Ole! Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes with Strawberry Margarita Buttercream Frosting

I'm just going to start this out by saying that I love love LOVE making alcohol-infused cupcakes.  There is plenty of room for custimizing, and the possibilities are seriously endless!  Perhaps this is the tipsy girl in me talking, but I find tons of inspiration from girly cocktails when thinking of new cupcake recipes to make.

My friend Rachel celebrated her birthday the weekend of Cinco de Mayo, so what better flavor cupcake to make than Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes!  I found this really good recipe from The Picky Apple Blog for the cupcakes and frosting.  Using cake flour instead of all-purpose flour would result in a more dense product and a finer crumb, so I gave it a shot (and didn't dissappoint!).  Also, cake flour doesn't rise as much (hence the increase in density) so filling the liners more than usual worked out just fine.

You may also notice that I have a heavier tequila hand as I altered the frosting recipe as shown below to a be a bit more generous in the alcohol. hehe :)  [It did give more of a runny frosting since the tequila ratio didn't completely blend, so I may add more sugar, butter, and stawberry preserves next time.]

Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes
Makes 22 cupcakes

3 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teasepoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons limeade concentrate, I used Nellie & Joe's Famous Key West Lime Juice
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup tequila, Jose Cuervo Especial
5 tbsp strawberry preserves, I used Bonne Maman Strawberry Preserves

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tine with fun and sassy cupcake liners.
2. Mix together the flour, salt, baking soda and powder and set aside.
3. In a medium sized bowl, cream the butter until smooth then add the sugar and cream together using a stand mixer. Once the butter and sugar are creamed add in the lime juice, strawberry preserves, and 1/3 cup tequila. Mix in one egg at a time, waiting until egg is completely blended before adding the next.
4. Add in flour mixture 1/3 at a time, alternating with the milk.
5. Use spring-loaded ice cream scoop to fill cupcake liners and bake for about 20 minutes.  Remove from pan and allow to cool.


Strawberry Margarita Buttercream Frosting

1 pound (16 ounce bag) powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3 tbsp limeade concentrate
3 tbsp tequila
4 tbsp strawberry preserves
Pink food coloring, or Red will do

1. Using a stand mixer, cream together butter, powdered sugar, limeade, tequila, and strawberry preserves until smooth. 
2. Add drops of food coloring until frosting is desired shade of pink.

Step #3: Mixing in the stawberry preserves, lime juice and tequila.  Don't be alarmed if is looks like this!  Keep mixing and it will figure itself out as seen below...

Tada! 

 Step #4: Alternating with Flour and Milk.

Step #5: Cupcakes waiting for some lovin' from the oven.

The "BEFORE"

The "AFTER"!

 Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes all ready for a night out!

Did I mention it was a Stache-Tastic Birthday Bash?? OLE!

Birthday Girl eating some deliciousness!

All Stached-Out and posing with Rachel and our cupcakes!

The senioritas at Culinary Dropout eating cupakes :D

ADIOS AMIGOS!

Dig In!! The Archaeological Chocolate Cupcake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting and Fondant Topper

The best part of making cupcakes is the creativity. Cupcakes are 3 square inches of an empty canvas, so make every inch count with delicious details!

We celebrated my friend Andrea's birthday a few weekends back and, of course, I jumped at the opportunity to paint some edible canvases. I really enjoyed incorporating a special part of her personality into the cupcakes: Andrea is currently in graduate school for Archaeology! So with a bit of research on the career, I got the creative juices flowing, preheated the oven, and baked away.

When asked what flavor she prefers, Andrea replied, "Chocolate, duh!". haha! So I used the Chocolate Cupcake recipe from Dede Wilson's Book, A Baker's Field Guide to Cupcakes and the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting from the book, Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery. As usual, I often make these recipes my own by adjusting the quantities, substituting ingredients, and adding my own instruction if I choose to.

Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 18 cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup milk, room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with 18 cupcake liners.
2. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a small bowl; set aside.
3. In large bowl using an electric stand mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the bowl at least once.
4. Beat in vanilla extract. Beat in eggs one at a time, waiting until egg is absorbed and scrape bowl before adding additional egg.
5. Add flour mix in four additions, alternating with milk; beginning and ending with the flour mixture on low-medium speed.
6. Using a spring-loaded ice cream scoop, fill cupcake liners 2/3 full.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center shows a few moist crumbs. *Do not over bake! Chocolate cupcakes can get dry easily. I could have pulled them out a minute sooner to retain more moisture.
8. Remove from oven, cool cupcakes in pans for 5 minutes then remove and place them on cooling racks to cool completely before frosting.


Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Frosts 15-20 cupcakes

6oz (1 dry measure cup) of bittersweet chocolate, I used Ghirardelli's 60% Cacao baking chips
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablepsoon 2% milk, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups confectioners' (powdered) sugar, sifted to remove all clumps

1. Place chocolate chips in microwave safe bowl and melt on medium for 25-30 second intervals until smooth and has a think pouring consistency. Stir well in between each interval to prevent burning the chocolate. Leave to cool slightly.
2. In a larger mixing bowl, beat butter, milk, vanilla, and confectioners' sugar until smooth. This can take several minutes.
3. Add the slightly cooled melted chocolate and beat again until thick and creamy. If it appears too runny to frost cupcakes, keep mixing as this will thicken it and improve consistency.

 Step #1: Melting the chocolate chips

Step #3: Add slightly cool chocolate chips into creamed mixture until desired thickness is acheived.

Making the archaeological fondant toppers.

Because I know as much about archaeological tools as I do about rocket science, I did my homework first! I knew I wanted to do for the artifacts, but thanks to the wonders of Google, I found inspiration for the tool toppers here.

Top row from left to right: ceramic bowl and grinding tool with corn granules, stone-carved arrows, stake wire flag with flagging tape, fan brush with hand trowel, and rock pick with soil probe.

I made cute little turtles too because Andrea likes turtles!

And here's a look at the final product!

Rock Pick with Soil Probe

Flagging Tape with Stake Wire Flag

Mexican Artifacts of Ceramic Bowl with Grinding Tool and Corn Granules

Fan Brush with Hand Trowel

Message for Andrea!

A picture taken en route to the birthday celebration.

Me with the Birthday Girl about to enjoy some cupcakes!

DIG IN!

Guest Appearance: This is me trying to stuff my husband's face with delicious-ness.

Who says cupcakes can't complement the taste of beer??

NOM NOM NOM NOM.

Cupcakes in action!

(Andrea along with her boyfriend Mike digging in.)

Have a lovely week!

Happy Easter!! Caramel Cupcakes with Whipped Chocolate & Brown Sugar Frosting

HAPPY EASTER!

Today is a nice relaxing day for me, consisting of basking in the AZ rays by the pool, sipping an AZ cocktail (Vodka-kissed Pineapple & Prickly Pear juice), jamming to La Roux, and preparing for an afternoon BBQ. Can everyday be like this please?

At any rate, I made festive Easter cupcakes on Friday and brought them in for work: Caramel cupcakes made with caramel sauce, frosted with Whipped Chocolate & Brown Sugar Frosting, then topped with Coconut and Cadbury Easter eggs. I made the cupcake recipe using my Primrose Bakery Cupcake Recipe Book, and the frosting from All Recipes found here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Light-and-Creamy-Brown-Sugar-and-Chocolate-Frosting/Detail.aspx

Caramel Cupcakes

(Makes 16 Cupcakes)

8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room remperature

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 teasepoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup plus 2 Tabelspoons self-rising flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teasepoon baking soda

1/4 teasepoon salt

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup Caramel Sauce (recipe below)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pan with cupcake liners.

2. Make Caramel Sauce (see below) so it can cool slightly before preparing the batter.

3. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugars until pale and smooth, about 3-5 minutes.

4. Add eggs one at a time, mixing for a few minuters after each addition.

5. Add vanilla extract to batter and blend.

6. Sift or whisk the flours together in a separate bowl.

7. Add one-thrid of the flour to the creamed butter/sugar mixture and mix until the batter just comes together. Now add the caramel sauce and beat well. Add another one-third of flour to mixture and mix until batter just comes together. Now add heavy cream and beat again antil just blended. Add the final third of the flour until mixture in combined.

8. Scoop batter into cupcake liners using a spring-loaded icecream scoop.

9. Bake for 22-25 minutes until slightly raised and golden brown and until toothpick comes out clean.

10. Remove from oven and let sit in pans for 10 minutes, then place on wire rack to finish cooling. Frost when completely cool.

Step #3: Creaming to buttrer and sugars.

