Champagne Cupcakes

Hello everyone! So I've been wanting and wanting to make this recipe for almost two months now... every weekend I thought about making it, I ended up being busy with something else or not had the chance to just bake to my heart's content. The printed recipe and the bottle of champagne just sat in my kitchen, patiently waiting until the day I could bake... and that day, my friends, was today!! Hurray! With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I wanted to make something a little bit more "sophisticated" and grown-up, and I think these cupcakes fit the bill.
So what about these cupcakes? I found the recipe through Google from Sprinkle Bakes towards the end of last year. Her cupcake pictures were so cute and festive, and the recipe just sounded great. And 
I always love to make cupcakes that have a filling... the filling adds another layer of depth to the cupcake, and always surprises the person eating it, especially if they weren't expecting it. Okay, starting with the cake itself: it's a very fluffy and light cupcake, and you can't really taste the champagne in it. Now this filling: man, I couldn't get enough of it! There is a definite flavor of champagne, but not strong at all. And the frosting was very airy and "light" (if butter and sugar can ever be called light ha!) We had a little bit of the filling left over, and it was gone in a blink of an eye as we ate it with the extra cupcake cones and some strawberries we had at home. :) One quick note, I used Martini and Rossi's Asti Sparkling Wine as my "champagne", and I thought it turned out perfect. Asti is pretty sweet, so if you'd like something less sweet, then maybe the Prosecco type of champagne called for in the original recipe may be better. 
So hope you get a chance to make these cupcakes for your loved ones, I promise it will be a hit!

Champagne Cupcakes
Yields about 18 cupcakes

Cake ingredients: 
-1/2 cup butter softened
-1 cup granulated sugar
-2 eggs
-1 tsp vanilla
-1 3/4 cups flour
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/4 tsp baking powder
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/2 cup sour cream
-1/2 cup champagne, prosecco or your choice of sparkling wine


Cake directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside.  
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix. In a 2-cup measuring cup, whisk together 1/2 cup champagne and 1/2 cup sour cream (mixture will fizz and bubble a little).  Add flour and champagne mixture alternately, beginning and ending with flour.  Batter will be a little thick.
Fill cupcake papers with 1/4 cup level measures of batter.  Bake for 17-20 minutes.  Set aside.

Pastry Cream Filling ingredients:
-1/4 + 1/4 cup heavy cream (divided)-1/2 cup champagne
-2 Tbsp cornstarch 
-4 Tbsp granulated sugar
-1 whole egg
-2 egg yolks
-2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
-1 tsp vanilla


Pastry Cream Filling directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk cornstarch in 1/4 cup of heavy cream. Combine the remaining heavy cream, sugar and 1/2 cup champagne in a saucepan; bring to a boil then remove from heat.Beat the whole egg and egg yolks into the cornstarch/heavy cream mixture.  Pour 1/3 of boiling champagne mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so the eggs do not cook.  Return the remaining champagne/heavy cream mixture to a boil.  Pour in the hot egg mixture into the simmering champagne/heavy cream mixture in a stream, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens.  Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla.  
Cut a divot into the top of each cupcake, using the cone method, and fill with pastry cream.  Trim the cut-out cake pieces flat to make a "lid" and place on top of the filled divot.

Champagne Frosting ingredients:
1 cup plus 1 tbsp. champagne or prosecco
2 sticks of butter softened
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Champagne Frosting directions:
Place 1 cup of champagne in a small saucepan.  Simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to 2 tablespoons.  Transfer to a small bowl or condiment cup and allow to cool.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream softened butter and powdered sugar together.  Once the frosting is thick and fluffy, pour in the reduced 2 tbsp. champagne plus  1 tbsp. champagne from the bottle and mix well.

