Luck O' The Irish!

So I took a little break from the cupcake pattern to celebrate St Patrick's Day and play with royal icing.  So to start an Irish Blessing...

“May those who love us, love us; and those who don't love us, may God turn their hearts; and if He doesn't turn their hearts, may he turn their ankles so we'll know them by their limping.”

 

 

I know what you are thinking...what does this quote have to do with cupcakes...NOTHING.  I just like it, it is one of my favorite quotes.  So here are the facts.  My brother in law has been doing some major research into my families tree.  Come to find out we are not as Irish as we thought we were or as we were told we were.  But still we are Irish...so I make Irish Soda Bread.  Someone right off the boat taught me how to make this and I will share it with you.

Irish Soda Bread 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

You are first want to boil 1/2 cup of raisins.  Place them in a pan, add water and boil for 20 minutes.  The remove water and let cool.

 

 

In a bowl combine...

 

2 cups of sifted flour (King Arthur is the best to use!)

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 teaspoons softened butter

 

Combine these ingredients with a wooden spoon.  The dough will ball up into little pieces.  Then begin to add 1/2-3/4 cups of Butter Milk.  Add raisins, remove from the bowl and then begin to kneed the dough.  Kneed it into a circular shape.

 

Cut an "X" into the top of the bread.  Irish proverb says it is to release the fairies from the bread.  

 

Bake on an un-greased cookie sheet for 45-55 minutes and enjoy!

Now onto the sweet sugar cookies I made that day too!

Royal Icing Sugar Cookies

 

The cookie recipe I am sorry I will not share with you.  It is not mine to share, sorry.  But I will tell you any recipe will do.  I made the dough, rolled and bakes as the directions stated.

After the cookies cooled I prepared the Royal Icing.

Royal Icing

2 Large Egg Whites

3 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice

3 cups of sifted powdered sugar 

In an electric mixer ( I could sing the praises of my Kitchen Aid mixer ALL DAY) combine egg whites and lemon juice for 2 minutes on medium.  Then slowly add powered sugar until desired thickness.  Remember that you need to have thick icing to make the outline on your cookie.  Then you add water to thin frosting to flood the cookie.  If the frosting is too thin just add more sugar.

You need to go slow and be patient when you flood it takes time but the results are so worth it!  I was so happy with them and everyone LOVED them.

These cookies helped a sweet little boy enjoy his ride home!

 

 

 

 

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

This cupcake was so easy to make!  It has been sampled and I have been told it is yummy.  I made them in less then 1 hour from start to finish!  I am allergic to apple but I really wanted to make them.  I accidently licked my finger and a benyadryl later I am loopy and feeling sleep; but the cupcakes are still good :).  So here goes...

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Source: adapted from America's Best Recipes

1 (18.25-ounce) package spice cake mix
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup peeled, cored, and chopped Granny Smith apple (about 1 large apple)
35 caramels
1/4 cup evaporated milk or heavy cream (or regular milk)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
24 wooden craft sticks

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cake mix, eggs, sour cream, milk, and vegetable oil until incorporated (about 30 seconds). Scrape sides of bowl and then beat on med-high speed for 3 minutes. Stir in chopped apple.

2. Spoon batter into paper-lined muffin pans, filling two-thirds full. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Do not overbake. Remove to a wire rack to cool.  (They will be very light and pale)

3. Meanwhile, combine caramels and milk in a medium saucepan over very low heat; stir 4 minutes or until smooth. It's very important to keep the heat very low because if the caramel gets too hot it will become really hard when cooled.

4. Spread caramel mixture over cupcakes being careful to not touch the caramel to the paper liners or it will stick to the liners; immediately sprinkle with pecans, pressing in slightly. Insert a wooden stick into center of each cupcake. Store covered in an airtight container. It's best to serve the cupcakes the same day that you add the caramel topping. Caramel will soften if kept at room temperature for too long so store in the refrigerator until ready to serve then let come to room temperature to let caramel soften up a bit.

Makes 20-24 cupcakes.

