I don't know about you, but after the holidays are over, I'm over winter.  All the lights have come down and it's just cold and dark and all I want to do is snuggle up with something warm and read. And of course if that something warm is a bit tipsy, even better!

I've always loved tea but I had never had a hot toddy until about 2 years ago when my brother-in-law introduced me to them.  And man, does he make a good one!  What do I think the secret to his success is?  Mighty leaf chamomile citrus tea, monkey shoulder scotch, and good honey. I have been wanting to make this cake for awhile and I am SO glad I did because it has quickly become one of my favorites.  The chamomile and scotch flavors are subtle, while the lemon curd gives it a bit of a zing, and the honey meringue frosting adds a bit of sweetness.  I can't say this cake will cure a cold, but I think it will definitely put a smile on your face! :)

[ Ingredients ]
Scotch Chamomile Cake
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
3 cage-free large eggs
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
5 teabags Mighty Leaf chamomile citrus tea
1/3 cup scotch + more for brushing (I used Monkey Shoulder since it doesn't have much peat)

Lemon Curd
3 cage-free large egg yolks + 1 whole egg
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, strained
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons butter

Spiced Honey Meringue Buttercream
4 cage-free large egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
2 tablespoons raw honey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (to taste)

[ Directions ]
Lemon Curd

1. In a heatproof bowl, whisk together egg yolks, egg, sugar, and lemon juice.
2. Set the bowl over simmering water and continue to whisk until the mixture thickens.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the butter until it is combined.
4. Press through a strainer to remove any lumps.
5. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it down to the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming.
6. Refrigerate until cold.

Scotch Chamomile Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In (3) 6" cake pans, coat with butter, line with a parchment paper round, coat parchment with butter, and flour. Tap out any excess flour so the pan is just lightly coated.
3. In a small saucepan over low heat, bring the milk and 3 of the tea bags to a simmer. Simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let it return to room temperature with the tea bags still steeping.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs to the mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Add the scotch to the butter/egg mixture and mix until combined.
7. Cut open the remaining 2 tea bags and use a spice grinder to create a finer tea blend.
8. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking, powder, and tea.
9. Add the flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, alternating, starting and ending with the flour, mixing well after each addition.
10. Divide the batter into the (3) prepared cake pans.
11. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake.
12. Let cakes stand for 10 minutes before removing from pans. Brush each cake with a little bit of the scotch and cool completely on a cooling rack.

Spiced Honey Meringue Buttercream

1. In a medium heatproof bowl, combine the sugar and egg whites.
2. Set the bowl over just simmering water and whisk continuously until the sugar is dissolved (or until the temperature reaches 140 degrees F).
3. Remove from heat and pour into a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
4. Whisk egg whites and sugar on high until room temperature (test this by touching the base of the bowl, it is cooled when the bowl is room temperature to the touch).
5. Continue whisking the mixture on high and gradually add the butter.
6. Once all the butter is incorporated, add the honey and the spices. 

Put it all together

1. ​When the cakes have cooled, use a cake leveler or a sharp knife to even out the cakes.
2. Layer the cakes, adding buttercream and the lemon curd between each layer.
3. Use the remainder of the buttercream to coat the outside of the cake.
4. Garnish with ground cinnamon, cinnamon sticks, and a twist of lemon.
5. Enjoy!

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Blood Orange, Cardamom, and Grand Marnier
Recipe adapted from Epicurious 

Well it has definitely been awhile since I've posted anything up here.  I've still been baking plenty!  I just have been to eager to eat and share my desserts before I have a chance to photograph them!  I'm going to try and update this a little more often, I promise!  And even get some recipes up for some of the things I baked in the past (champagne cake with raspberry ganache & swiss buttercream anyone?!).

To kick off 2017 I made this delicious flourless chocolate cake. The flourless chocolate cupcakes at SusieCakes are my absolute favorite and I have been wanting to make a flourless cake for a long time.  However, if you know me you know I couldn't just stop at a chocolate cake.  I found a recipe on Epicurious and decided to jazz it up a bit by adding some blood orange zest & cardamom.  And then of COURSE it had to be a little tipsy and Grand Marnier was the best way to up the orange flavor and add a bit of booze.  i had so much fun making this cake and it was super easy.  This might be my new go-to for events with family & friends!  Hope you enjoy!  Cheers!

p.s. I didn't try this, but I have a feeling adding a dollop of fresh whipped cream with a splash of more Grand Marnier would make this amazing.  Or some creamy vanilla bean ice cream...  so many possibilities! 

