Basically Yummy Baking

Ferrero Rocher Cupcakes

2012-09-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I never did the entry for these cupcakes. These were part of the baby shower cupcakes I did for work a few weeks ago. I chose these because I was told the mother to be loved them. Next time I think I will put halved Ferrero Rocher candies on top of the cupcakes. The chocolate cake part of theses cupcakes was fantastic. I will for sure be using that recipe for other cupcakes in the future. The Nutella frosting was also very good. The only thing I would change about the recipe is the ganache. It never seemed to get hard and was very liquidy. I will put the recipe I used in here, but unless you like your ganache to not get hard, I would recommend adjusting the recipe. I also cut the recipe in half because I only needed 12 cupcakes.

Cupcake Recipe:

*1 1/3 Cup Flour
*3/4 Cups Dark Cocoa Powder
*1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
*1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
*1/2 Teaspoon Salt
*1/2 Cup Sour Cream
*1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
*1/2 Teaspoon Almond Extract
*1/2 Cup Butter
*1 Cup Sugar
*1 Egg
*1/2 Cup + a little extra Coffee (room temperature)

*Heat oven to 350 Degrees F and line muffin pan with liners.

*Sift together Flour, Dark Cocoa Powder, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, and Salt. Set aside.

*In a separate bowl, combine Sour Cream, Vanilla, and Almond Extracts. Set aside.

*In the bowl of your mixer, cream the butter and sugar.

*Add the eggs one at a time until combined.

*Add half the Flour Mix.

*Add the Sour Cream Mix.

*Add the rest of the Flour Mix and mix until combined.

*Add the coffee and beat until combined.

*Divide batter among prepared muffin cups.

*Bake for about 25 minutes.

*Let cool before frosting.

Nutella Ganache Recipe:

*1 Cup Heavy Cream
*1 Cup Nutella

*In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the cream.

*Slowly add the Nutella in small spoonfuls.

*Mix until combined.

*Cut out the center of the cupcakes with a knife.

*Remove the cut out part.

*Spoon the ganache into the cupcakes.

Nutella Buttercream Frosting:

*6.5 Ounces Nutella
*1/2 Cup Butter
*3-4 Cups Powdered Sugar
*Pinch of Salt
*1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
*4 Tablespoons Heavy Cream

*In the bowl of your mixer, cream Butter and Nutella.

*Add the Powdered Sugar one cup at a time, beating well after each addition.

*Add Salt and Vanilla.

*Add the Cream, one tablespoon at a time.

*Beat well, add more Powdered Sugar if needed until frosting is the desired consistency.

*Frost Cupcakes and Enjoy!

Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

2012-08-12T11:59:00.000-07:00

We were throwing a baby shower for one of the girls at work. She is having a baby boy, so they decided to do the colors orange and blue (more like a mango and turquoise). I made strawberry cupcakes and dyed the frosting orange. I wanted a variety of flavors, so I decided on a simple vanilla cupcake recipe and dyed the frosting blue. I like this cupcake recipe because it is so simple and easy to make, but also really light and yummy. I think the colors all came out well, and the baby shower was a hit!

Cupcake Ingredients:

*1 1/2 Cups Flour
*1 Cup Sugar
*1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
*1/2 Teaspoon Salt
*1/2 Cup Butter
*1/2 Cup Sour Cream
*1 Egg
*2 Egg Yolks
*1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

*Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees F and line muffin pan with liners.

Since it was a baby shower I used the ones with little baby feet on them. I know they are pink and that the shower was for a boy baby, but I figured they would fade once baked. I didnt want to buy colored liners because it would be hard to find the exact shades of orange and blue that I wanted.

*Whisk Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder, and Salt in a bowl and set aside.

*In the bowl of your mixer, beat Butter, Sour Cream, Egg, Egg Yolks, and Vanilla.

*Add Flour mix and beat until smooth.

*Divide Batter evenly among muffin liners.

*Bake for approx. 20 minutes.

*Let cool before frosting.

Frosting Ingredients:

*1 Cup Butter
*2 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
*1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract

*Beat Butter until smooth.

*Add Powdered Sugar one cup at a time, beating well after each addition.

*Add Vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.

*If coloring frosting, add food color.

* To get this shade of turquoise, I added about 61 drops of blue food color. (I just had the regular pack of red, blue, yellow, red).

Bridal Shower Cupcakes

2012-08-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

My friend had her bridal shower last weekend and asked me to do the cupcakes. It was a Japanese Honeymoon theme bridal shower. I was looking for some cute cupcake wrappers that had cherry blossoms on them, but couldn't find any that I really liked. Eventually I settled on a green with burgundy vines, since those are the wedding colors. For flavors I did one dozen Strawberry and one dozen Orange Chai Spice. And to top it all off, I got some really cute edible cherry blossoms from Etsy.

4th of July Cupcakes!

2012-07-04T11:48:00.001-07:00

I am going to a BBQ today to celebrate 4th of July. I was going to make a pie, but the cherries were really expensive. I had already bought some strawberries on sale, so I decided to make strawberry mini cupcakes and decorate them for the 4th of July. I dripped some blue and red food color into the frosting bag and went from there. It was pretty messy! And they didn't come out exactly as I wanted, but something to practice on for next time. Still I think you can get the gist of what I was trying to do, and they came out pretty cute!

Thing 1 Thing 2 Dr. Seuss Theme Babyshower Cupcakes

2012-07-01T20:54:00.001-07:00

A friend of mine was helping her sister throw a baby shower last weekend and asked if I would make the cupcakes. It was a Dr. Seuss theme baby shower for a baby boy. She sent me some links of ideas for Dr. Seuss theme cupcakes. The choices were Lorax Trees or Thing 1 Thing 2 Cupcakes. hey decided on Thing 1 Thing 2, because they were very cute, and fit the rest of the decorations better. I made half chocolate cupcakes with marshmallow frosting and the other half vanilla with vanilla buttercream. I hunted down red cupcake liners, which was actually kind of hard. Most of the places had the fun themed liners and not just basic colors. I finally found the at Michaels. Then I printed out circles that said "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" that were attached to the front. FYI...tape doesn't stick, glue is needed. And for the crazy hair, I found tubs of blue cotton candy at the Dollar Tree! I bought 5 tubs because I didn't know how much was needed. I went through 1 1/2 tubs for about 30 cupcakes and left the 1/2 opened container and one full unopened container if touch ups were needed. I wanted to set the cupcakes up close to the start of the shower, but got the time wrong, so I was an hour earlier than I thought I wanted to be. The cotton candy melts, so don't add it right before you need to. Also, be careful when handling it, because just the contact with your hands can make it start to get hot and melt. But overall, I think the cotton candy hair was the perfect touch to these cupcakes.

