I announced earlier that in honor of March Madness, I decided to create a dessert bracket with 16 styles of desserts. I’ve invited 16 great chefs to each take a category and make a recipe to enter into battle. I ranked the 16 based on my view of which was the favorite and like any bracket, the favorites are matched against the lower seeds. I won’t give you my seeding because I do not want to artificially impact your choices.
I will post a pairing each week on Wednesday and Thursday and open the polls for voting. The polls will be open from Thursday until the following Wednesday (before the next pair posts). The winner of each matchup with the most votes will move on to the next round and the chef will produce another recipe for their new matchup. The overall winner will receive any prizes I can acquire. To date the winner will receive:
- Dodo Book for Cooks
- A beautiful Bamboo Cutting Board with a Butterfly Motif, graciously donated by competitor Lindy (The Kozy Nook)
This week’s pairing is:
Cupcakes vs. “Other” Desserts (Not in other categories)
Today we have Jeanette from Booze Sugar and Spice brings us some great cupcakes…
My name is Jeanette, I post as PJ Sassifras over at http://www.boozesugarandspice.com which is a blog mostly dedicated to cocktail inspired cupcakes. I begged to be the Cupcake Bracket in this Diced competition because I can’t really bake anything else. Also, how better to win over voters than with Mommy & Daddy only cupcakes? Yes, boozy cupcakes you don’t have to share with your children. Welcome to my version of adulthood! It also includes, but is not limited to:
- Opening gifts whenever you want, not waiting until your actual birthday or the assigned gift giving holiday.
- Buying Halloween candy, eating it all yourself and turning off your porch light on Halloween.
- Not waiting an hour after eating before swimming.
- Going outside with wet hair.
- Going outside with wet hair AND no coat.
- Eating raw cookie dough. For dinner.
- Running with scissors. ← Actually, don’t do that. It really IS dangerous.
Look, folks, being a grownup isn’t a lot of fun. With taxes, lines at the post office, grocery shopping and other stuff, you have to get your kicks where you can.
So, what is a Nutty Irishman? Well, it’s a shot comprised of equal parts Irish cream & hazelnut liqueurs. It’s delicious on it’s own. It’s absolutely divine in Sunday morning coffee. If you put it in your Monday – Saturday coffee let me make two suggestions 1) Don’t drive and 2) Don’t talk to your boss, coworkers or attend any meetings ESPECIALLY conference calls. The Nutty Irishman is jokester and will get you fired.
Despite the fancy, schmancy pretense, you most likely have most of these ingredients already in your pantry. These are one of the easiest cupcakes I’ve made and the results are spectacular.
Nutty Irishman Cupcakes – Irish Cream & Hazelnut
(adapted from Cupcake Rehab)
Makes 24
Cupcakes:
⅔ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste *
⅔ cup Bailey’s Irish Cream Liqueur
⅔ cup Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur
⅔ cup water
2 Tablespoons whole milk
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
* If you don’t have vanilla bean paste, you may substitute vanilla extract and the seeds from one vanilla bean.
Preheat oven to 325 F. Line muffin tins with 24 cupcake liners.
Combine Baileys, Frangelico, water and milk in bowl. These are your “Wet” ingredients.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. These are your “Dry” ingredients.
In a third bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down sides and bottom of bowl.
Add in eggs, one at time, mixing after each to combine. Add in vanilla bean paste. Again, scrape down sides and bottom of bowl.
Now, add in one third of your “Dry” ingredients and mix until just combined. Next add in half of your “Wet” ingredients, mixing until just combined. Repeat with remaining “Dry” and “Wet” ingredients until fully incorporated. Using the rubber spatula, scrape sides and bottom of bowl to ensure all ingredients have been combined.
Using a scoop, fill liners ¾ full.
Tap filled pan on counter lightly to release any trapped air.
Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cupcakes will be pale.
Let cool in pan for less than five minutes. Then remove to wire rack to cool completely. Leaving cupcakes to cool in the pan will create a soggy bottom which sticks to the liner.
Frosting:
1 cup, unsalted butter, softened
3 Tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur
3 Tablespoons Frangelico Hazelnut liqueur
6 cups powdered sugar
24 Ferrero Rocher chocolates for garnish (optional)
Beat butter until light and fluffy. Beat in both liqueurs and powdered sugar a cup at a time until combined. Beat frosting an additional two minutes.
Frost cooled cupcakes. Garnish with chocolates, if desired.
Cream, whiskey, a hint of chocolate and hazelnut are a delicious flavor combination which translates beautifully into a moist, dense cupcake flecked with vanilla beans. The frosting is luscious, sweeter version of the cocktail itself.
Until next time, stick a cupcake in your cakehole!
xoxo PJ
My name is Jeanette. I blog as PJ Sassifras over at Booze Sugar and Spice. I’m happily married to David and the mother to two furry monsters Lafayette and Leopold. In addition to my love of cupcakes, I love hockey (Colorado Avalanche – Go Avs!), cycling, Game of Thrones, and all things Wonder Woman.
Rantings of an Amateur Chef 
Reblogged this on Booze, Sugar & Spice… and commented:
Alright, my bracket for the Diced! Dessert is up. Here’s my post. The voting starts tomorrow. I’m up against Donuts, Elephants, Danish, etc. So I NEED your votes!
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AMAZING.
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Thank you!
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They look amazing Jeanette! Definitely going to try the recipe. Thanks lady!
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Karen, I sused modified the recipe because you recommended the original on the National Cupcake Board. If I win, I might have to send you the cutting board. 🙂
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Okay, somehow my fingers got crazy on that comment. It was your recommendation which led me to the orignal recipe. Ty!
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Its funny I saw this, I actually have a new cupcake recipe in the oven right this very minute. And, I, too am using ferroero Rocher! Yours look delicious.. I’m crossing my fingers mine turn out 🙂
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Oh! I can’t wait to see your post on them. It is hard to go wrong with hazelnut & chocolate.
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They actually did not turn out as I planed time for plan B! Ha yours, however, look amazing!
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Yummm!
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Thank you!
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Jeanette made these and was kind enough to let me bask in their delicious glory. This is a new favorite and the mint julep ones she made last years are a very close second. Highly recommend you give them a try.
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I only paid Chris to brag about these. The mint julep comment was a freebie. 😀
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Lies! That mint julep cost her 2 Cards Against Humanity points from the Card Czar 🙂
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SO GORGEOUS!
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These cupcakes have the potential to end global conflict. Or at least give Mommy and Daddy a scrumptious treat. Bravo, Wonder Woman!
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yum!
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