[ Ingredients ]
4 ounces good chocolate (I used Guittard)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
Zest of one blood orange
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier 
3/4 granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

[ Directions ]

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Butter an 8" cake pan, line with parchment paper, and butter the paper.  Sprinkle a little cooca powder inside the pan and turn it so make sure the pan is coated.  Tap out any excess cocoa powder.
3. In a medium bowl set over a pot of simmering water (or a double broiler), melt the chocolate and butter.
4. Once the chocolate and butter are melted, remove from heat and stir in the blood orange zest, cardamom, and Grand Marnier.
5. Whisk in the granulated sugar.
6. Add eggs and whisk well.
7. Sift in the cocoa powder and whisk until just combined.
8. Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake for 25 minutes.  Cake is done when the cake has a thin crust on top.
9. Cool in pan for 5 minutes and then invert and cool completely on a wire rack.
10. To serve, sift extra cocoa powder over the top and decorate with blood orange slices.

Baileys Cheesecake with Jameson Caramel and Baileys Ganache
Recipe adapted from Sweet Pea's Kitchen and Richard at Baking Arts

It's St. Patrick's Day!  And nothing celebrates this holiday better than Baileys and Jameson.  I have had the idea for this cheesecake for over a year now.  I attempted to make it for last St. Patrick's Day, but I was also heading to Disneyland so I didn't have enough time to mess with it and my first shot at it was a disaster.  So this year, I gave it another go and, man, it is AMAZING!  

This is pretty much the first good cheesecake I have made and I am super proud of it!  It is a chocolate graham cracker crust with a chocolate Baileys Irish Cream cake, drizzled with both Baileys ganache and Jameson caramel.  It's super rich, but the perfect thing to celebrate your St. Patty's Day!

Sorry for a short post, but I wanted to get the recipe up in time to celebrate!
​
Note: This cheesecake takes a long time to make.  You may want to bake the cake the night before and finish layering the caramel and ganache the next day.

Grapefruit IPA Cupcake filled with Grapefruit Curd and topped with Whipped Honey Frosting
Recipe adapted from Deschutes and Martha Stewart

If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area,  you may know that right now is one of the most wonderful times of the year.  That's right it is SF Beer Week.  There are all kinds of events spread across the entire bay area.  So, no matter where you live or what time of beer you prefer, you can probably find an amazing event near by.  These are the events where the brewer's bring out their most special and rare beers and is a great time to broaden your horizons. 

I could probably go on and on about all the different beers I have had and how amazing they all are, byt I will get down to the inspiration for these delightful cupcakes.  A few years back during beer week I attended a Ballast Point event at Harry's Hofbrau in Redwood City.  I'm not normally the biggest fan of IPAs but they had two IPAs that really caught my eye.  One was the Habanero Sculpin and the other was the Grapefruit Sculpin.  Both were delicious in their own way.  I think these beers weren't so available as they are now, so getting a chance to try them was pretty special.  The grapefruit one was so refreshing and it definitely stayed in my mind.  

With beer week being upon us, I really wanted to do a beer cupcake.  And I have messed around quite a few times with stouts and chocolate, but I wanted to do something different.  Fortunately with beer week coinciding perfectly with my best friend (and IPA enthusiast), Lauren's, birthday, I thought an IPA cupcake would be awesome.  I talked to her a little bit about what citrus she thought would go best and she agreed IPA and grapefruit sounded good.  I was secretly super excited because I had been dying to make grapefruit curd. Then I remembered, you can get bottles of the Grapefruit Sculpin at Whole Foods so that was perfect.

I ended up with a delicious cupcake made with the grapefruit IPA and some grapefruit zest, filled it with slightly sweet grapefruit curd, and topped it with my honey whipped cream cheese frosting for a bit of extra sweetness.  I can't wait to share these with my friend for her special day!  

