue Butter Cream before, but I will be making it again very soon. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe even every single day this year. Because it was super amazing delicious. I can't believe I had never attempted it before. It just seemed long winded and unnecessary.
Oh wow. It is necessary all right. So very necessary. Necessary for all the cupcakes every made. Necessary for your happiness. Necessary for world domination. Yeahhhh...
I'll quit praising these cupcakes now and give you the recipe. :)

Bailey's Irish Cream Cupcakes  Yield 12
1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tablespoons of Instant Coffee Granules
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
Fudge Ganache

Preheat oven to 350 F.Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and coffee granules. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour milk, oil, vanilla, egg, and Bailey's. Mix well until there are no lumps. Spoon the batter into cupcake liners and bake for 22 minutes or until the tops spring back when you touch them. Let them cool completely on a rack before you frost them.
Fudge Ganache:
4 oz dark chocolate (I used chocolate chips)
1/2 c. cream
2 Tablespoons butter
In a saucepan heat cream and butter over medium heat. When hot pour over chocolate and let stand til partially melted. (About 3 or 5 minutes) Stir the chocolate until completely smooth and refrigerate until the consistency is thick like frosting. Spread on top of the cooled cupcakes before you pipe on the butter cream.

Bailey's Irish Cream Swiss Meringue Butter Cream
This recipe makes more than enough for 12 cupcakes, but feel free to refrigerate the rest. Or eat it with a spoon. That works too.

5 egg whites
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 tsp Bailey's Irish Cream

Put a pot of water on to simmer and take the butter out of the fridge to soften. Using the double boiler method mix the egg whites and sugar in a mixing bowl and cook over the simmering water. Whisk constant, but gently until the temperature reads 160 F. Or, if you don't have a candy thermometer like me you can cook it until the sugar is all dissolved and the eggs are hot. Remove the bowl and start whisking! Whip until thick, glossy, and the bowl has cooled down, about ten minutes. If the bowl isn't cool, the butter will melt when you add it to the mixture. Bad news. :( Anyway...when the bowl is cool, start adding the butter cube by cube. The frosting will deflate, but keep whipping! Soon it will be fluffy and light and perfect! Stir in the Baileys and proceed to devour it like a dinosaur pipe onto the cupcakes.


Happy New Year, lovelies! I would really love to see if anyone else wants to do this 52 cupcakes in a year challenge with me. I think it would be fun to see everyone else's baking adventures. I have 52 ideas set up already, or you could come with your own. (Which would be even cooler!) Let me know in the comments!

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