I'm a huge Harry Potter fan, like to the point when it annoys me when people don't know really minute details of the wizarding world and don't have their house sorting exactly figured out.
Do people really exist that don't know their Hogwarts house?
I'm not a huge butterscotch person, but I had to try these! And I'm glad I did. They are the epitome of fall in a cupcake, and are like biting into instant comfort (like butterbeer should be).
This one I'm not copying over (though I have to say go with the pumpkin beer instead of cream soda if you can! It's so good!)
While we were in D.C. in the spring, absolutely everything was cherry blossom themed.
Predictably, we came a week before the trees bloomed, but the city was still vibrating with expectation.
We passed cherry blossom smoothies, stopped for tapas at a bar that served cherry blossom sangria, and walked by a bakery serving up cherry blossom cupcakes on the way to Georgetown for a college visit.
You can tell what caught my eye.
(No, we did not wait in line to try the Georgetown Cupcakes. If you want to, order ahead on their website and skip the line!)
"Big Black Horse and a Cherry Tree" KT Tunstall
Adapted from Georgetown Cupcakes
Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
1/2 cup fresh cherries, chopped (or frozen and defrosted if fresh not available) 2 1/2 cups flour, sifted 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, sifted 1/4 teaspoon salt 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 3/4 cups sugar 2 large eggs, at room temperature 2 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, plus seeds from 1 vanilla bean 1 1/4 cups whole milk, at room temperature For the cherry buttercream frosting: 16 tablespoons butter 4 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted 1 teaspoon whole milk 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/4
cup of fresh cherry juice (juice squeezed from cherries; if you use
frozen cherries, there should be enough juice once the cherries have
thawed)
Directions:
Line a standard cupcake pan with 12 paper baking cups. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sift together the dry ingredients on parchment and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar
for 3-5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a
time, mixing slowly after each addition.
Add the vanilla to the milk.
Add a third of the dry ingredients to the bowl, followed by a third of
the milk. Mix thoroughly. Repeat. Using a spatula, gently fold in the
cherries.
Scoop the batter into the cupcake pan using a
standard-size ice cream scoop, and bake for 16-18 minutes or until a
toothpick comes out clean.
For the frosting:
Combine the ingredients in a mixer and whip together at high speed until light and airy, approximately 3-5 minutes.
Frost each cupcake with a signature swirl of icing.
I, for some reason, thought these were made with creme de menthe, which my brother wanted to use up before his big move to graduate school this weekend.
Well, the recipe looked so good and I hadn't made cupcakes in forever.
So, yeah, these happened.
I didn't use all of the liquor that's supposed to be in them because I didn't want them to be too alcoholic. The beer gives the cupcakes a very distinct taste.
If you've ever had beer bread, imagine that. With chocolate
For the Baileys Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream (I substituted a bit of creme de menthe)
Directions
To Make the Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring
the Guinness and butter to a simmer in a heavy, medium saucepan over
medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
Cool slightly.
Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to
combine. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium
speed until combined. Add the Guinness-chocolate mixture to the egg
mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour
mixture and beat briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until
completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake
until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 17
minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a rack.
To Make the Filling:
Finely chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the
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. Add the butter and stir until
combined. Let it cool until thick but still soft enough to be
piped.
To Fill the Cupcakes:
Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter (or I use a melon baller), cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes, going about
two-thirds of the way down. Transfer the ganache to a piping back with a
wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.
To Make the Baileys Frosting:
Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on
medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl
occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the
powdered sugar until all of it is incorporated. Add the Baileys,
increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes,
until it is light and fluffy.
6. Using your favorite decorating tip, or an offset spatula, frost
the cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Store the cupcakes
in an airtight container.
Okay, this is from itsralphablueberry on YouTube. The cake was pretty good but I ruined it with a terrible cream cheese frosting.
Escape (The Pina Colada Song) preformed by Rupert Holmes
Here's the video for the recipe:
Combine eggs and sugar. Beat until the mixture is creamy and light
Add milk and oil. Gradually add the flour and baking powder to the wet ingredients and beat just until the batter is smooth (DO NOT OVERBEAT)
Divide the mixture into 2 equal portions. Add vanilla flavouring to one. Add cocoa powder into another and mix well.
Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Scoop 3 tablespoons of plain batter into the middle of the baking pan.
