The Cynful Truth: 2012

So I was cleaning out my suitcase finally after 5 months of getting to sunny FL and I found something that made me smile from ear to ear.... my old recipe journal. See most people deal with break ups by changing their look or redecorating I deal with them by baking and out just any baking I like to make cupcakes alcoholic one at that so here are some of my most priced reciped maybe someone will try them for a girl's night in or a party I promise they are delicious and paired with the right cocktail make the perfect ending to a bad day lol I actually made the margarita cupcake the other day it's my favorite recipe and probably the only one I've done enought to know off the top of my head

Margarita Cupcakes With Key Lime Icing

Batter Ingredients

9 oz Margarita mix (such as Mrs. T's)

3 oz tequila (Patron Silver is my fave)

3/4 oz Grand Marnier

1/2 cup butter softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp lime zest

Mix together the margarita mix, tequila, and Grand Marnier in a large glass or spouted bowl. You will use 1 1/4 cup of this in the cupcake mix. Pour the remainder over ice and enjoy the mini-rita while you're baking.

In a stand mixer, ad all dry ingredients,then all wet ingredients , lime zest, and 1 1/4 cup of the margarita mixture. Mix on low for about 30 seconds and then increase to medium speed for two minutes (the batter will still be a bit lumpy).

Spoon the batter into prepared muffin pan and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick registers done in the center cupcake. Remove the pan from the oven and cook 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes and cool completely on a baking rack.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, make the icing and ice the cupcakes.

Key Lime Buttercream Icing

3 cups + 3 Tbsp confectioner's sugar

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1/8 tsp salt

1 Tbsp lime juice

Add the butter, confectioner's sugar, salt, and lime juice to the stand mixer and mix on low using the paddle attachment until combined. Turn the speed to med-high until the icing is fluffy. Add the icing to a pastry bag fitted with a 2D tip and ice the cupcakes.

Margarita Cupcake

Almond Joy Cupcakes

Batter Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon amaretto liqueur

contents of 1/2 vanilla bean

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup coconut rum (I used Malibu)

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream butter, sugar, and eggs together until fluffy. Add vanilla and amaretto and mix until combined.

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add half of the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Add the milk. Once mixed, add remaining dry ingredients. Add coconut rum and mix unti smooth.

Pour into cupcake tins and bake for 20-25 mins at 350. Let cool, then frost.

Malibu Frosting

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 – 2 lbs powdered sugar

1/4 cup coconut rum

1 tablespoon vanilla

Cream butter until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, alternating with rum and vanilla, until desired consistency is reached. Feel free to add more or less sugar or liquid based on how thick you want your frosting, then top with half a Almond Joy or toasted almond, whole or slithers

Lemon Drop Cupcakes

Batter Ingredients

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups sour cream

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add lemon peel and vanilla; mix well.Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream (batter will be thick).Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Frosting

3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons absolut citron

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon lemon zest

For frosting, cream butter and sugar in a small mixing bowl. Add lemon juice, citron, vanilla, lemon peel and milk; beat until smooth. Frost cupcakes, top with crushed lemon heads or colored sugar.

Sparkling Champagne Cupcakes

Batter Ingredients

1/2 cup butter softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup champagne, prosecco or your choice of sparkling wine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside. in a medium sized bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup champagne and 1/2 cup sour cream (mixture will fizz and bubble a little). Add flour and champagne mixture alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Batter will be thick.

Fill cupcake papers with 1/4 cup level measures of batter. Bake for 17-22 minutes. Set aside.

Champagne Frosting

1 cup plus 1 tbsp. champagne or prosecco

2 sticks of butter softened

2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Place 1 cup of champagne in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to 2 tablespoons. Transfer to a small bowl or condiment cup and allow to cool.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream softened butter and powdered sugar together. Once the frosting is thick and fluffy, pour in the reduced 2 tbsp. champagne plus 1 tbsp. champagne from the bottle and mix well.

Frost the cream-filled cupcakes and decorate with pastel dragees.

Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes (Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes)

Batter Ingredients

1 cup stout (such as Guinness)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

2/3 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

Ganache Filling

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate

2/3 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1 to 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey (optional)

Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and whiskey (if you’re using it) and stir until combined.

Fill the cupcakes: Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes). Meanwhile, using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Those are your “tasters”. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

Baileys Frosting

3 to 4 cups confections sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperatue

3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof)

Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time. When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys (or milk) and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin (it shouldn’t, but just in case) beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.

White Russian Cupcakes

Batter Ingredients

3/4 cups butter

3 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup milk

1/4 cup vodka

1/4 cup Kahlua

Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temp. for 30 minutes. In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, combine milk, vodka, and Kahlua. Set aside.2. Preheat over to 375 F. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and milk, beating after each addition just until combined. Do not overmix! Fill lined cupcake pan 3/4 full each.3. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Kahlua Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup room temp. butter

4 cup powdered sugar (or to taste)

4 tbsp Kahlua (or to taste)

Cream butter then gradually mix in powdered sugar. Add Kahlua and more powdered sugar to taste.

Fuzzy Navel Cupcakes

Batter Ingredients

2 sticks of butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup peach schnapps

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

Zest and juice of 1 orange

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup peach nectar

Preheat oven to 350 In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.Add schnapps, vanilla extract, salt, baking powder, baking soda and orange zest.Mix to combine.Add 1 1/2 c. flour, mix until just combined.Add sour cream and peach nectar, mix until just combined.Add remaining 1 1/2 c. flour, beat until all flour is absorbed, scrape down mixer to make sure everything is mixed well. (Beat no more than 20 seconds after each addition)Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners, add batter to cups about 2/3 of the way up.Bake for 18-22 minutes, until puffed and golden brown, cool for 5 minutes in tins, transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Orange Buttercream

2 sticks of butter, softened

2 lbs. confectioners sugar

Zest and juice of 1 orange

Pinch of salt

Beat butter, orange zest, juice and salt together in a stand mixer.Add confectioners sugar 1/2 c. at a time on low speed, add milk or cream to thin.

Ice cooled cupcakes, then top with candy orange slices.

Caramel Appletini Cupcakes

Batter Ingredients

2-3 apples, granny smith (I used 3 apples)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1/2 cup oil

1/4 cup apple juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

green food coloring to desired color

To make cupcake–Preheat oven 350F.

Rinse and core the apples. Place them on an ovenproof pan or baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes until soft. Remove the apples from the oven, let cool slightly, then remove peel and mush the apple with the back of a fork. Measure out 1 cup of apple mush and set aside to cool.
Combine flour, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt in a medium sized bowl and whisk to combine. Crack the eggs into a separate, medium sized bowl and beat. Add the oil, apple juice, vanilla, and cooled apple mush and mix to combine. Combine the wet and dry ingredients until all ingredients come together.Scoop into cupcake liners. Bake for 17-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Caramel Apple frosting

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup packed dark brownsugar

4-5 tablespoons milk

4-6 teaspoons apple vodka, to taste (I used 5 tsp Smirnoff)

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and 4 tablespoons milk; cook 1 minute or until sugar melts. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Combine butter mixture and apple vodka in a large bowl. Gradually add powdered sugar; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add last tbsp milk, 1 Teaspoon at a time, beating until spreading consistency.

Caramel drizzle

1/2 cup evaporated milk (I substituted heavy cream before it works just as well)
4oz individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped (I used about 20 Wether’s chewy caramels)

Combine evaporated milk and caramels in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook stirring frequently until caramels are melted and the mixture is smooth. Let cool for a few minutes before putting it in a piping bag (or ziplock bag with a small snip cut off in the corner) and slowly drizzle over cupcake.

To assemble cupcakes—Use a spatula to frost a layer on the cupcake. Pat green decorating sugar around bottom rim of frosting. Fill piping bag with frosting and use a 1M star tip to pipe onto cupcake. Garnish with caramel drizzle