Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

So I have been happily Pinning away on Pinterest! If you are not on board, come on! I pinned these cupcakes awhile back, and when I decided Bunco was the perfect time to make them, I decided to find the original source.  You see, there is very little original stuff out there, and I like to try to find the origins of a recipe.  After all, someone started the trend, they deserve the credit.  Sure enough, there was a trail of 3 blogs.  However, the last one had no index.  I will never understand how a food blogger can justify not organizing their recipes or offering a search option.  I feel bad, but the last stop for me on my search was here, Cast Sugar.  So I followed her recipe, sort of.  I always like to read comments, in case there were issues with others making them, and wow, what an eyeful.  The spam content was over the top, but hidden among the spam were a few constructive comments.  The one thing I did see was that her recipe only made 8 or 9 cupcakes, so I thought about doubling it, but decided I would try a single recipe to make mini cupcakes. I'm glad I didn't double it!  I also changed a few things in the frosting, and think my version was just perfect!

They are pretty straight forward as cupcakes go, and I opted to use a little Pink Americolor gel paste to tint them.  I also used the same on the buttercream.  Finding frozen pink lemonade concentrate is no easy task.  Kroger had none, and what they did have in regular lemonade was slimy, sticky and disgusting, nothing pink however.  Aldi and Fresh Market had none, and I was forced to go to Walmart.  I think I am the only person to ever go in and buy just a can of frozen lemonade concentrate.  But they have it, under the house brand, and it worked just fine.  I actually bought 2, just in case they were that good!  They are fresh and bright, and perfect for a rainy spring day!  Here's the recipe:

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

1 Cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 egg whites
1/3 cups, thawed, frozen pink lemonade concentrate
1/4 cup buttermilk
pink gel color

Preheat oven to 350 F.  I used paper liners for mini cupcakes.  You can also make large and jumbo cupcakes. This recipe made about 40 minis.  But let me warn you, the papers I used were cute as could be, but were soooo small.  They certainly were just a bite!

Combine dry ingredients and whisk to combine.  This includes flour, baking powder and soda and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk sugar, egg whites, oil and lemonade concentrate.  Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately without overmixing.  Then tint the batter the perfect shade of pink.  Fill the cups half full and bake.  They recommend 20-25 for regular sized cupcakes.  And I was more like 12 minutes for mini cupcakes.

Cool completely before icing.

Lemonade Buttercream Frosting

3-31/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 stick butter, softened
3 Tablespoons Crisco
pinch of salt
3T thawed, frozen pink lemonade concentrate
pink gel coloring

Cream all ingredients together, adding powdered sugar as needed.  You want it to be smooth and easy to pipe.  Tint to the perfect spring pink!
So, what are you waiting for?  Get in there and bake!

Bunco!

What is Bunco, you ask? A crazy dice game, resurrected in the 90's by suburban housewives, looking for an excuse to get out of the house, head to the neighbor's, drink wine, eat munchies and all under the guise of a game. Our moms played Bridge, Canasta and Hearts, we play Bunco. It requires NO thinking, which makes it the ideal game for socializing and imbibing. It is often referred to as Drunco. Although that is less common the older you get!

I started playing 18 years ago when we lived in Alpharetta. I have been in various bunco groups since then. The rules change a little from group to group, but basically you sit in groups of 4, partner across and roll to 21. A Bunco is 3 of a kind of the number you rolling for. Detailed info can be found on Wikipedia here. And you can access the World Bunco site from here?! The nice thing is that this game requires nothing more than dice.

Now to be perfectly honest, Bunco is here, and I have made all sorts of stuff.  Spicy Shrimp Cigars and Kopanisti a Feta Dip, both from the Williams Sonoma web site   And Pink Lemonade Cupcakes with Pink Lemonade Buttercream, from Pinterest.  The cupcakes will have their own blog, but I was thinking I needed to post these cute cookies above one more time!  So, what are you waiting for?  Bunco!

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

How could I pass this up?  I am the very first to admit, I am not a St. Patrick's Day fan.  I grew up in a very Irish community, everyone was Irish.  I was Italian (and Serbian, but my name is very Italian).  So every March, I would pretend to be Irish for a day, but really I was just a little mad that there was no Italian day.  Of course years later, I learned that Columbus Day was for me!

When I came across the Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes, well I decided these would be pretty fun for St. Pat's.   I mean let's be honest here, they're chocolate cupcakes made with stout, filling made with Bailey's and Irish Whiskey in the frosting.  What's not to love!?
So I did an Irish Car Bomb search and found this site with a video on how to make the cocktail.  And all I can say is, "What a mess!"  You have like 10 seconds to drink it before it curdles, that does not appeal to me.  But they say if you can chug it, before the curdling, it tastes like a milkshake.  And then I suspect comes the alcohol hitting your knees and making the room spin like a bomb went off! Trust me, there is plenty of alcohol in these too.

I forgot how good this stuff is!

I bought this little 4 pack, mini bottles of Bailey's, and totally enjoyed the remainder in a glass.  I forgot how good it is!  Is 10 a.m. too early for this?  Could it be 5 o'clock in Ireland by any chance?  Also,  I didn't have Irish Whiskey in the cabinet, so I went "local" and used Gentleman Jack.  I mean it's made in Tennessee, and we should support our local industries, right?!

This is what "legal" kids give their parents for Christmas!

This recipe make a lot of minis!

Guinness Chocolate Cake

1 cup stout (Guinness)  Drink the rest of the bottle, it's pretty tasty!

2 sticks butter

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder-You know I used Pernigotti

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1½ tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp. salt

2 large eggs

2/3 cup sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with foil liners. Combine the Guinness and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk till smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the eggs and sour cream to blend. Add the stout-butter mixture and beat just to combine. Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed just until incorporated.  Fill cupcake tins, lined with papers, about half full for minis.  This makes a lot!  Like 60+ depending on your tins.  Bake for about 12-15 minutes.  They should be clean with the toothpick test, but not dry.  Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  I have no idea why, but many of mine pulled away from the paper liners.  It was a little humid here and I suspect that may have been the problem as I sealed them up for a day before I finished. 

A little ganache in every bite.

Bailey's Ganache
8 oz bittersweet chocolate
1/2 C heavy cream
2 T butter
1/4 c. Bailey's

Bring the cream to a simmer, remove from heat, add the chocolate, butter, and Bailey's. Let sit for 3 minutes. Whisk till the chocolate is completely melted. Cool, I am not patient here, and I proceeded with it fairly runny.  I opted to cover the top in ganache.  That way there is a chocolatey hit on every bite, plus the minis are pretty little for a filling.  Chill to firm ganache. 

I L-O-V-E this buttercream!

Whiskey Buttercream

2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature

5 cups powdered sugar

4 tablespoons whiskey

Whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar until all of it is incorporated. Add the whiskey, increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy.

Frost as desired and just ry to eat only one.  I am totally wearing green this year, and I may try the real cocktail if I have enough green beers to coax me!  What are you waiting for?  Get in there and bake!