Then scoop 3 tablespoons of cocoa batter and pour it in the center on
top of the plain batter. Repeat.
Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes. Do not open the oven door at least the first 20 minutes.
INGREDIENTS 4 eggs 1 cup (8 oz / 250 g) granulated sugar 1 cup (8 fl oz / 250 ml) milk 1 cup (8 fl oz / 250 ml) oil 2 cups (10 oz / 300 g) all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 teaspoons baking powder 2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder black food colouring (optional) INSTRUCTIONS 1. Combine eggs and sugar. Beat until the mixture is creamy and light 2. Add milk and oil 3. Gradually add the flour and baking powder to the wet ingredients and beat just until the batter is smooth (DO NOT OVERBEAT) 4. Divide the mixture into 2 equal portions. Add vanilla flavouring to one. Add cocoa powder into another and mix well. 5. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) 6. Grease pan 7.
Scoop 3 tablespoons of plain batter into the middle of the baking pan.
Then scoop 3 tablespoons of cocoa batter and pour it in the center on
top of the plain batter. Repeat. 8. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes. Do not open the oven door at least the first 20 minutes.
These have reawakened the cupcake lover in me. They're just too good!
"I Think We're Alone Now" by Tommy James and the Shondells
Prepare the cupcakes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position a rack in the center. In
a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In
the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the
butter, cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until light and creamy,
2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each
addition. Add the limoncello and beat an additional minute. On low
speed, add flour mixture and buttermilk alternatively, beginning and
ending with the flour mixture. Add the lemon juice and zest and mix on
low speed just until incorporated.
Divide the batter between 12 muffin
tins. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the middle
comes out clean. Let cool completely.
Prepare the lemon curd.
In a heavy medium saucepan, stir together the lemon zest, juice and
sugar and bring to a simmer over medium heat. In a small bowl, whisk
together the egg and egg yolk. Whisk the lemon mixture into the eggs to
temper them. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and place over
medium heat, whisking constantly until it thickens, about 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat, and let cool completely.
Prepare the cream cheese limoncello frosting.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment,
beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until light and creamy,
about 2-3 minutes. Add the limoncello and beat for an additional
minute. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the sifted powdered
sugar and beat until fully incorporated and smooth.
Assemble the cupcakes.
Cut a hole into each cupcake with the large end of a melon baller or
the back end of a large pastry tip. Fill each cavity with the lemon
curd. Fill a pastry bag with a star tip (I used Wilton 1M) with the
cream cheese limoncello frosting and pipe onto each cupcake. Decorate
with lemon and berries, if desired.
This is the amazing Italian limecello I got to use!
(Only for the frosting though... what!? Impatient me? :)
For the cupcakes:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 ounces (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons limoncello
½ cup buttermilk
¼ cup lemon juice
Zest of one lemon For the lemon curd:
Zest of 2 lemons
½ cup lemon juice
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk For the cream cheese limoncello frosting:
2 ounces (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon limoncello
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Directions:
1. Prepare the cupcakes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position a rack in the center. In
a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In
the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the
butter, cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until light and creamy,
2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each
addition. Add the limoncello and beat an additional minute. On low
speed, add flour mixture and buttermilk alternatively, beginning and
ending with the flour mixture. Add the lemon juice and zest and mix on
low speed just until incorporated. Divide the batter between 12 muffin
tins. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the middle
comes out clean. Let cool completely.
2. Prepare the lemon curd.
In a heavy medium saucepan, stir together the lemon zest, juice and
sugar and bring to a simmer over medium heat. In a small bowl, whisk
together the egg and egg yolk. Whisk the lemon mixture into the eggs to
temper them. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and place over
medium heat, whisking constantly until it thickens, about 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat, and let cool completely.
3. Prepare the cream cheese limoncello frosting.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment,
beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until light and creamy,
about 2-3 minutes. Add the limoncello and beat for an additional
minute. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the sifted powdered
sugar and beat until fully incorporated and smooth.
4. Assemble the cupcakes.
Cut a hole into each cupcake with the large end of a melon baller or
the back end of a large pastry tip. Fill each cavity with the lemon
curd. Fill a pastry bag with a star tip (I used Wilton 1M) with the
cream cheese limoncello frosting and pipe onto each cupcake. Decorate
with lemon and berries, if desired.
