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?

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie {with Frambroise} Day!

Happy Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day!  I know...Aren't you excited?!  I certainly am!!  No question about it, this pie is about as American as you get.  And, it's an amazing pie.  Simple to make, beautiful, and its taste is sublime.  Just the right amount of sweet.  This pie is infused with just a hint of Frambroise which gives a luscious body to the syrup that surrounds the strawberries and rhubarb.

Rhubarb is a vegetable, tastes sour when raw, and it is infamous because of its toxic leaves.  It is only available, fresh, in the late spring and early summer months here in California.  You can also find it frozen.  It's a very sour vegetable and typically is used in baked sweet treats to round out the acidity.  I have also seen it in jams, which I would image are beyond words!

I used fresh rhubarb for my pie and opted for frozen strawberries this time.  I know...why not fresh strawberries, too?  Well, my friend Leslie always used frozen.  Just cuz, I don't know.  But, frozen strawberries are as sweet and pack as much flavor as fresh.  So, I stand by my decision. 

This pie with its hint of Frambroise to round out the filling's sweetness is easy to throw together.  Oh-so-good to enjoy on a beautiful summer day!

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Amaretto and Apple Galette

This galette is easier than you think!  Ground almonds in the filling, enriched by smooth Amaretto.  Not too sweet, not too tart: Just Right!   This tart is similar to my hazelnut tart, but more dense yet less sweet.  A great combination for dessert or to start you day off with a strong cup of coffee or espresso.  And, it's even possible to have TWO slices and not EVEN feel guilty! 

And, right off the bat, a HUGE "thank you!!" to Ally at A Girl and Her Fork who had a giveaway a few weeks back when I WON a really groovy OXO hand-held slicer.  Thank you, Ally!  This slicer made quick work of my apples and was SO EASY to use.  My "old" mandoline required a lot more counter space and more cleanup.  No changing out blades with this OXO slicer which is a whole lot safer in my book!

This tart is laced ever so slightly with Amaretto, the Italian almond liqueur.  I joked on Facebook a few weeks ago that I was working my way through the Italian liqueurs....Seems like I don't need to joke anymore.  I'm fully ENTRENCHED in Italian liqueurs with utter abandonment it seems.  I'm okay with this Italian liqueur entrenchment...All the more reason to become Italian!

For those foodies out there, frangipane is a French almond filling used in all sorts of fruit tarts.  Martha's frangipane tart was made with poached pears, but who has time to poach pears?  A galette is a French tart of fruit, typically a free-formed tart (AKA rustic) with thinly sliced fruit arranged over a frangipane or custard filling.  Or, sometimes the fruit is its own show piece!

I know you'll love this tart.  Easy to make, easy to eat, and easy to share with your favorite Italian.  YUM!

Rustic, no?  

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Harvey Wallbanger Cake for Picnic Day

I made this cake for a small gathering on Unitrans alumni friends in Davis last weekend.  It was the 98th Picnic Day celebration and the 1st Picnic Day at the Park for me and my Unitrans buddies.  Our fellow alumni, Mike, has gathered at Davis Central Park for years and I was lucky enough to stumble on his mini-party last year for the first time.   As you might remember I helped organize a reunion of my Unitrans buds last October...The pictures pretty much told the story.  No bus driving this time, but we had a blast, replete with a great BBQ at Mike's beautiful home (off the golf course) in Woodland. 

My friend, Lisa, gave me this recipe.  It started with a phone call...I rarely answer my phone (as most of my friends know...).  When I heard Lisa's voice, it sounded kinda concerned.  She had planned to make her father's favorite bday cake, Harvey Wallbanger, and couldn't find a key ingredient: orange cake mix.  The cake is based on the cocktail which dates back to the 1950s.  Once I heard the NAME of this cake, I was IN! 