Recipe originally from Sprinkle Bakes

Irish Car Bomb Cupcake

Happy New Year everyone! I'm so thankful for 2012 and everything that it brought, and am looking forward to what this new year will bring. 
Today I bring you a cupcake recipe that was made for a very special occasion: I'm partner! After lots of planning, talking, tweaking, talking, planning, and a sea of e-mails, it's finally done! These last three years have been great, working in an amazing office, with amazing people. I just can't be more blessed than that! But it seems that they also like me, so they have permanently adopted me, ha! It's such a great accomplishment and I just couldn't be more thankful for the opportunity.
After all the help from everyone who participated in making this happen, I wanted to make a booze-filled cupcake to celebrate together (kinda of like a baked celebratory shot!). I had seen these cupcakes before, and it just seemed to fit the bill. And fit they did!
Where to begin with this cupcake's description? Oh man, so many good things... First, the cupcake: the stout in the batter boosts the chocolate flavor to the cupcake, and you really can't tell that it truly has beer. The ganache: oh my the ganache... the way I made it (which was an oops because I read Tbsp instead of tsp) was actually very perfect for me and my husband taste tester. Even though it was more than the amount in the original recipe, the added whiskey was great. And the buttercream was a just concoction full of win.
So hope you get to try this recipe soon!

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes, aka Chocolate Stout and Whiskey Cupcakes
Makes about 2 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients:
Chocolate Stout Cupcakes
-1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
-1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
-3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-2 cups AP flour
-2 cups sugar
-1.5 tsp baking soda
-3/4 tsp salt
-2 large eggs
-2/3 cup sour cream

Whiskey Ganache
-8oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped finely
-2/3 cup heavy cream
-2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
-2 Tbsp Irish whiskey

Bailey's Frosting
-3 to 4 cups confectioner's sugar
-1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
-2 to 3 Tbsp Bailey's Irish Cream

Directions:
For cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with 24 cupcake liners.
2. In medium saucepan over medium heat, bring stout and butter to a simmer. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
3. Sift and whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Set aside.
4. Using electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment on medium-high speed, beat eggs and sour cream until well blended. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Lower speed to lowest setting; add flour mixture in increments and beat until just combined.
5. Divide batter into cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 of the way full. Bake cupcakes until toothpick test comes out clean, about 15-17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

For ganache:
1. Chop chocolate very finely, and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. 
2. Heat heavy cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then, using a rubber spatula, stir it from the center outward until smooth. 
3. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined.

For frosting:
1. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat butter until it is light and fluffy. Slowly add the confectioner's sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.
2. When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Bailey's and whip it until well combined. 

Assembling cupcakes:
1. Use either of these items: 1-inch round cookie cutter, apple corer, or bottom of a large decorating tip (I used the decorating tip) and cut the center out of the cooled cupcakes.
2. Put ganache into a piping bag and fill the holes of each cupcake to the top. Let it cool completely (ganache will harden).
3. Using the frosting and your favorite decorating tip, pipe frosting on cupcakes.

Recipe adapted from Bake at 350 and Smitten Kitchen

Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas holiday. I got to celebrate this wonderful holiday season with family and friends, and some pretty snow to top it all off :) True that we my husband had to shovel snow multiple times in one day and driving was insane, but it was still very pretty. 
For the Christmas gathering at my mother-in-law's house, I brought these little gems for everyone to enjoy. I wanted to make some sort of cookie and my husband said his mom liked peppermint things, so when I came across these cookies, I knew I had found our winner! Now even if you are not a big fan of peppermint things, I think you'll still like these cookies, as the peppermint flavoring is subtle and not at all overpowering. Soft, melt in your mouth cookies, with lots of chocolate flavor! These cookies are very simple to make and you should go make these soon!

Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms
Makes about 3-4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
1.5 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa1.5 tsp baking powder1/4 tsp salt1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, slightly softened (but still cool)1-1/4 cup sugar3 eggs1/2 tsp vanilla1 tsp peppermint extractabout 1/2 cup powdered sugar for rollingHershey's Kisses (about 3-4 dozen)

Directions:1. In a small bowl, sift and whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.
2. With an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and the extracts, beating until combined and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Change speed to slow, then gradually add the flour mixture, beating on low just until combined.  The mixture will be very sticky.
3. Place the bowl in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.4. While cookies are chilling, line cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Place the powdered sugar on a plate.
5. Using a teaspoon cookie scoop (or a spoon), scoop generous teaspoons of dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Gently roll each ball of dough through the powdered sugar until coated, then place them back on the cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 12 minutes, until puffed and crinkly.  (Meanwhile, unwrap the Kisses.)
7. Remove from the oven and immediately press a Hershey's Kiss on top of each hot cookie.  Press firmly, so that it doesn't pop off.  Let the cookies sit on the sheet for 1-2 minutes, then remove to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. 