Girl Baby Shower Cupcakes

2012-07-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to post some pictures of cupcakes I did last weekend for a friends baby shower. Per the mom-to-be's request, I made Pink Lemonade Cupcakes and Shirley Temple Cupcakes. She gave me free reign on the rest of the decorations. There really was no theme, so I went with lots and pink and baby girl! I used random cupcake liners I found at Party City that were baby shower theme, with little foot prints all over. I ordered some really cute wrappers online which said "its a girl" and were just pink and cute. I love the idea of the cupcake wrapper. You can just buy cheap, generic, whatever liners since they always fade during baking anyways. But the wrappers you put on after the baking is complete so they look fresh and lovely for the event. I topped the cupcakes with "Its a Girl" picks, and 2 different kinds of pink sparkly sprinkles.

Chocolate Chip Cake or Cupcakes

2012-06-30T16:16:00.000-07:00

I made Chocolate Chip Cupcakes a few weeks ago to take to a friends house. There were some left over so I took them in to work, hoping that everyone would finish them off. Coincidentally my boss was holding her sons birthday party the next weekend and asked if I could make a cake for the party. She had already bought a topper to put on the cake, so I didn't even have to decorate. Since she had sampled the chocolate chip cupcakes, she asked if I could do that. So I used the same recipe for the cake as I did the cupcakes.

Cake/Cupcake Ingredients:

* 3 1/4 Cups Cake Flour
* 1 1/2 Tablespoons Baking Powder
* 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
* 1 3/4 Sticks of Butter
* 1 3/4 Cups Sugar
* 1 Cup Milk
* 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
* 5 Large Egg Whites
* 2 Cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

***If you don't have Cake Flour, substitute 2 Tablespoons of Flour with Cornstarch for every Cup of Flour.***

* Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F.

* If making Cupcakes, line 2 muffin pans; If making Cake, Grease and Flour 3 Round Cake Pans.

* In a bowl, combine the Flour, Baking Powder, and Salt. Set Aside.

* In the bowl of your mixer, cream the Butter and Sugar.

* Mix together Milk and Vanilla.

* Add dry ingredients to Butter Mix in 3 additions, alternating with the Milk in 2 additions.

* In a clean bowl of your mixer, Beat the egg Whites until stiff peaks form.

* Carefully fold the Egg Whites into the rest of the batter.

* Stir in Chocolate Chips.

* Divide Batter into Cake Pans, or Muffin Pans.

* Bake for approx. 30 minutes for Cake; Bake for approx. 22 minutes for Cupcakes.

* Cool before Frosting.

Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:

* 1 Cup Butter
* 3 Cups Powdered Sugar
* 1 Teaspoon Vanilla

* In the bowl of your Mixer, beat butter until smooth.

* Add Powdered Sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition.

* Add Vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.

* At this point you can frost the Cake or Cupcakes.

* This was all I did for the cupcakes. The cake I added chocolate frosting between the layers.

Chocolate Frosting:

* 4 Ounces Unsweetened Chocolate
* 2/3 Cup Butter
* 1 1/3 Cup Powdered Sugar
* 1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla

* Melt the Chocolate in a heat proof bowl and set aside to cool.

* Beat the Butter until smooth.

* Add the Sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

* Add the Chocolate and Vanilla and beat until incorporated.

* Frost Cake!

* Enjoy!

Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

2012-06-03T10:45:00.002-07:00

Today is another friends 30th birthday. I said at the last 30th birthday we attended that I would make cupcakes. Strawberry was mentioned and I thought that sounded perfect. Its a nice summer flavor. I got some really nice fresh strawberries at the farmers market this week. I like using fresh strawberries over frozen ones, but I guess it really doesn't matter.

Ingredients:

*3/4 Cup Strawberries cut in half
*1 1/2 Cups Flour
*1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
*1/4 Teaspoon Salt
*1/4 Cup Milk
*1/2 Cup Butter
*1 Cup Sugar
*1 Egg
*2 Egg Whites
*1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

*Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Line muffin pan with liners

*Place halved strawberries in food processor to make strawberry puree.

*Place Strawberry Puree in 1/4 cup measure cup and set aside. You should make some extra Strawberry Puree because you will need some for the frosting. But you can always do that later if you don't want to right now. Set aside

*In a bowl, combine the Flour, Baking Powder, and Salt. Set aside.

*In the bowl of your mixer cream the Butter.

*Add Sugar and beat until blended.

*Add the Egg and Egg Whites one at a time. Mix until combined.

*Stir in Vanilla Extract.

*Combine Milk and Strawberry Puree.

*Add half of the Flour Mixture to the mixing bowl and combine.

*Mix in the Strawberry/Milk Mix.

*Add the rest of the Flour MIx and combine.

*Scoop batter into muffin cups.

*Bake for approx. 20-25 minutes. Cool before frosting.

Frosting Ingredients:

*1 Cup Butter
*3 Cups Powdered Sugar
*1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
*3 Tablespoons Strawberry Puree

*In the bowl of your mixer, beat the Butter until fluffy.

*Add the Powdered Sugar one cup at at time and beat well after each addition.

*Add the Vanilla Extract and Strawberry Puree and beat well.

*Beat Frosting until fluffy.

Decorating:

I decided to keep these simple and just frost the cupcakes and top with a strawberry half.

*Packed and ready for transport.