So, onto the internet search to figure out what this cake was all about...I found a few recipes with pictures.  Intriguing.  Fun.  Different.  Galliano?  I needed a REASON to buy some...Really.  It's the truth.  I have a fondness for this Italian vanilla-anise liqueur after many a Unitrans trip up to Poor Reds for amazing Golden Cadillacs and the best tasting ribs on EARTH.  Mind you, after a few too many cocktails at a very young age, most ANY food is going to be the BEST you've ever tasted.  ;-) 

A few weeks later, Lisa had successfully made the cake with a yellow mix and she saved me a piece...Moist and such a different, yet amazingly complex flavor.  I knew I had Picnic Day plans with my Unitrans buds (Lisa's husband, Ivan, and I drove buses together...you see the connections here) and THIS WAS THE CAKE! 

Unitrans alumni meets Poor Reds memories meets Picnic Day at the Park!

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Cosmopolitan Cupcakes

I threw a girls' night cocktail and dinner party for my mixer, Bella, which was custom painted by Nick Dinardo of Un Amore Custom Designs.  I also made these very special cupcakes for the party...Everyone loved them, moist, vodka-soaked cranberries surrounded by rich lime flavored cake and topped with Cosmopolitan frosting.  What more can I say?  

Bella's party companions were: Melanie, Jacqueline (my BIWB partner extraordinaire), Dorothy (Iron Blogger), Peggy, Nancy, Holly, and Hayley (Blogger Phenom).  All great friends who listened very patiently over the long, long months waiting for Bella to return.  After several delays, including a trip to Michigan to get fixed, she arrived a few weeks ago.  I couldn't be more happy with Nick's design and finished art work.  I am truly luck to have Bella in my home.

And, a very, very special thanks to Peggy for allowing me to borrow her "extra" KitchenAid while Bella was away.  I couldn't have baked a thing or blogged these last few months.  Most especially, there would have been NO Xmas cookies for my 30 friends and family.  I could not thank Peggy enough...Really.  If you bake and you have a KitchenAid, you know I mean.  :)


So you see what Bella is holding?  Take a close look...It's a cosmopolitan!  As the artist, Nick, was putting the finishing touches on Bella, we had to decide what she would be holding.  Rose, wooden spoon, glass of wine?  Wait, wait!  I am known among my friends for making a killer cosmo.  It was only fitting that Bella should be enjoying one for eternity, too.  And, see that bling...Swarovski crystals baby!  Nick's very special gift just for Bella!!

More on Bella later as I'm developing her signature cupcake...Just be patient cuz' you're going to LOVE it!

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Pi Day Pie Blog Hop! Brandied Apple Pie with Cheddar Crumb Topping

It's Pi Day!  We are happy to be participating in an annual holiday that only math geeks may appreciate...Today is 3.14...Get it?  Pi Day!  In case you were wondering, Pi ( π or 3.14159265...) is the number that is derived when you divide the circumference of ANY circle by its diameter.  For the math geeks in the room that's:

Our local blogger buddy, Dorothy, at CrazyforCrust was the inspiration for today's posts.  She's a math geek, we are math geek...We are PROUD math geeks!  Math geek girls ROCK!! 

We are sharing posts from other  π-minded bakers today.  Go on, hop on over for some GREAT π's and tarts!!

Crazy for Crust
Apple Galettes by Kristin’s kNook
Baltimore Bomb Pie by Something Swanky
Grasshopper Thin Mint Pie by The Domestic Rebel
Banana Split Brownie Pie by BruCrew Life
Irish Banana Cream Pie by Shugary Sweets
Apple and Apricot Tart by Trilogy Edibles
Reese’s Fudge Pie by Mandy's Recipe Box

The brandy in this pie gives it a velvety sweetness...Almost silky.  Elegant, too.


I'm sharing this recipe over at Cake of the Week's 
Baking with Spirit Challenge: Dark Spirits.  

Hop on over to Cake of the Week to see even more 
booze-inspired baked goodies!  

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Luck O' The Irish Cupcakes

GO IRISH!!

St. Patrick's Day will soon be here and these chocolate and mint cupcakes would do him proud!  Light and full of flavor.  And, okay, I admit it: there is no Irish whiskey in these, but the GREEN is amazing and so are the mints in these babies.  Andes mints are hiding in there and on top.  I brought these into work and all 12 were gone by 9am.  I had 3 of these cupcakes consumed without even leaving my cubicle by 3 VERY hungry men! 