[ INGREDIENTS ]
makes approximately 50 mini cupcakes

Grapefruit Curd
1 cup fresh grapefruit juice (I used about 2 Ruby Red grapefruits)
3 tablespoons fresh grapefruit zest
3 large eggs, plus 3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
A pinch of salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and softened

Grapefruit IPA Cupcakes
3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
3 eggs at room temperature
1 tsp grapefruit zest
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (you can substitute with vanilla extract)
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup whole milk
1 cup grapefruit IPA (I used Ballast Point's Grapefruit Sculpin), plus more for brushing

Whipped Honey Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons raw honey
2 cups heavy whipping cream, very cold


[ DIRECTIONS ]

Grapefruit Curd

1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the grapefruit juice to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer until the juice is reduced by half (approx. 5 min).  Let cool.
3. In the top of a double broiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water), whisk together the reduced grapefruit juice, grapefruit zest, eggs, egg yolks, sugar,  and salt.
4. Cook, whisking constantly until the curd thickens (approx. 6-7 minutes).
5. Remove from heat and whisk in the softened butter a few bits at a time.
6. Pour mixture through a fine sieve to remove any lumps.
7. Cover with plastic wrap (touching the surface of the curd to avoid creating a skin) and refrigerate until cold and set.

Grapefruit IPA Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Line two mini muffin pans with paper liners.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs, one at time, beating well after each addition.
5. Beat in the vanilla extract and grapefruit zest.
6. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
7. In a separate small bowl, mix together the milk and the grapefruit IPA.
8. Add the IPA and flour mixtures to the butter mixture, alternating, starting and ending with the flour, mixing well after each addition.
9. Spoon the batter into the lined mini muffin trays, filling about 2/3 full,
10. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
11. While still hot, prick the cupcakes with a fork and brush with the grapefruit IPA.  Cool completely.

Whipped Honey Frosting

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and honey on medium speed until smooth.
2. Slowly add the heavy whipping cream and gradually increase the speed to high.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and whip until stiff peaks form.

Put it all together

1. After the cupcakes have cooled, use a small knife or spoon to remove the center of each cupcake.
2. Using a pastry bag, fill each hole with the grapefruit curd.
3. Using a pastry bag, pipe on the whipped honey frosting.
4. Top with grapefruit zest.
5. Cheers to SF Beer Week!

Champagne Cupcakes filled with Pomegranate Curd and Grand Marnier Whipped Frosting
Recipe adapted from Life, Love & Sugar, Baking a Moment, and Brown Eyed Baker

Last week, The Tipsy Muffin celebrated it's first anniversary!  I can't believe how quickly the past year has flown by.  I have had such an amazing time turning cocktails into cupcakes and making all kinds of desserts a little tipsy.  And I definitely have to say thank you to all of my family and friends.  They have been constant supporters (and taste testers) of all my baking endeavors.  Even when things didn't turn out quite as expected.  I especially have to thank my sister, Natalie, for her photography and her amazing design aesthetics.  This blog would not nearly look as good if it wasn't for her.  And of course thank you to everyone who reads this blog and has used these recipes to make their own desserts!

And to mark my first  year blogging, I wanted to come up with something celebratory, fun, and good for the holidays.  It of course had to be a cupcake, since that is the dessert that started this whole adventure.  Nothing says celebration more than champagne, so after researching several different champagne cocktails, I found the pomegranate poinsettia.  The cocktail is champagne, pomegranate juice, and a little bit of citrus liqueur.  Creating a cupcake from this cocktail seemed pretty straightforward.  I decided to make a champagne flavored cupcake, fill it with a pomegranate curd, and top it off with one of my favorite frostings with just a splash of Grand Marnier.  The cupcake and frosting are sweet and the tartness of the pomegrante curd creates the perfect balance.  This dessert will be perfect to share with your friends and family over the upcoming holidays.  

There are some more exciting things in store for the Tipsy Muffin over the next few weeks.  I will be excited to keep you all posted on what's coming up next for me and my baking adventures!  

Cheers to many more blog posts and tipsy treats!  

[ INGREDIENTS ]
makes approximately 24 cupcakes

Pomegranate Curd
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon water
2 large cage-free egg yolks
A pinch of salt
2 cups unsweetened pomegranate juice 
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Champagne Cupcakes
3 ⅓  cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 
6 large cage-free whites
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sour cream
1 ¾ cups sparkling wine or champagne (I used Cupcake's Prosecco) 

Grand Marnier Whipped Frosting
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier 
2 cups heavy whipping cream


[ DIRECTIONS ]

Pomegranate Curd

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, sugar, water, egg yolks, and salt,
2. In a small pot over medium-low heat, bring the pomegranate juice to just a simmer.
3. Whisking constantly, pour about a quarter cup of the hot pomegranate juice into the cornstarch mixture.  Add a little more hot pomegranate juice, still whisking constantly, until mixture is warm to the touch.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the pot with remaining hot pomegranate juice whisking constantly.
5. Continue to whisk the mixture until it thickens.
6. Stir in the cold butter.
7. Strain using a fine mesh strainer and leave to cool.