*Enjoy!!!!

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

2012-06-02T11:51:00.000-07:00

My daughters teacher is retiring this year and they are having retirement picnic today for her. The school sent home a note asking people to bring stuff potluck style and divided it up by last name (salad, main dish, side dish, dessert). Luckily her last name landed us in the dessert category. I told her I would make cupcakes if she wanted and she could pick. She enthusiastically settled on Pink Lemonade Cupcakes. I found a recipe online for them (where I find most of my recipes) and gave it a try. I have never had as much trouble with a recipe proportion as this one. The recipe I found was supposed to be for one dozen. I decided to triple it to make 3 dozen cupcakes since this picnic is going to be kind of a big thing and I wasn't sure how many people would be there. As I was filling the cupcake liners, the batter that was supposed to be for 3 dozen, only filled enough for 2 dozen. I had to make some more batter pronto. It was kind of frustrating. So I am going to put the amounts down and say that this will make 2 dozen cupcakes!

Cupcake Ingredients:

*3 Cups Flour
*1 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
*3/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
*1/4 Teaspoon Salt
*1 1/2 Cup Sugar
*3/4 Cup Applesauce
*6 Egg Whites
*1 Cup Thawed Frozen Pink Lemonade Concentrate
*3/4 Cup Buttermilk
*Red Food Color

***Like the in my last entry, the recipe called for vegetable oil. I switched it with applesauce for a healthier alternative. It seemed to work fine in the Orange Chai Spice Cupcakes, so I did it again here.***

*Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Line 2 muffin pans with liners.

*In a bowl combine the Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, and Salt. Set Aside.

* In the bowl of your mixer, combine the Applesauce, Sugar, Egg Whites, and Pink Lemonade Concentrate.

*Add the Flour Mix in 3 additions, alternately with adding the Buttermilk in 2 additions. Mix until smooth.

*Add the Red Food Color until it mixes to your desired shade of pink. I added a few drops, mixed it in, then added more and mixed again until it reached the color I wanted.

*Scoop batter and fill cupcake liners.

*Bake for approx. 20-25 minutes.

*Let cool before frosting.

***I bought the cupcake liners that are supposed to keep their color after baking, and I must say they succeeded. I hate when you buy really cute liners and you can barely tell what the pattern is after the cupcakes have been baked.***

***For the frosting I am putting the recipe for 1 batch of frosting. You can make as much or as little as you want. I tripled this recipe and it came out fine to frost 3 dozen cupcakes with a little left over.***

Frosting Ingredients:

*1/2 Cup Butter
*3 Cups Powdered Sugar
*Pinch of Salt
*2 Tablespoons Thawed Frozen Pink Lemonade Concentrate
*Red Food Color

*Beat the Butter until smooth.

*Slowly add the Powdered Sugar and beat well.

*Add the Salt, Pink Lemonade, and Food Color.

* Beat well until nice and fluffy and pink.

* At this point I was over these cupcakes and needed a break. Also I wanted them to fantastic without the frosting melting or anything. So I packed everything up and decided to frost in the morning.

*The frosting was stored in an airtight tupperware and stored in the fridge overnight.

*While the cupcakes got to spend the night in the cupcake condo.

***Love this thing. I got it at Costco like 2 years ago. Its great for when I make stuff and take it to work or to friends houses.***

So I woke up this morning with renewed enthusiasm for these cupcakes. Yesterdays quantity debacle forgotten. I am not fancy at decorating, but I love to make my cupcakes look pretty and fun. I look for little things to help dress them up.

Decorating:

*I took the frosting out of the fridge earlier to let it get to room temperature, but decided to whip it in the mixer a little but to make sure it was thoroughly mixed and fluffy.

*Frosted Cupcakes

*Sprinkle Station!

*Top top it off, I put a candied lemon slice, like you would find a slice of lemon on the side of a glass of pink lemonade. I found these at a random candy store by my house.

*The finished product.

*Time to pack the back up into the cupcake condo for transport to the picnic.

*Enjoy!

Orange Chai Spice Mini Cupcakes

2012-05-29T20:59:00.001-07:00

Its been almost 2 weeks since I have baked anything! I was getting the urge to bake today, then I was having kind of a bad day, so I decided to go ahead with it. Lets face it, the whole past week has been rough. I should been baking all week instead of waiting for the stupid phone to ring :/ This is a recipe I have been wanting to try for awhile. I am not sure how they came out. Maybe I over baked them? I feel like they were a tiny bit rubbery. The taste seemed great, just the texture a little off. Something to think about for if I make these again. Also, I think I would add some orange zest to the frosting as well. But hey, thats why we try new things, to see if they come out good or not! This way we know if we like it or not. or if modifications need to be made. So anyways, here we go!

Cupcake Ingredients:

* 2 1/2 Cups Cake Flour
* 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
* 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
* 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
* Zest of One Medium Orange
* 2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
* 1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
* 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
* 1/3 Cup Applesauce (plain)
* 1/2 Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
* 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
* 2 Eggs
* 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
* 2 Chai Tea Bags
* 1/4 Cup Water
* 1/2 Cup Buttermilk
* 1/2 Cup Orange Juice

***To make Cake Flour - Substitute 2 Tablespoons of Flour with 2 Tablespoons of Corn Starch for every cup.*** ***OK, note to self, I just realized I didn't substitute enough flour for cornstarch, possibly thats what went wrong...***

***The original recipe called for vegetable oil, I heard from my Mom and my friend as well as Googling it, that applesauce is a healthier substitute for oils when you bake, so I tried it here. But if you prefer oil, use that instead of the applesauce***

***I juiced the orange after I zested it, and used that for the orange juice ingredient, it was the perfect amount.***

* Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Line 2 mini muffin pans with liners.

*Zest and Juice the Orange and set aside.

* In a medium bowl, sift together Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Salt, Cinnamon, Ginger, and Nutmeg. Set aside.

* In a separate bowl, combine the Sugars and add the Orange Zest. Rub the Zest into the Sugars with your fingers. Set aside.