Unabashed consumption of breakfast cupcakes--a sight to warm my heart.   

These cupcakes are based on the Grasshopper cocktail, which my parents drank when I was little, like when I was 4 and 5 years old.  I remember these, even as a very young kid.  Obviously.  :)  Probably the first cocktail I ever knew about.  They are legend in my family stories of our time at Picatinny Arsenel in New Jersey.  Yes, I'm sorta an Army brat and believe it or not, my dad was a REAL rocket scientist.  Those were back in the lazy days of playing outside all day and watching the tar bubble up in the roads on a hot summer day.  Not wearing shoes and learning the phrase, "It's either: IN or OUT!"

I used Jacqueline's famous Mint Julep Cupcake recipe as the basis for this cupcake.  I am truly amazed by this recipe.  This are the BEST recipe so far as they achieve the crumb and moisture I've been searching for since we started this blog.  Give them a try and you won't be disappointed. 

And, look, can't you just smell the mint and see how luscious these are?  No delayed gratification this time!

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Hard Cider Apple Pie

 Warm, crunchy, cinnamoney goodness all in one bite.  I just couldn't wait any longer to sample this last night.  I made this pie as my dad was coming over for dinner and to do some handy work.  He's a furniture/cabinet maker, and he made me a cabinet door which he installed after a very long wait.  Beautiful woodwork, rewarded by this beautiful Hard Cider Apple Pie.  My Dad is worth so much more!! 

I'm sharing this over at Cake of the Week's September Baking with Spirit Challenge: Cider!  Head on over there for a whole year of boozy baked goods!  Happy Fall!!

Pomegranate Cosmo Cupcakes



Little pomegranate-bejeweled,
tangy and sweet treats...Smooth.

  If the truth be known, this is my signature cocktail.  No joke, I've made over a hundred of these for friends at Casa de Haertle.  I seriously honed my cocktail shakin' skills on this cocktail combination.  I won't go back to cranberry...Pomegranates are the only way to go, with this cupcake or the cocktail.  And, getting an extra dose of antioxidants in your diet isn't a bad thing either!

Dirty Girl Scout Cookies

I love the name of these cookies!  Conjures up a lot of images, eh?  Good images, not-so-good images.  Is it "Dirty-Girl Scout-Cookie" or is it "Dirty Girl-Scout Cookie"?  Hum, I'll leave that up to you!  :)

Here's a shot of the finished cookies and new cocktail...Soon to become one of my favorite cocktails.  And, I will honestly say: one of my Top 10 Cookies!!!!!

I made this large so you could see the cookie and

 marvel over the layered effect of this cocktail creation.

So, you wonder how I ever found this one?  Well, I was feeling, I don't know, stressed about almost everything in my life.  When that happens I either: bake something or buy something.  This time, I bought 2 new cookbooks, both booze-themed.  This recipe comes from The Boozy Baker, by Lucy Baker.  Seriously, her name is Baker.  When I saw this title and looked at the ingredients and accompanying cocktail, I WAS IN! 

How bad can ANY cookie or cocktail be with those three liqueurs, along with an equal part of vodka?  I'll save the recipes for the end of the post just in case you'd like to try these on your own.  I HIGHLY recommend both for your next autumn night baking respite.

Extra crispy pie crust - with booze!

Boozey blackberry hand pie...not an omelet, despite appearances.

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I don't know about you, but I am forever perfecting my pie crust. It's my own quest for the Holy Grail. I love pie better than most desserts...heck, most FOODS out there. And the crust is my favorite part. I've tried many, many recipes, tips, tricks, and gadgets in search of a perfectly flakey, buttery crust that's crumbly, but not dry, and crispy on the bottom. I HATE soggy bottom crust. Yuck, yuck, yuck.

I got a food processor for Christmas, which changed my life. Seriously, I don't know why I ever doubted the utility of a food processor. It is NOT "basically a blender" as I naively believed before. I think I bust it out at least weekly. I've found a couple trusted, tried-and-true recipes (courtesy of Martha Stewart) that never let me down: my favorites are Our Favorite Pie Crust and Patee Brisee.