Dirty Shirley Cupcakes

Hello, my boozey baker friends! How I have missed you, and baking, and blogging. It's been a very long time since I've posted anything on the blog; Ellen has been keeping things going while I've been MIA. The last thing I posted was the Spiced Rum Pumpkin Poppers, last fall. Wow, that feels like forever and a day ago.

I won't go into detail about the reasons for my baking and blogging hiatus, as I don't want to rain doom and gloom all over a post that I intend to be positive and hopeful. I made these cupcakes over a year ago, intending to do a post corresponding with cherry blossom season. But then spring didn't come for me.

Suffice it to say that it was a very, very long, dark winter.

What's the saying - April showers bring May flowers? Well, after a long winter full of showers (thunderstorms, monsoons, hurricanes, maelstroms, etc.), May brought me some good things - especially hope. I'm finally seeing the sunshine breaking through the clouds, and the flowers are starting to bloom. So, while it's not exactly cherry blossom season in California, this seemed an appropriately-timed post.  

Since we're celebrating a belated spring, full of sunshine, cherry blossoms, and hope for new possibilities, let's start with the recipe for the cocktail that inspired these cupcakes, shall we?

Champagne Celebration Cupcakes {with Vanilla Champagne Filling}

Need a pretty and festive cupcake to add to your next celebration?  These cupcakes are sure to please when your peeps like their cupcakes 'just right': not too sweet and just the right amount of champagne flavor to prove you love them!  

And, yes folks, I'm calling them, Champagne, not Sparkling Wine.  Yes, I know.  I'm a champagne snob, too, if the truth be told.  When I'm drinking the stuff, it's méthode champenoise all the way, baby!  Baking, well, I'm not that picky.  

When I first started blogging at BIWB, I made a few attempts at champagne cupcakes.  I've been trying out different recipes in the hopes of finding one that has great textures and great flavor.  This time, I think I've found it!  

I started with some basics that I knew would give me a light cupcake that would not overpower the subtle champagne.  I decided, also, not to splurge on an expensive bubbly or make a champagne reduction for the buttercream.  The former doesn't really add much more flavor, while the latter tends to overpower the buttercream with the given champagne's underlying fruit flavors. 

Rounding out the subtle champagne flavors in the cupcakes is a super-easy filling made with instant pudding and champagne.  Just a little adds so much flavor and really adds a nice finish. 

I took these to work while at a 2 day training.  Folks really loved these and were full of compliments.  I so appreciated that kind of feedback!  Nice to know I'm not baking garbage.  :)

Also, I've entered these cupcakes in this month's SaveMart Ultimate Bake-Off: Bake a Sweet Way to Celebrate!  I hope you have a chance to register and vote for me.  Voting is November 16 - 30th, with one vote/person/day.  I'd so appreciate the support and your vote!    

If I win, that means just that much more Bake It With Booze!

P.S. If you remember, I entered in July with my Campfire Cocktail S'mores Bars.  Believe it or not, I WON!  That was a HUGE shock, trust me, especially after all that voting hub-bub.  I'm very excited to enter this time, as well.  Fingers crossed!

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Irish Chai Latte Cupcakes {with Tullamore D.E.W.}

OMG, I can't believe it's been 2 solid months since our last post...Where has this time gone?  

Well, to be honest, A LOT has happened to me since that last post.  

The highlights...

• I entered the California State Fair and won 1st place ribbons for 3 baked goods!
• I entered a gluten-free baking contest at the Fair sponsored by King Arthur Flour and WON 3rd place!
• I entered a monthly recipe contest through SaveMart and WON! 
• I celebrate my mid-century birthday today!

Pretty darn good...

Alas, there were some very low points...

• I had to put my babygirl, Natasha, to sleep a month ago.  She was a beautiful cat and such a wonderful companion these last 15 years. 
• I had knee surgery to repair a tear the week after she was gone.  I'm on the mend thanks to the support of my dad and my friends.  

So, life really does have its ups and downs.

And, through it all, I have had wonderful friends who brought me food, carted me around, took me to lunch, and let me cry.  I baked quite a bit, actually...Mostly before surgery.  I just never posted anything.  Sometimes the mind is too full to blog.  I hope you'll all understand.