* In a small saucepan bring the Water to a simmer and add the Tea Bags. Let sit for approx. 5 minutes, depending on how strong you want the flavor. Set aside and let cool.

* In the bowl of your mixer combine the Orange Zest Sugars, Applesauce, Eggs, and Vanilla.

* Combine the Buttermilk, Orange Juice, and Tea.

* Add half the flour mix.

* Add the liquid Mixture.

* Add the rest of the Flour Mixture and stir until combined.

* Fill Muffin Liners.

* Bake for approx. 15 minutes.

* Let cool before frosting.

Frosting Ingredients:

*1 Cup Butter
*4 Cups Powdered Sugar
*1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
*1/8 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
*1/8 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
*2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

*In the bowl of your mixer beat butter.

*Add Powdered Sugar 1 Cup at a time, beating well after each addition.

*Add Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, and Vanilla. Beat well.

* Frost Cupcakes and Enjoy!!!

Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-05-16T19:23:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite recipes. I came across it a few years ago when I got into my cookie baking craze. This is one that I make every year at Christmastime during CookiePalooza (I make ridiculous amounts of cookies during the holidays). Basically I made these today because I was bored and needed something to do. So I looked around for what ingredients I had on hand and figured that I had everything to make cookies. I was going to make basic chocolate chip, but decided on these in the end, because like I said, its one of my favorites!

Ingredients:

* 3/4 Cup Butter
* 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
* 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
* 1 Egg
* 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
* 1 Teaspoon Peppermint Extract
* 1 1/2 Cup Flour
* 1/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
* 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
* 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
* 1 Cup Chocolate Chips

* Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees F.

* Stir together Flour, Cocoa Powder, Baking Soda, and Salt. Set aside.

* In the bowl of your mixer, beat together Butter and Sugars until smooth and creamy.

* Add the Egg, Vanilla, and Peppermint and mix well.

* Add the Flour mix and stir until just combined.

* Stir in Chocolate Chips.

* Drop by rounded spoonful onto baking sheet.

* Bake for approx. 12 minutes.

* Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet and move to wire rack to cool.

* Enjoy!

Shirley Temple Cupcakes

2012-05-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

Another entry into the cocktail cupcake line, except this one is good for everyone! I remember when I was little and always wanted to order a Shirley Temple when we would go out to dinner. It made me feel grown up and fancy, kinda like how we would drink sparkling cider from wine glasses on holidays (I still do this actually!). So I figured this would be a good fun summertime cupcake.

Cupcake Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 Cups + 1 Tablespoon Flour
* 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
* 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
* 1/2 Cup Butter
* 1 Cup Sugar
* 1/2 Cup 7 Up
* 1/2 Teaspoon Almond Extract
* 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
* Tablespoon Grenadine
* Red Food Coloring

***The original recipe called for Cherry 7Up, but I could only find it in a 12 pack which I didn't want, so I just used 7Up with some grenadine. The recipe also called for Maraschino Cherry Juice, but I used Grenadine instead. I figured they would work about the same right?***

* Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F and line a muffin pan with liners.

* Whisk together the 1 1/2 Cups of Flour, Baking Powder, and Salt. Set aside.

* In the bowl of your mixer, beat Butter and Sugar until creamy.

* Add Eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

* Add half the Flour mixture.

* Followed by the 7Up.

* Then the rest of the Flour mix.

* Add the Vanilla and Almond Extracts and Mix well.

* Remove most of the batter to a separate bowl, leaving about 1/4 behind in the mixing bowl.

* Add the 1 Tablespoon of Flour, Grenadine, and Red Food Color (as little or as much as you want)

* Spoon the Red batter to the bottom of the cupcake liners.

* Then top with the rest of the batter. Cover the red batter completely so it doesn't bake up the sides. You want the red just at the bottom of the cupcakes.

* Bake for approx. 20 minutes.

* Let cool on wire rack before frosting.

Frosting Ingredients:

* 1/2 Cup Butter
* Pinch of Salt
* 2 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
* 1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
* 1/4 Teaspoon Almond Extract
* 1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
* 1 Tablespoon Grenadine

* In the bowl of your mixer, cream butter until smooth.

* Add Powdered Sugar slowly and beat well.

* Add Salt, Vanilla, Almond Extract, and Grenadine. Beat well.

***After the frosting was made and while still waiting for the cupcakes to cool, I decided to have a Shirley Temple***

Decorating:

* Enjoy!!!

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

2012-05-06T14:00:00.001-07:00

Another addition to the adults only cupcake line. I am going to a BBQ today at a friends house and thought it would be nice to make something to bring. I had told my friends husband I would make him beer cupcakes after I had made the wine cupcakes a few months ago. So I searched around and came across this recipe and thought it would be perfect! I know that these would probably be a little more appropriate for St Patricks Day than the day after Cinco de Mayo, but really is there ever a wrong time for cocktail cupcakes?

***Side note, the first (and only time) I have ever had an actual Irish Car Bomb (the shot) was in Ireland for these same friends wedding. We made Irish Car Bombs on St Patricks Day. Good times!!***

Cupcake Ingredients:

* 1/2 Cup Guinness Stout
* 1/2 Cup Butter
* 6 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
* 1 Cup Flour
* 1 Cup Sugar
* 3/4 Teaspoons Baking Soda
* 1/4 + 1/8 Teaspoon Salt
* 1 Egg
* 1/3 Cup Sour Cream

* Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Line muffin pan with liners.

***Since I am making Irish Car Bombs, I went with the shamrock cupcake liners.***

***Had to show off that I used my bottle opener that I got in Ireland!***

* In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring Guinness and Butter to a simmer.

* Add Cocoa Powder and whisk until smooth.

* Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

* In a bowl, whisk together the Flour, Sugar, Baking Soda, and Salt. Set aside.

* In the bowl of your mixer, beat the Egg and Sour Cream until combined.

* Slowly add the Guinness Chocolate Mix and stir to combine.

* Add Flour Mix and stir until combined.

* Divide between cupcake liners.

* Bake for approx. 20 minutes.

* Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.