Champagne Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line 2 muffin pans with cupcake liners.
3. In a small pot, simmer 1 cup of the sparkling wine or champagne over low heart.  Cook until is reduced down to about 1/2 cup.  Let cool.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
5. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the sugar and the butter until light and fluffy.
6. Slowly add the egg whites to the butter mixture, 2 at a time, beating well after each addition.
7. Add the vanilla to the mixture, and mix to combine.
8. Add 1/2 of the dry ingredients to the butter/egg mixture and mix to combine.
9. Add the sour cream to the mix and mix to combine.
10. Add the remaining dry ingredients.  Mix to combine.
11. Add the reduced sparkling wine or champagne along with another 3/4 cup regular sparkling wine or champagne and mix until just smooth.  Do not over mix.
12. Divide the batter between muffin tins, filling about 2/3 full.
13. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
14. Cool completely.

Grand Marnier Whipped Frosting

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and grand marnier together on medium speed until smooth.  
2. Slowly add the heavy whipping cream and increase the speed to high.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and whip until stiff peaks form,

Put it all together

1. After the cupcakes have cooled, use a cupcake corer or the back of a pastry tip to remove the center of each cupcake.
2. Using a pastry bag, fill each hole with the pomegranate curd.
3. Using a pastry bag, pipe on the Grand Marnier whipped frosting.
4. Top with pearl white or gold sprinkles.
5. Cheers!

Bourbon apple cupcakes filled with bourbon caramel and topped with cinnamon ginger whipped cream cheese frosting.
Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Autumn is finally here!  And I am so excited, because the flavors of fall are my absolute favorite!  I love pumpkin, apples, cinnamon, and of course bourbon!  I recently made a bourbon apple pie for my dad's birthday and was excited to keep experimenting with the flavors.  Apple cider and whiskey seem to be two ingredients in many popular fall cocktails.  And while, this cupcake isn't based on one specifically, it combines those two flavors to create a cupcake that tastes like autumn!

I found Brown Eyed Baker's recipe for a great apple cupcake, but adapted it.  I added just a pinch of cardamon (one of my favorite spices) and made it tipsy too!  And if you have seen or made any of my other cupcakes, you know I love to fill my cupcakes with something yummy.  And since caramel apples is another popular treat for this season, I figured the addition of caramel would be perfect!   Enjoy these cupcakes for halloween parties, fall birthdays, or just because and they will be a hit!

[ INGREDIENTS ]
Makes approximately 12 cupcakes

Bourbon Caramel
1/8 cup water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
2 ounces of bourbon ( I used Bulleit)

Bourbon Apple Cupcakes
1 ½ cup small diced organic apples (about 2 medium apples), I used Rosalynn apples
4 tablespoons bourbon (Again, used Bulleit)
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon cardamom 
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk, at room temperature

Cinnamon Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese frosting at room temperature
2-3 cups powdered sugar, depending on consistency
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream


[ DIRECTIONS ]

Bourbon Caramel

1. In a small saucepan, mix together the water and granulated sugar over high heat, bringing it to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling until the mixture turns a light caramel color, stirring every one to two minutes.  Note: this make take up to 15 minutes depending on your stove.
3. As soon as the syrup turns amber, remove the pot from heat and immediately stir in heavy cream, butter, and brown sugar until incorporated.  The sugar will clump up when you add it, but continue stirring as best as you can for about 30 seconds.
4. Place the pot back over medium heat and bring to a boil.  
5. Stir the mixture until the sugar chunk dissolves and it begins to smooth out.
6. Slowly add the rum while stirring constantly.
7. Simmer for an additional 3-5 minutes until slightly thickened.
8. Cool completely.

Apple Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. In a small bowl, combine the diced apples and the bourbon and set aside
3. in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom and set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until soft and fluffy.
5. Add the egg to the butter mixture and whip until combined.
6. Mixing on low speed, add 1/2 of the flour mixture to the butter and mix until mostly combined. Then add the buttermilk and continue mixing.  Finally, add the remaining flour mixture and mix until combined.
7. Fold in the apple and bourbon mixture.
8. Divide the batter between muffin tins, filling about 2/3 full.
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
10. Cool completely.