And, what more happy occasion today than this to share our favorite Irish Whiskey with you, Tullamore D.E.W.!  I've had these chai latte cupcakes on my BIWB bucket list for quite some time.

I found a whiskey chai latte cocktail so knew the flavor combinations would be spot-on.  These did not disappoint!  Super moist and full of chai tea latte flavors.  I have tweaked the frosting a tad as I found the chai latte mix didn't dissolve into the buttercream.  No worries, solution found -- just dissolve it in the liquids.  Easy!

Thanks of all you for stopping by the blog during our hiatus...We SO appreciate your support!

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Kahlua Caramel Mocha Cupcakes

“If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” 
― Martin Luther King Jr.

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, dear readers! Hopefully you got to enjoy a day off. I know I really needed today off work - not that it was a restful, relaxing day - oh nooo no no. I had delusions of grandeur for my three day weekend, and was going to accomplish all kinds of great things. My house was going to be soooo clean, replete with freshly sealed and painted baseboards, and I wasn’t going to have a scrap of dirty laundry nor a dirty dish lying around. I was going to give myself a perfect manicure, after painting the baseboards, of course, create a new recipe I’ve been thinking about, and even squeeze in some time with girl friends.

Ohh yeah, I was delusional. I ended up relating very strongly to the MLK, Jr. quote, above.

Actually, I didn’t do too badly. Although I didn’t so much as touch those baseboards, nor did I work on developing that recipe, I did get a WHOLE lot done – including a LOT of things that weren’t even on my to do list. In all honesty, that’s about par for the course, for me. I obsessively make “to do” lists that even Martha Stewart couldn’t get through in one day – but it pushes me to keep moving forward, and sometimes that’s enough.

Ok, in ALL honesty, I’m totally putting those extra things that I got done on my to do list, so that I’ll have the satisfaction of crossing them off. Yesssss.

Bella helped with the laundry.

So, I just got back from a long run with my dog, which was preceded by a trip to the grocery store (which is one of the most exhausting and hated things in my life – that’s why I’m so keen on substitutions when I bake). I also went to the vet for the second time this weekend to get different medication for my new cat – oh yeah, I’ve been administering meds to a cat all weekend. If you’ve ever done that, you know that I feel super accomplished just from that. It’s a really, really good thing the cat is so cute. It makes up for the blood loss, a little bit.   

Selleck. As in Tom Selleck.

Anyway, I finally got a chance to sit down and enjoy my coffee that I’ve been carrying around from place to place all day (thank you, Starbucks insulated mug for keeping it warm!). And you know what? I do NOT feel like baking anything today. Plus, by the time I’m done it will be almost dark, and OMG bad evening lighting/yellow nocturnal pictures/lions and tigers and bears, oh my! But, my delightful Starbucks coffee reminded me of an already complete, already photographed project that I’ve been meaning to post, and there’s no time like the present! As MLK, Jr. said, keep moving forward.

                 

I made these awhile back for a friend and co-worker of mine who is always going the extra mile to do things for others, so I wanted to do a little something and bring in a treat for her birthday. She used to be a Starbucks barista, so I thought these would be fun. Well, it ended up being a keep moving forward kind of recipe.

Spiked Eggnog Cupcakes

A great boozy treat for your holiday cocktail party!  Even if you can’t stand eggnog, you will love these cupcakes!  Not too sweet.  Moist.  Just the right amount of spices and bourbon.  Perfect for an easy to make, after-work dessert that is a true crowd pleaser.

I rarely, if ever, bake after work.  If you hadn’t noticed, we have “day jobs.”  So, our baking and creating time is limited, which is why you don’t see us posting multiple times in any given week.  But, we hope that we bring you delicious and consistently yummy treats that incorporate just that “right” amount of booze, without going overboard.  

For example: Ever had rum cake that was just TOO rummy?  I have, and it really soured me at a very young age to the wonders of booze and baking.  That’s really a large part of this journey on our blog--figuring out the right combinations of booze and other ingredients...It's not as easy as you might think...But a challenge (and adventure) we just couldn't pass up! 

Everyone at my holiday luncheon and white elephant gift exchange loved these…I even gave a lovely to an “eggnog skeptic.”  Her comment, “I was really skeptical, but it was great!”