Jameson Chocolate Ganache Filling Ingredients:

* 4 Ounces Bittersweet Chocolate

* 1/3 Cup Heavy Cream

* 1 Tablespoon Butter

* 1 1/2 Teaspoons Jameson Irish Whiskey

***I went to BevMo and found that they had the little mini bottles of all kinds of alcohol. These are a lot better and cheaper if you are just using the alcohol to bake with. I knew I wouldn't really drink a big bottle of whiskey. So I saved myself a ton of money by getting the little airplane size.***

* Finely chop the Chocolate and place in a heat proof bowl.

* In a small sauce pan heat the cream until simmering.

* Pour over chocolate.

* Let sit for a few minutes then stir until smooth.

* Add Butter and Jameson and stir until combined.

* Set aside. Let cool while you make frosting.

Baileys Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:

* 1 Cup Butter

* 2 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar

* 3 Tablespoon Baileys Irish Cream

* In the bowl of your mixer beat the Butter.

* Slowly add the Powdered Sugar and continue to beat.

* Add the Baileys.

* Continue to beat until it looks whipped and fluffy.

* At this point the cupcakes and the ganache should hopefully be cool enough to fill.

* Using a knife, cut a cone shape into the top of the cupcake. Do not go all the way down.

***I saw a Cupcake Corer at Bed Bath and Beyond and now I really wish I had bough it. It would have worked well for these cupcakes I think.***

* Fill the cupcakes with the ganache.

***I probably could have cut a little deeper, but I was afraid of going too far. I had some ganache leftover. Oh well, next time.***

Decorating:

***I thought Chocolate Sprinkles would be perfect for these!***

* Enjoy!!!

Margarita Cupcakes Part 3 - Mango Margarita Cupcakes with Mango Tequila Buttercream Frosting

2012-05-05T02:15:00.000-07:00

And for the third and final type of margarita cupcakes, I decided on Mango. I went with Mango because that is typically the kind of margarita that I order when I go out. But I am sure that any type of fruity margarita could be turned into a cupcake. I used recipes that I found online specifically with these fruits, but I am sure that the any of these recipes you could substitute any type of fruit that you like. Maybe an experiment for another time!

Cupcake Ingredients:

* 1 Cup Flour
* 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
* 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
* 1/2 Cup Butter
* 3/4 Cup Sugar
* 3 Eggs, Separated
* 1 Tablespoon Lime Zest
* 2 Tablespoons Tequila
* 1 Medium Mango (I chose to buy the mango already peeled and sliced)

* Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees F. Line muffin pan with liners.

* Peel and chops your Mango. Or if you bought the already peeled and sliced like I did, just chop some of the slices into smaller pieces, and put into a food processor. You want about 1 Cup of Mango Puree.

* Zest the Lime.

* In a bowl, sift together the Flour, Baking Powder, and Salt. Set aside.

* Add Egg Yolks and mix well.

* Add Lime Zest.

* Add Tequila.

* Add Flour mix and mix well.

* In a separate bowl, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. (this picture refuses to load, sorry)

* Fold the Egg Whites and Mango Puree into the rest of the batter.

* Divide batter among prepared liners.

* Bake for approx. 25 minutes.

Frosting Ingredients:

* 1 Cup Butter
* 3 Cups Powdered Sugar
* 2 Tablespoons Mango Puree
* 2 Tablespoons Tequila

* Beat Butter.

* Add Powdered Sugar one Cup at a time, beating well after each addition.

* Add Mango and Tequila and beat well.

Decorating:

Margarita Cupcakes Part 2 - Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes with Strawberry Tequila Frosting

2012-05-05T01:44:00.001-07:00

The second type of Margarita Cupcakes I made for Cinco de Mayo were Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes. I thought it would be fun to have more than one flavor of cupcakes to bring to the party.

Cupcake Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 Cups Cake Flour
* 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
* 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
* 1/4 Cup Milk
* 1/2 Cup Butter
* 1 Cup Sugar
* 1 Egg + 2 Egg Whites
* 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
* 2 Teaspoons Lime Zest
* 2 Teaspoons Lime Juice
* 1/2 Cup Strawberry Puree
* 2 Tablespoons Tequila

***If you don't have Cake Flour, you can make your own. Substitute 2 Tablespoons of Flour with Corn Starch for every Cup.***

* Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.

* Cut the tops off of the strawberries and cut into pieces. Place into a food processor to make into Puree. Set Aside.

* Zest the Lime.

* Juice the Lime.

In a bowl, mix together the Flour, Baking Powder, and Salt. Set aside.

* In the bowl of your mixer beat Butter and Sugar.

* Beat in the Egg and Egg Whites.

* Add half the Flour Mix.

* Add the Milk followed by the other half of the Flour mix.

* Add the Strawberry Puree, Vanilla, Lime Zest, Lime Juice, and Tequila. Mix until just incorporated.

* Divide batter between Muffin cups.

* Bake approx. 25 minutes.

Frosting Ingredients:

* 1 Cup Butter
* 3 Cups Powdered Sugar
* 2 Tablespoons Strawberry Puree
* 2 Tablespoons Tequila

* Beat Butter.

* Add Powdered Sugar one cup at a time, beating well after each addition.

* Add Strawberry Puree and Tequila and beat well.

Decorating:

Margarita Cupcakes Part 1 - Margarita Cupcakes with Tequila Lime Buttercream Frosting

2012-05-05T01:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Cinco de Mayo, or Cinco de Drinko as I have heard it often called. I was invited to a Cinco de Mayo party tomorrow night (well I guess technically its tonight, since its after midnight) and asked to bring Margarita Cupcakes. So here goes.

Cupcake Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 Cups Flour

* 1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

* 1/4 Teaspoon Salt

* 1/2 Cup Butter

* 1 Cup Sugar

* 2 Eggs

* Zest and Juice of 1 1/2 Limes (I used 2, 1 was kind of small)

* 2 Tablespoons Tequila

* 1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

* 1/2 Cup Buttermilk

* Preheat oven to 325 Degrees F. Line Muffin pan with liners.