Cinnamon Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cream cheese until smooth.
2. Mixing on low speed, add the cinnamon and ginger.  Gradually add the powdered sugar.
3. Add the heavy whipping cream and whip until the frosting forms stiff peaks.

Put it all together

1. After the cupcakes have cooled, use a cupcake corer or the back of a pastry tip to remove the center of each cupcake.
2. Using a pastry bag, fill each hole with the bourbon caramel.
3. Using a pastry bag, pipe on the cinnamon whipped cream cheese frosting.
4. Use any remaining caramel to drizzle over to top.
5. Enjoy!

Baked Lemon Doughnuts with a Blueberry Bourbon Glaze
Recipe from The Corner Kitchen 

While I was on vacation in Tahoe, every morning we would get up and walk down to the West Shore Market for a cup of coffee and perhaps a little breakfast treat.  One day they had these incredible chocolate blackberry doughnuts.  They were so good, and felt slightly less sinful since they were baked instead of fried.  Since my first bite, I have been wanting to make some doughnuts, and when my friend, Christine's birthday came  up, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try something new,  And to maybe do something other than cupcakes for a birthday.

While we were celebrating her birthday over the weekend, she sipped on a bourbon lemonade drink at dinner.  It was delicious!  I wanted to kind of re-create that since I know lemon cake is her favorite and bourbon is just delicious.  I looked up a few different bourbon and lemon cocktails and found the Blueberry Bourbon Smash.  I liked the added flavor of the blueberries and decided it would be the perfect inspiration for the doughnuts.  I ended up making the light and fluffy lemon doughnuts and incorporating the blueberry and the bourbon into the glaze.  

These were so much fun to make!  And pretty easy too.  My friend loved them for her birthday!  I can't wait to try out more doughnut combinations in the future... Watch out October because Bourbon Pumpkin doughnuts are definitely happening!  :)

[ INGREDIENTS ]
Makes 12 doughnuts

Lemon Doughnuts
1 ¼  all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest

Blueberry Bourbon Glaze
3 ounces fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons bourbon ( I used Bulleit)
2 cups powdered sugar


[ DIRECTIONS ]
Lemon Doughnuts 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a standard doughnut pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the canola oil, buttermilk, egg vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
4. In the dry ingredients create a well in the center and add the wet ingredients.
5. Whisk until smooth.
6. Using a pastry bag, pipe the batter into the doughnut pan, filling each cavity about 3/4 full.
7. Bake for 13-15 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
8. Let cool for 5 minutes and then carefully remove the doughnuts from the pan and cool completely.

Blueberry Bourbon Glaze

1. In a blender or food processor, puree the blueberries and bourbon until smooth.
2. Pour the mixture into a medium sized bowl, and gradually add the powdered sugar until it reaches a desired consistency. 

Put it all together 

1. After the doughnuts have cooled, dip each one face down into the glaze so it just comes up around the sides of the doughnut.
2. Place on parchment paper and let the glaze harden slightly,
3. Enjoy! :)

Banana Rum Chocolate Chip Cupcake filled with Rum Caramel & topped with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting and Caramel Drizzle
Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

You know that Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor, Chunky Monkey?  Well these cupcakes are kind of like that... minus the walnuts, plus rum!  And caramel!  I'm not usually the biggest fan of rum.  Perhaps there were just too many Captain Morgan nights in college, but a rum drink usually is not something I order.  However, when I was vacationing in Tahoe earlier this month, I had forgotten how good rum can be with tropical flavors.  

When I got home I decided that I would make a dessert with rum in it.  And for some reason, I was hooked on banana.  I really like these cupcakes.  Sometimes banana cupcakes can be tricky because they often end up tasting too much like a muffin, but I think the caramel filling and the extra rum flavor definitely made these taste like cupcakes!  Eating a Drunk Monkey cupcake on a hot day is the perfect way to say goodbye to summer!  I can't believe how quickly summer went, and I can't wait to get back into backing some delicious fall treats!  But for now, enjoy these cupcakes with the last few summer sunsets!  :)

[ INGREDIENTS ]*
Makes about 18 cupcakes 

Rum Caramel
1/8 cup water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
2 ounces of dark rum (I used Meyer's)

Banana Rum Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
3 large bananas, mashed 
2 tablespoons dark rum (I used Meyer's) + more for brushing the cupcakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder (I used Ghirardelli)

*I prefer to use all organic & local ingredients whenever possible.