My advise is to keep them in the fridge or eat them right away.  The caramel topping will sink into the cupcakes and all over the wrapper and then you move them you will be tempted to lick your fingers.  If you do lick them and have an allergy you will need benadryl :)

Yucky Yuck Rocky Road Cupcakes

Danielle Steel once said "A bad review is like baking a cake with all the best ingredients and having someone sit on it. "  Well that is how I feel.  One of my testers said that I always hit it out of the park when I bake and this cupcake was not the case.  It was so bad that I even missed 2 people who taste them on purpose.  I knew it would be a bad batch.  I didn't want to bake and I made myself do it.  Note self:  listen to the cupcake voices saying don't do it!!!  Next time I will be wiser :)  So here we go with this weeks cupcake...

Rocky Road Cupcakes

 5 ½ ounces cake flour
5 ½ ounces super fine sugar
6 ounces unsalted butter softened
3 large lightly beaten eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons dutched cocoa powder

The cake was very dry!  I would have made a double chocolate cake instead.

For The Rocky Road Filling… (the best part)
2 ounces semi sweet chocolate (I tripled this amount...it needed it)
1 ounce glazed red cherries
½ cup chopped nuts
2 cups pink and white marshmallows

For The Topping…

• 2 ounces melting chocolate 

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350° F (180° C) and prepare 12 paper cupcake cases in muffin tins.Place softened butter and sugar into a bowl and cream with an electric mixer until the butter changes colour. (generally 2 minutes)Add in lightly beaten eggs to the mix a little at a time, beating on slow for 15 seconds between each addition.
Add Vanilla then sift in flour and baking powder and cocoa and mix for a further minute.Spoon batter into cases until they are approx 2/3rds full and then place in the middle rack in your preheated oven.
Bake for approx 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean, then remove and let sit for a few minutes before removing the cupcakes from the tins and placing them on a wire rack to cool.
To make the filling in a small bowl melt chocolate over a double boiler, then add chopped cherries, chopped cuts & chopped marshmallows and mix to combine.
Cut a small hole in the center of each cupcake and dig out with a spoon.

Discard the center and fill hole with rocky road filling piled high.Melt remaining chocolate over a double boiler, and then drizzle chocolate across the filling to hold in place.

My Lameness and cupcakes

I have been really lame and behind on posting and although I feel there are no followers I feel as if I have let these non-existent people down.  Here is the cupcake of 3 weeks ago!

Andes Mint Cupcakes

Chocolate Cakes:

1 cup sour cream

½ cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 eggs

¼ cup water

½ cup buttermilk

Devil’s Food Cake Mix 

 

 

Chocolate Mint Filling:(I just used this as a drizzle on top of cupcakes not inside)

1/3 cup chocolate chips

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

¼ cup powdered sugar

 

 

 

 

 

Mint Buttercream:

8 oz cream cheese

6 tablespoons butter

3-4 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon heavy cream or milk

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

green food coloring

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two cupcake pans with paper liners.

2. Using a whisk, mix sour cream, oil and vanilla extract together. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well in between each addition.

3. Alternate adding the cake mix and liquids (buttermilk and water), starting and ending with the cake mix.

4. Fill liners 2/3 full and bake for 14-18 minutes, or until and inserted knife come out clean.

5. Chocolate Mint Filling: Melt chocolate chips and heavy cream together in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium heat. Stir in peppermint extract and powdered sugar.

6. When cupcake come out of the oven, use a squeeze bottle to fill the cupcake with the filling, or use the filling as a ganache and dip the tops of the cakes into it.

7. Mint Buttercream: Beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, heavy cream and peppermint extract and beat well. Add green food coloring and stir well

8. Pipe buttercream onto cooled cupcakes and top with extra Chocolate Mint Filling and an Andes Mint.

 

People LOVED them.  My roommate ate 3!(she is going to be mad that I said that)  They cake was good, the frosting was good the chocolate mint topping was good.  I believe this might have been everyone's favorite so far.