* Whisk together Flour, Baking Powder, and Salt. Set aside.

* Zest Lime.

* Juice Lime.

* In the bowl of your mixer, beat Butter and Sugar.

* Add Eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

* Add the Lime Zest, Lime Juice, Vanilla, and Tequila.

* It starts to look a little curdled, but once you add everything else it looks ok.

* Add the the Flour Mix in 3 additions, and the Buttermilk in 2.

* Divide between muffin liners.

* Bake for approx. 25 minutes.

Frosting Ingredients:

* 1 Cup Butter

* 3 Cups Powdered Sugar

* 2 Tablespoons Lime Juice

* 2 Tablespoons Tequila

* Beat the Butter.

* Add the Powdered Sugar one Cup at a time, beating well after each addition.

* Add the Lime Juice.

* Add Tequila and beat well.

Decorating:

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

2012-05-03T12:37:00.002-07:00

These are my Dads favorite cookies, so my Nana and my Mom used to make them a lot when I was younger. I made them for work once and I was surprised that a lot of people had never even heard of them before. After trying them though, everyone quickly became a fan. Since I am going to the movies tomorrow with my Mom and sister, I thought I would make these and drop them off for my Dad while I was there. Pretty sure you can find the recipe on the back of the butterscotch chip bag, but here it is anyways.

Ingredients:

* 1 1/4 Cup Flour
* 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
* 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
* 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
* 1 Cup Butter
* 3/4 Cup Granulated White Sugar
* 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
* 2 Eggs
* 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
* 3 Cups Oats
* 1 2/3 Cup Butterscotch Chips (I usually just dump the whole bag in)

* Preheat oven to 375 Degrees F.

* Combine together the Flour, Baking Soda, Salt, and Cinnamon. Set aside.

* In the bowl of your mixer beat together the Butter and both Sugars.

* Add the Eggs and beat until combined.

* Add in Vanilla.

* Beat the Flour mix.

* Stir in Oats.

* Stir in Butterscotch Chips.

* Scoop out and place on cookie sheet.

* Bake for approx. 10 minutes.

* Let cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before moving to cooling rack, If you try and move them too soon, they will break.

* Enjoy!

Champagne Cupcakes with Champagne Buttercream Frosting

2012-04-28T23:29:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I am going to a friends 30th Birthday party in Huntington Beach on a champagne boat thing. What goes better with a champagne 30th Birthday boat trip than champagne cupcakes? Nothing! This is basically the same recipe I found for white wine cupcakes, just substitute champagne for the white wine. I love how fluffy these cupcakes turn out. Its almost like angel food cake with a little extra kick added in! And yes, I did some of the champagne while baking!

Cupcake Ingredients:

* 2 3/4 Cups Flour
* 3 Teaspoons Baking Powder
* 1 Teaspoon Salt
* 2/3 Cup Butter
* 1 1/2 Cups Sugar
* 3/4 Cup Champagne
* 6 Egg Whites

* Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Line muffin pan with liners (I only needed 18)

* In a bowl, sift together Flour, Baking Powder, and Salt. Set aside.

* In the bowl of your mixer, beat together butter and sugar.

* Add the Flour Mix and Champagne in 3 additions, starting and ending with the Flour.

* Remove batter from mixer bowl and clean it out. (Unless you are cool and have 2 bowls for your mixer, which unfortunately I am not) The batter will be thick.

*Using the whisk attachment beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

* Fold the Egg Whites into the Batter. It will start out really watery looking, just keep gently folding the Egg Whites into the Batter.

* Fill liners.

* Bake for approx. 20-25 minutes. Let cool before frosting.

Frosting Ingredients:

* 3 Cups Powdered Sugar
* 1 Cup Butter
* 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
* 3 Tablespoons Champagne

* Beat Sugar and Butter until smooth. You might want to let it go for a few minutes until it looks kind of like whipped.

* Add Vanilla and Champagne and beat for another minute or two until it looks nice and whipped.

Decorating:

* I decided that since these were for a birthday party and not just whatever as most of the stuff I make is, that I would actually try and decorate these a little and make them cute. I have a box full of sprinkles that I dipped into!

* Enjoy!!

Cake Pops

2012-04-25T16:42:00.001-07:00

I had been hearing a lot about cake pops and wanted to try them out. I had a book I got at Target that showed how to make cute shapes and everything. At Michaels, they had the candy coating on sale so I bought a bunch. So today I finally decided to try and make them. OMG they were a pain in the ass. Just FYI if you are going to try and make them, patience is required. I have a feeling they will get easier with practice. Even as I was making them just now, it got a little bit easier. I didn't even attempt to be creative and make shapes or designs or even top with sprinkles.

Ingredients:

* Cake
* Frosting
* Candy Coating
* Sticks

***I used the Cake Pops book as my guide. ANd to make things easier on myself I decided to use a boxed cake mix and pre made frosting.***

* First step is to make the cake according to the directions on the box.

* Cool completely before moving on.

* Cut the cake into pieces and crumble into a bowl. There should not be any big pieces of cake visible.

***I thought that the cake would be harder to crumble completely, but it was actually very easy. I just rubbed it between my fingers into the bowl, and then worked on the bigger pieces that were left individually.***

* Add about 3/4 of the can of frosting. Do not add the whole can.

* Roll the cake into balls. I used my handy scoop to help with the step.

* After all the cake has been rolled into balls, cover in plastic and put in the fridge for a few hours. Or you can put in the freezer, but you don't want them frozen. I did find that it helped to have them cold, they tended to break as they got closer to room temp.

* Melt the candy coating according to the instructions on the package.

*Only take a few of the prepares cake balls out of the fridge/freezer at a time so they don't warm up.

* Dip the stick about 1/2 inch into the melted candy coating.

* Put a cake ball on the stick, try not go more than half way into the ball.

* Dip into the candy coating.

***This was the second bowl I tried. Make sure your bowl is deep enough to cover the whole ball. I broke quite a few trying to roll them around in the candy coating.***

*Stick it in styrofoam until dry.