[ DIRECTIONS ]
Rum Caramel

1. In a small saucepan, mix together the water and granulated sugar over high heat, bringing it to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling until the mixture turns a light caramel color, stirring every one to two minutes.  Note: this make take up to 15 minutes depending on your stove.
3. As soon as the syrup turns amber, remove the pot from heat and immediately stir in heavy cream, butter, and brown sugar until incorporated.  The sugar will clump up when you add it, but continue stirring as best as you can for about 30 seconds.
4. Place the pot back over medium heat and bring to a boil.  
5. Stir the mixture until the sugar chunk dissolves and it begins to smooth out.
6. Slowly add the rum while stirring constantly.
7. Simmer for an additional 3-5 minutes until slightly thickened.
8. Cool completely.

Banana Rum Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 muffin pans with cupcake liners

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together until smooth and creamy.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Mix in the mashed bananas and rum and beat for about 1 minute.
4. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, basking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
5. Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the butter and banana mixture. Alternate between the dry ingredients (3 additions) and the buttermilk (2 additions), starting and ending with the dry ingredients.  Mix until combined.
6. Fold in the chocolate chips.
7. Divide the batter between muffin tins, filling about 2/3 full.
8. Bake 16-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Let cool.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth a creamy.
2. In a separate bowl, sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder.
3. Slowly add the sugar and cocoa mixture to the butter and beat until smooth.

Put it all together

1. After the cupcakes have cooled, use a cupcake corer or the back of a pastry tip to remove the center of each cupcake.
   
2. Brush the cupcakes with rum using a pastry brush.
3. Using a pastry bag, fill each hole with the rum caramel.
   
4. Using a pastry bag, pipe on the chocolate cream cheese frosting.
   
5. Use any remaining caramel to drizzle over to top and add any chocolate decorations you wish. I used some chocolate buttons I had.
6. Enjoy!

Ginger Beer & Bourbon Cupcakes with Strawberry Jam and topped with Bourbon Whipped Frosting
Recipe adapted from Southern Fatty

A new bar recently opened up in Redwood City and I had been dying to try it for weeks.  Finally, I was able to convince one of my friends to meet me at The Blacksmith for happy hour.  As we sat at the bar we watched the bartenders create amazing cocktails.  One of which was the Kentucky Buck.  I had never had this drink before, but it sounded like a good summer drink with ginger beer and fresh strawberries.  And as I sipped the cocktail and caught up with my friend, I couldn't help but think how good it would be as a cupcake.

I found a ginger beer cupcake recipe to adapt, decided to fill it with some strawberry jam and top it with a bourbon frosting.  I've been asking my family and friends to taste them for me and my sister's first reaction was, "Oh my god, best one yet!"  I am really looking forward to finding some new delicious cocktails to transform and more nights of fun at The Blacksmith.

[ INGREDIENTS ]
Makes approximately 14 cupcakes

Ginger Beer & Bourbon Cupcakes
2 cups ginger beer (I used Hollows & Fentimans Alcoholic ginger beer)
9 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons ginger
2 tablespoons sour cream
3/4 cup ginger beer (in addition to above)
4 tablespoons bourbon (I used Bulleit Bourbon) + more for brushing

Strawberry Jam 
3 cups small diced strawberries
1-2 tablespoons of sugar, depending on the sweetness of the strawberries
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water

Whipped Bourbon Frosting
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon bourbon 


[ DIRECTIONS ]

Ginger Beer & Bourbon Cupcakes

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, simmer the 2 cups ginger beer to reduce it to about 1/2 cup.  Make sure it does not burn and then set aside to cool.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and both sugars until smooth.
4. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
5. Mix in the ginger beer reduction.
6. In a separate bowl sift together, the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and ginger.
7. Add dry ingredients and ginger beer, bourbon, and sour cream, alternating between dry and ginger beer, bourbon, and sour cream, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.  Mix until combined.
8. Divide the batter between muffin tins, filling about 2/3 full.
9. Bake 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
10. Let cool.

Strawberry Jam

1. While the cupcakes cool, make the filling.
2. Mash the strawberries in a medium saucepan.
   
3. Add the sugar and stir until combined.
   
4. Over medium heat, bring the berries to a boil, stirring frequently.
   
5. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water and mix until well combined.
   
