♥ I'll Bake My Cake And Eat It Too ♥: 2010

This cupcake wedding cake served 150 people. There were two kinds of cupcakes, one being a Guinness cupcakes with Bailey's Irish creme frosting, and the other was a coconut cupcakes with a fresh lime buttercream. Check out my website for pricing and ordering information www.carlymakescakes.com.

Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey's Irish Creme Frosting

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup Guinness stout

2/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted

1 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon table salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup white sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

2 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

Frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 pinch table salt

3 tablespoons irish cream (Bailey's or Carolan's)

1 tablespoon milk

green sprinkles

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F Grease 24 cupcake cups, or fill with paper liners.

In a saucepan, heat the butter, Guinness, cocoa and brown sugar, whisking often, until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Into the work bowl of a stand mixer (or into a large mixing bowl), sift together salt, flour, white sugar and baking soda. Add the cooled Guinness mixture and beat on medium for 1 minute. Add eggs and sour cream and beat on medium for 2 minutes or until smooth.

Divide the batter evenly amongst the cupcake cups. Bake in preheated oven 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean. Cool in pan 20 minutes, then remove and transfer to a cooling rack until completely cooled.

Meanwhile, in new work bowl of stand mixer, cream butter until very light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add salt, and slowly add confectioners sugar. Do not run the mixer above low, or the sugar will spray all over your kitchen. Add a couple of spoonsful at a time until it has all been absorbed into the butter. Add Bailey's and milk until spreadable consistency is achieved.

Makes about 24 Cupcakes

Coconut Lime Cupakes with Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 heaping teaspoon grated key lime zest

1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice, fresh squeezed

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 1/3 cups loosely packed sweetened coconut flakes (3.5 ounces)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla extract, key lime zest and juice and mix well. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 5 parts total, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold the coconut into the cupcake batter.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners and fill each liner almost to the top with batter. Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops begin to brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer cupcakes to a baking rack to cool completely.

Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons lime zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

4-5 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons lime juice

milk (optional)

Directions:

Beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.

Gradually add powdered sugar alternately with lime juice, 1 Tbsp. at a time beating at low speed until blended and smooth after each addition. Beat in up to 1 Tbsp. milk for desired consistency