Recipe adapted from Bake at 350

Chocolate Coca Cola Cake

Have you ever had one of those days that you just feel blah? One of those draggy days? That seemed to be the case for me last week. All day at work I just had a really achy lower back, and felt like it was hard to just keep chugging along. Don't know what my deal was... but!!! I did REALLY crave something sweet. That was the one thing I was very sure of, all day long. So when I got home, and saw that my parents had brought us some dinner (thanks parents!), I was free to make what I really wanted - a cake! And to use up the left-over Coca Cola we've had since Thanksgiving (we don't really drink pop at home), I made this cake. I've made it once (or twice) before and every time it was gobbled up super fast. It is super moist and yummy! And make sure you get a slice right when you finish it (well, maybe wait about 5 minutes so it cools just enough!)
Two little notes: for the glaze, you can use some pecans or walnuts. I have used both, and I think I prefer pecans over walnuts. But they are both pretty yummy, and either nut adds a nice texture to the cake, so I would recommend it!
Second note: this most recent batch I didn't have any buttermilk, so I just used whole milk instead (what I had on hand). It turned out fine, but I do think the buttermilk adds a nice flavor to the cake, so if you are able to use it, I would do that.

Look who couldn't resist getting a piece of my "photoshoot" haha!

Chocolate Coca Cola Cake
~Makes a 9x13 in cake pan

Dry Ingredients:
-2 cups white sugar
-2 cups AP flour
-1 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:
-1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
-1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-1 cup Coca Cola
-1/2 cup buttermilk
-2 eggs
-1 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze:
-1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
-1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-1/2 cup Coca Cola
-4 cups confectioner's sugar
-1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions: 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 in baking pan; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift and whisk together all the dry ingredients; set aside.
3. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir unsalted butter, cocoa powder, Coca Cola, and buttermilk from wet ingredients' list until it boils. Take off heat and add it to bowl of dry ingredients. Mix until well incorporated. Add eggs and vanilla, and whisk well. 
4. Put batter in greased baking pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
5. When cake is almost done (about 5 more minutes or so), get ready to make glaze. Add butter, cocoa powder and Cola into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and add confectioner's sugar, one cup at a time, stirring well until nice and smooth. Add chopped pecans and give it one final stir. When cake is out of the oven, pour glaze right over hot cake.
6. Let cake cool a little, and enjoy!

Original recipe from May Flaum

Sweet Potato Casserole

This is a recipe I tweaked for my own liking, after searching through MANY sweet potato casserole recipes... My goal was to make a casserole that was not too sweet nor runny (I wanted this to be a side to our meal rather than a dessert!). I used the original recipe as a guide, and then made changes based on the end result I wanted. Everyone who had it liked it, so I think it's a keeper!!

Sweet Potato Casserole
Makes one 9x13 casserole dish

Ingredients:
3 lb sweet potatoes

2 eggs

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 light brown sugar

4 Tbsp butter (half stick), softened

1/2 cup heavy cream (or milk)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp all spice (or cinnamon)

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Topping:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup AP flour

3 Tbsp butter, softened

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mini marshmallows (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven at 400 degrees F. Scrub and wash sweet potatoes; poke holes all over each potato with a fork. Place them on a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil (for easy cleaning afterwards). Bake potatoes for about 1 hour, or until a knife goes through the potato very easily (what's called "fork tender"). 

2. While you wait for the potatoes bake, gather all other ingredients: take out the butter (for both the potatoes and topping) and eggs from refrigerator and let them come to room temperature. Go ahead and make the topping too: in a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar and flour. Cut in the butter (with a pastry cutter if you have one) until mixture is coarse. Stir in pecans; set aside.

3. Once potatoes are done, scoop out the meat of each potato and place in a large bowl of a stand-up mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Reduce temperature of oven to 325 degrees F. Add all other ingredients with the sweet potato in the bowl and mix on medium speed until well incorporated. Transfer mixture into an oven-safe baking dish. Place topping onto potatoes. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until topping is lightly brown.

*Note: For a prettier finish, I alternated the pecan topping with marshmallows to look like stripes. This recipe makes enough pecan topping to cover the whole casserole with just pecans, so marshmallows are not a must!

Recipe adapted from All Recipes.com