6. When the strawberries start to boil, gradually add the cornstarch mixture.
   
7. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking until thickened, stirring constantly.
   
8. Let cool.

Whipped Bourbon Frosting

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fixed with the whisk attachment, beat cream cheese, sugar, and bourbon on medium speed until smooth (approx. 3 minutes).
2. Gradually add the heavy cream, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until stiff peaks form. 

Put it all together

1. After the cupcakes have cooled, use a cupcake corer or the back of a pastry tip to remove the center of each cupcake.
   
2. Brush the cupcakes with bourbon using a pastry brush.
3. Using a pastry bag, fill each hole with the strawberry mixture.
   
4. Using a pastry bag, pipe on the cream cheese frosting.
   
5. Top each cupcake with a strawberry.
6. Enjoy!

Peach, Berry, & Bourbon Bread Pudding, with Bourbon Caramel Sauce, & Fresh Whipped Cream
Adapted from Martha Stewart

Bread pudding is one of my favorite desserts.  When a restaurant has it on their dessert menu, it's not even up for discussion because I am definitely getting that!  I think my love for this delicious treat goes back to a very fun night when I was in high school and my family was visiting some friends in Portland.  At around midnight, my mom and her friend decided it would be a fantastic idea to make some bread pudding!  So they did, and we all enjoyed it in the early hours of the morning.

Bread pudding is kind of a what's left in the fridge dessert.  After my sister's 4th of July BBQ we had lots of brioche hamburger and hot dog buns left.  I had some blackberries and raspberries that I ended up not using for a recipe, and my parent's had some peaches from their tree in the backyard.  All of these things sounded like they would make a delicious bread pudding.  And since this dessert is even better a little tipsy, I added bourbon to the pudding and topped it with my bourbon caramel sauce.  So whenever you have leftovers from a picnic or afternoon BBQ you might want to think about whipping up this yummy dessert!  

[ INGREDIENTS ]
Peach, Berry, & Bourbon Bread Pudding
1 ½ pounds day old brioche bread*, cut into 1 inch cubes
4 ¼ cups half & half
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, plus more for the baking dish
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) bourbon (I used Bulleit Kentucky Straight Bourbon)
5 eggs, lightly beaten
3 medium peaches, pitted, peeled, and medium diced
6 ounces raspberries
6 ounces blackberries

Bourbon Caramel Sauce
1/8 cup water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) of bourbon (I used Bulleit for this too)

Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream


[ DIRECTIONS ]
Peach, Berry, & Bourbon Bread Pudding

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Lightly butter a 9 x 13 baking dish, set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the cubed bread and half & half, tossing to coat.  Set aside to allow the bread to soak.
4.  In a medium saucepan, melt the butter.
5. Remove the butter from heat and add the brown and granulated sugars and bourbon and whisk until smooth.
6. In a medium bowl, with the beaten eggs, pour in the butter mixture and whisk until smooth.
7. Pour the butter mixture over the bread and toss to combine.
8. Add the diced peaches, raspberries, and blackberries, and gently work them into the pudding.
9. Spoon the pudding into the baking dish and top with parchment lined foil.
10. Bake for 55 minutes.  Then, remove the foil and bake until golden brown, about another 10-15 minutes.

Bourbon Caramel Sauce

1. While, the pudding is baking, in a small saucepan, mix together the water and granulated sugar over high heat, bringing it to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling until the mixture turns a light caramel color, stirring every one to two minutes.  Note: this make take up to 15 minutes depending on your stove.
3. As soon as the syrup turns amber, remove the pot from heat and immediately stir in heavy cream, butter, and brown sugar until incorporated.  The sugar will clump up when you add it, but continue stirring as best as you can for about 30 seconds.
4. Place the pot back over medium heat and bring to a boil.  
5. Stir the mixture until the sugar chunk dissolves and it begins to smooth out.
6. Simmer for an additional 3-5 minutes until slightly thickened.
7. Remove from heat and stir in the Bourbon.
8. Cool to room temperature.

Whipped Cream

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form.

Put it all together

1. Bread pudding is best served warm, so let it cool for about 15 minutes before cutting.
2. Drizzle each piece with some caramel sauce and a dollop of whipped cream. 
3. Enjoy! :)