Making the Caramel Sauce (recipe below) -- combining sugar and water in saucepan

Caramel Sauce: Bringing to a boil

Cook sugar and water until it has reached an amber color (does not have to be as dark as mine)

Step #7: Adding Caramel Sauce (slighty cooled) to the creamed mixture after adding the first 1/3 of flour.

Caramel Sauce

Makes 3/4 cup

1 1/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup water

1. Place sugar and 1/3 cup of the water in a heavy saucepan amd stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Increas the heat and cook over a high heat for about 8-10 minutes, after which the mixture should be dark amber in color. (See images below)

2. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool slightly. The mixture is extremely hot!!!! Stir mixture to help it cool, stirring away from your face...this can be down by stirring over the sink.

3. Once mixture it has cooled slightly, stir in the remaining 1/3 cup of water and continue stirring. Even slightly cool, sugar is still really hot!! Add water over sink and away from your face as it may spatter.

4. Once completely cool, it can be poured into the batter mixture before the last 1/3 of flour is added.

Light and Cream Brown Sugar & Chocolate Whipper Frosting

Note: This frosting is runny! Works great to cover top with coconut shaving.

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup and 1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

- Pour heavy cream into mixing bowl and whip with an electric mixer. Mix in remaining ingredients and whip until stiff and spreadable. Use pastry bag to frost cupcakes.

HOPE YOU HAD A LOVELY EASTER!!

Get Tipsy: Champagne Infused Cupcakes with Pink Champagne Buttercream Frosting

 

I made cupcakes yesterday for my friend Erika's Birthday Bash.  I wanted it to be a suprise, but decided to tell her so I knew what flavors to make. She said 'anything but chocolate'. So what better way to CHEERS at a birthday celebration than with Champagne Cupcakes!! Her sister bought this really awesome tulip candle holder that spun it's petals around, lit up sparkles, and sang, "Happy Birthday". It was quite the show, so now I need one!

I found this great Champagne Cake recipe from All Recipes (altered as I increased the alcohol amount. hehehe), frosted with Pink Campagne Frosting from Betty Crocker, then adorned with rainbow sugar sprinkles and fondant decorations that read, "Cheer to you".

[[ You will find that I use recipes often from branded consumer food companies such as Betty Crocker and McCormick (best Red Velvet Cupcakes!). This is because I know they spend a substantial amout of money creating the best 'fool-proof' recipes that are universally delicious, usually printed on their boxes or posted on their website. And of course, for marketing's sake, they implement their branded items into the recipes. So overall, I have good faith in using these recipes when I find them. ]]

What are we waiting for? Let's get tipsy!

Champagne Cupcakes
(Makes 18 cupcakes)

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 cup champagne (I used Andre's Blush Pink Champagne, only $6.99 a bottle)

3-4 drops of Pink food color (optional)

6 egg whites at room temperature* (This is important as you will whisk them to stiff peaks. I found out (the hard way) that this is best achieved with room temperature eggs. You can speed the process up by soaking them in warm water while you prepare the rest of the recipe until needed.)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with cupcakes liners.
2. In a stand-up mixer, cream together butter and sugar until very light and fluffy.
3. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together, and then blend 1/3 into creamed mixture alternately with champagne.  Add in drops of food coloring at this time.
4. In another large clean bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form (images below). Start on medium speed until whites start to form bubbles. Then on high speed, beat for about 5 minutes or until peaks are stiff and maintin their 'points' when lifting the whisk out.
5. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into batter to lighten it, then fold in remaining egg whites. Use spring lever ince cream scoop to fill cupcake liners. 
6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean.

Step #3: Blending all ingredients and adding food color.

Step #4: Making Stiff Peaks, from bubbly to stiff peaks.

Step #5: Folding egg whites into champagne batter.

Pink Champage Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup champagne
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract (I use Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract. Invest in the good stuff and it will pay off!)
4-5 drops of pink food color

1. Using a stand-up mixer on medium speed, cream together all ingredients until smooth. Frost cupcakes!
Then prinkle with with colorful sprinkles. CHEERS!

 

The awesome singing, sparkling, and twirling Tulip candle holder on a cupcake!

Me and the Birthday Girl with our cupcakes :D

Ready, Set, EAT!

People tested, puppies approved! Erika gave Stella one to lick... she ended up taking a HUGE bite!

Stella leaves no trace, licking the table clean! haha

Have a great weekend!