***I didn't have any styrofoam, and couldn't think of anything else to use. So I found some styrofoam that was used as packing in a box.***

***I also discovered that one bag of candy coating did about half the cake balls I had made. So I had to use another bag.***

***I found a better bowl, deeper and covered the whole cake ball. Third times the charm right?***

*So hopefully this task was less frustrating for you than for me. Like I said, I got better as I went along. The orange ones came out better than the pink ones in my opinion. Next time I will try and get fancier and use some sprinkles!

*Enjoy!!!

Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

2012-04-24T13:49:00.001-07:00

I had some bananas I bought last week just sitting around going bad. I guess I could have just eaten them, but I decided it would be more fun to bake with them instead. I looked around my kitchen for ingredients that I had on hand for ideas of something to make. I decided on banana chocolate chip mini muffins. I mean really, how could you go wrong with that?

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 Cups Flour
* 2/3 Cup Sugar
* 1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
* 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
* 1 Cup Mashed Ripe Banana
* 1 Egg
* 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
* 1/2 Cup Butter, Melted
* 1/4 Cup Milk
* 3/4 Cup Chocolate Chips

***I only had 2 bananas on hand, and it worked ok, but next time I make this, I think I would like a little more banana flavor. so I would use 3.***

* Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Line 2 mini muffin trays with paper liners.

* In a bowl, combine Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder, and Salt. Set aside.

* In a large bowl, combine Banana, Egg, Vanilla, Butter, and Milk.

* Combine the Banana Mix into the Flour Mix. Stir until just combined.

* Stir inn Chocolate Chips.

* Fill Muffin Cups with batter. The batter will be kind of thick.

* Bake for approx. 20 minutes.

* Let cool in pan for a few minutes and move to rack to cool.

* Enjoy!!!

Chocolate Snickerdoodles

2012-04-20T17:42:00.001-07:00

I love snickerdoodles; they are one of my favorite cookies. So when I came across a recipe for chocolate snickerdoodles, I thought I would give it a try. The recipe is very similar to a regular snickerdoodle recipe, with the obvious addition of cocoa powder to give it the chocolate taste. While I didn't love these cookies as much as a regular Snickerdoodle, I would try this recipe again.

Ingredients:

* 2 1/4 Cup Flour
* 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
* 1 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar
* 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
* 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
* 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
* 1 1/2 Cup Sugar
* 2 Eggs
* 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
* 2 Tablespoons Sugar
* 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon

* Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F.

* In a medium bowl combine Flour, Cocoa Powder, Cream of Tartar, Baking soda, and Salt. Set aside.

* In a small bowl combine the 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon and 2 Tablespoons Sugar. Set aside.

* In the bowl of your mixer combine the Butter and Sugar (1 1/2 Cups).

* Add the Eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.

* Add Vanilla and beat well.

* Add the Flour Mix and stir together.

* Form the dough into balls.

* Roll the balls into Cinnamon/Sugar mixture.

***I would recommend flattening the balls a little bit before baking. I baked mine as shown, without flattening and when they were done, the outside was perfect, but the inside was still kind of doughy. I think because the cocoa makes them a little more dense than a regular snickerdoodle, they don't bake as evenly or something. Next time I try this recipe, I will flatten the balls a little bit before they go in the oven.***

* Bake for approx. 9 minutes.

* Move from Cookie Sheet to Cooling Rack to cool.

* Enjoy!!!

Snickerdoodles

2012-04-20T17:22:00.002-07:00

A friend gave me this recipe a few years ago and it has been one of my favorites ever since. Its on my annual list of cookies that I make every Christmas as well as randomly throughout the year. The thing I like about this recipe is that they are soft and fluffy and not hard as so many of the sure bought ones are. Also, they make your whole house smell like cinnamon and sugar.

Ingredients:

* 1/2 Cup Vegetable Shortening
* 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
* 1 1/2 Cup Sugar
* 2 Eggs
* 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
* 2 3/4 Cups Flour
* 2 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar
* 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
* 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
* 2 Tablespoons Sugar
* 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon

***I know that shortening comes in tubs and is cheaper, but I prefer to but it in the remeasured sticks. It is sooooo much easier to use this way. I found when I try and measure it out in cups it is really hard to get out and just seems to stick to everything. Possibly I am just lame, but I found it easier to just cut the sticks in half and use it that way.***

* Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F.

* In a medium bowl combine Flour, Cream of Tartar, Baking Soda, and Salt. Set aside.

* In a small bowl combine the 2 Tablespoons Sugar and 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon. Set aside.

* In the bowl of your mixer combine the Butter, Shortening, and Sugar (1 1/2 Cups).

* Add Eggs one at a time. Beating well after each addition.

* Add Vanilla and beat to combine.

* Add Four Mix and mix well.

* Form dough into balls.

* Roll balls through Cinnamon/Sugar Mixture.

* Bake for approx. 9 minutes.

* Remove from cookie sheet to cool on cooling rack.

* Enjoy!!

Lemon Bars

2012-04-09T17:07:00.000-07:00

I made these for the first time for a work pot luck. They were such a hit, I was asked to make them many more times. There are never any leftovers. These bars have a nice tangy lemon taste but not too overpowering. They are perfect for a summer bbq or just because.

Ingredients:

* 1/2 Cup Butter
* 1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
* 1 Cup Flour
* 1/8 Teaspoon Salt
* 1 Cup Granulated White Sugar
* 2 Eggs
* 1/3 Cup Lemon Juice
* 1 Tablespoon Grated Lemon Zest
* 2 Tablespoons Flour (separate from the 1 Cup above)

***2 Large Lemons should have enough juice.***

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare an 8'x8' baking pan.

***I used the Magic Brownie Pan (or whatever its called, the "As Seen on TV" one) that my mom got me for birthday last year. I love this thing and usually use it when I make any kind of bars or brownies. Its cuts them as it bakes and comes with its own cooling rack.***

* In the bowl of your mixer, beat Butter and Powdered Sugar until creamy and smooth.

* Add Flour and Salt and beat until dough just starts to come together.