Sharing this over at Cake of the Week, Baking with Spirit!
Sharing this over at Simple Living and Eating, Foodie Friday Linky!

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Coconut Daiquiri Cupcakes

If you love coconut and rum, these cupcakes are your Easter celebration E-Ticket!

I've REALLY wanted to make a coconut rum cupcake for a while since starting this blog.  I think I found a great combination of flavors and textures with this cupcake.  The cake is super moist, full of flavor, and the frosting is not too sweet.  This cupcake is a buttermilk coconut lime cake as the base with luscious coconut rum cream cheese frosting.  And, this is a recipe for a coconut daiquiri if you are so inclined...Coconut and lime?  Yes!

The coconut, sprinkles and Cadbury mini eggs are supposed to be my attempt to make them look like an Easter basket.  Again, more the "homey" feel here folks.  This is why imagination is still so important in life! 

This cupcake uses two kinds of rum: Malibu Coconut Rum and Myers Dark Rum.  Malibu is new to me and I discovered it's a combination of rum and coconut liqueur.  Very yummy, clear, and makes a FABULOUS addition to any daiquiri.  Myers is becoming my "rum of choice" for baking.  I think it has a really mellow and full flavor that hold up to baking.  All is good in the land of rum at BIWB!

And, I do have to mention my addiction to Cadbury mini eggs...I buy them every year.  I don't have childrens' baskets to fill.  I buy at least 3 bags.  I don't share them.  I consume one bag during the holiday and leave the other 2 bags in the fridge.  Yes, I hoard them.  I'm a Cadbury mini egg hoarder.  No, I don't need an intervention.  Please leave me alone with my Cadbury mini eggs.  Please. 

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Blackberry wine & chocolate olive oil cupcakes

We love to Bake It With Booze, and we love to see what other bakers create. We highly recommend that you go check out The Domestic Rebel's new boozey creation: Blackberry wine & chocolate olive oil cupcakes. 

Sweet <3

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Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

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Grocery shopping, or cupcake concocting?

You can guess how it turned out, but that was the dilemma I toiled over last night as I made my way home from work. Sensibility was gaining the lead as I considered all of the preparation I need to do for Christmas Eve dinner, which I'll be hosting at my house. I very sensibly considered all of the things I could accomplish early by getting my grocery shopping done that very night. Frivolity, however, edged out a narrow win - I think the bumper to bumper traffic and kamikaze-esque drivers wore me down. By the time I got home, I was in full denial mode. Christmas Eve, looming only three days away? No big deal. I have LOTS of time, right??

Red Hot ~Holiday~ Cupcakes

Red-Hot-Polka-Dots and Full of Holiday Cheer!!!

  I fell in love this year...with a cupcake.  It was the Red Hot Cinnamon cupcake for February at Icing on the Cupcake.  I'm a huge fan of Hot Tamales, too.  HUGE fan.  And, if I could find a hot cinnamon flavor Australian liquorice, I'd be in heaven almost every-single-day.  So, I've had this recipe from Erica at Sweet Tooth in the BIWB vault for quite some time.  And, since RED is my favorite color, my posts this month all seem to involve RED baked goods, and RED is one of the primary colors of Christmas, I decided to make these for you. 

Strawberry margarita cupcakes

Pin It I found these strawberry margarita cupcakes in 200 Cupcakes by Joanna Farrow. True to form, I made a couple modifications. I'll post my version of Ms. Farrow's recipe here:

Mint Julep Cupcakes

I want to throw this out there right off the bat: these are my favorite cupcakes that I've made so far.

Pin It My friend Jenn sent me this recipe from The Hostess Blog well over a year ago, and we had grand ideas of throwing a Kentucky Derby party but that hasn't materialized yet (maybe next year!). These looked so darn cute that I seized the opportunity to try out this recipe a couple weeks ago when we were invited to a BBQ with some dear friends I just knew would appreciate the cuteness. I decorated them the very same way they were done on The Hostess Blog : silver cupcake liners to look like traditional silver mint julep cups, bright green sprinkles and straws, and garnished with organic mint springs from my own garden. What a fun twist on a southern summertime classic!