* Press onto the bottom of your prepared pan.

* Bake for about minutes until lightly brown around the edges.

* Let cool while you make the lemon filling.

* While the crust is baking Zest the Lemons.

* And Juice the Lemons.

* In the bowl of your mixer beat the Granulated Sugar and Eggs until smooth.

* Add the Lemon Zest and Juice and stir to combine.

* Fold in the flour.

* Pour the Lemon Filling into your pan with the Shortbread Crust.

* Bake for approx. 20 minutes.

***I baked mine for about 25 minutes, it was still kind of liquidy after 20 minutes.***

* Cool before cutting. Add Powdered Sugar to the top if desired.

Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies

2012-04-07T16:02:00.002-07:00

When I first got on this baking kick a few years ago, I started with cookies. I made all kinds of cookies all the time. Eventually I branched out into cupcakes and cakes, but I still like a good cookie recipe. I came across this one a few weeks ago and thought it sounded really good. In honor of summer coming and this being Easter weekend, I thought they were a perfect choice to make today. They are nice and light and remind me of summer.

PS you will be tempted to sing the lime and the coconut song, which I did all morning before I started baking. I put the radio while actually baking ;)

Ingredients:

* 2 3/4 Cups Flour
* 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
* 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
* 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
* 1 Cup Butter
* 1 1/2 Cup Sugar
* 1 Egg
* 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
* Zest of One Large Lime
* 3 Tablespoon Lime Juice
* 1/2 Cup Toasted Coconut
* 1/2 Cup Sugar (separate from 1 1/2 Cup already in ingredients list)

***For some reason my grocery store only had small limes, so I bought 2 and it seemed to be an ok amount.***

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

* To toast coconut, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and layer coconut.

* Bake in preheated oven for about 5 minutes.

* Zest the Lime.

* Then juice the Lime.

***Its way easier to zest the Lime before juicing it.***

* Sift together the Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, and Salt. Set aside.

* In the bowl of your mixer, beat together Sugar (1 1/2 Cups) and Butter until smooth and fluffy.

* Add Egg, Vanilla Extract, Lime Zest, and Lime Juice.

* Mix in about half of the Flour Mixture

* Followed by the Coconut

* And then the rest of the Flour Mixture

* Roll rounded spoonfuls of dough in a bowl of sugar (1/2 Cup).

*** A friend showed me the trick of using an ice cream scooper to scoop cookie dough. Its the best idea ever! I looked around for awhile before I found this one, I think I got it at Bed Bath and Beyond.***

* Bake 8-10 minutes.

***The first batch came out a little soft and doughy (which is fine because I like it like that) so the second batch I left in for about 15 minutes. So I would say more like 10 - 15 minutes depending on your oven and how soft or crispy you like your cookies***

Enjoy!!!

Root Beer Float Cupcakes

2012-04-01T19:53:00.001-07:00

I made these cupcakes for a going away party at work once and everyone loved them. I was trying to think of something special for the person that was leaving and remembered that she really like root beer. So I got the idea to find a root beer cupcake and made these. They are fun and a little bit different than an ordinary chocolate cupcake.

Cupcake Ingredients:

* 1 1/8 Cup Flour
* 1/4 Cup Dark Cocoa Powder
* 1 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
* 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
* 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
* 1 Egg
* 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
* 2 Teaspoons Root Beer Concentrate
* 1/3 Cup Root Beer
* 1/2 Cup + 1 Tablespoon Heavy Cream
* 1/2 Cup Butter, melted
* 2 Tablespoons Sour Cream

***I accidentally used Baking Powder instead of Baking Soda. Glancing at the directions, I saw baking and got powder from the Cocoa Powder in the line above. Oops. The cupcakes seemed to come out ok, but Baking Soda is used to counteract the acid in ingredients and make the finished product rise. So yeah, just ignore the Baking Powder in this picture and pretend its Baking Soda instead! and word to the wise, make sure you read the ingredients and directions of whatever you are making carefully before starting!!!***

***Root Beer Concentrate was actually very hard to find. I checked everywhere, Target, Ralphs, Albertsons, Whole Foods, Trader Joes. I finally found it at Walmart of all places.***

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line one muffin pan with 12 liners.

* Sift together the Flour, Baking Soda, Salt, and Cocoa Powder and set aside.

* In the bowl of your mixer combine the Egg and Brown Sugar until smooth.

* Add the Heavy Cream, Melted Butter, and Vanilla and mix until combined.

* Stir in the Sour Cream.

* Mix in the dry ingredients.

* Add the Root Beer Concentrate and Root Beer and mix until smooth.

* Fill muffin pans and bake about 20 minutes.

***For some reason these cupcake liners were taller than normal, so it looks like I didn't fill these very full. In a normal sized cupcake liner, they you would about 3/4 full. I divided the batter pretty evenly between the 12 liners.***

* Cool before frosting.

***Comparing this picture to the one above with the batter, I think they rose pretty well considering I used the wrong ingredient!!***

Frosting Ingredients:

* 3/4 Cup Butter (1 1/2 Sticks)
* 4 Cups Powdered Sugar
* 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
* 2 Tablespoons Milk
* 1/2 Teaspoon Root Beer Concentrate

* Cream Butter until smooth.

* Add Powdered Sugar, 1 Cup at a time.

* Add Milk and Vanilla and beat until smooth.

* Remove almost all of the frosting from the bowl, leaving behind about 1/3 or 1/2 cup.

* Add Root Beer Concentrate to remaining frosting in mixing bowl.

Decorating:

* The smaller bowl of Root Beer Frosting goes in the middle of the cupcakes. You can either core out a hole and put some in that way. I like to inject the cupcakes with the frosting.

***This is actually a flavor injector for meat, but I think it works perfectly well for my this purpose.***

* Next Frost the top of the cupcakes with the Vanilla Frosting.

* I found Root Beer Candy that I put on top after the frosting.

* And for the finishing touch, I cut down a straw and stuck it into the cupcake like it was an actual root beer float.

* Enjoy!!!