We don't eat corned beef and we don't really make traditional Irish fare for St. Patrick's Day but this year, Jeffrey had the idea to make these Car Bomb Cupcakes. The recipe uses Guinness, Bailey's and Jameson Irish whiskey. Let me say right up front here that they were delicious. Really really scrumptious.
There is Guinness in the dark chocolate cupcake. Bailey's goes in the chocolate ganache filling and Bailey's and Jameson are in the butter cream frosting. Jeffrey is a really good cook and does not need my help in the kitchen, though we really enjoy cooking together. This recipe was all him. I only wandered out into the kitchen when there were crashes or yelling. Like this time with the flour. I'll admit that I make my own share of messes in the kitchen, but I think people are used to that from me.
I just kept shaking my head because he was so determined. He carried on and finished making his batter. When he had it mixed and ready to bake, he put the cupcake papers in the muffin pans. The recipe said to pour the batter into the cups, but he used a spoon, which was probably a much better idea. But it was still a mess. Some of the cups had just a little batter while others were full to the top. There was batter all over the top of the muffin pans and one poor would-be cupcake was demolished before it even had a chance. I helped even them out a little and rescued the poor imploded one and then he baked them. We had to go out for a while so we left them to cool. When we got back, he made the ganache filling and the frosting. I did show him how to pipe on just one cupcake and then he did the rest. They looked great and tasted even better. Baking is just obviously not part of his comfort zone. I've been baking since I was 11, so I am just as comfortable baking as cooking (though I can't make a Lemon Meringue Pie....see this story in a future post). I'm glad Jeffrey made these and I hope he gets more comfortable with the more delicate culinary arts -- he does a great, if messy, job.
First off, let me say I appreciate and understand that Lisa isn't really being critical. I mean, she had "a moment" eating her first cupcake, so I know I done good. But I feel like I got some 'splainin' to do anyhow.
ReplyDeleteAbout the mess. It's part of doing this right (except the flour on the counter, that was simply a doofus move trying to pour rather than spoon). When I wash dishes, I look like I just left the Splash Zone at Sea World. When I use flour, I walk away looking like Scarface after a binge. This time it was primarily the confectioners' sugar that got me. I had it on my eyebrow. Hours after the baking was done, I found that I had it in my ear. Yep. But it's supposed to be like that, it's part of the joy.
But I have some issues with the filling of cupcake papers. One would thing that cupcake papers would be manufactured to fit nicely inside what I can only assume to be a standard sized cupcake-shaped hole in the cupcake baking device. But no, these papers are round, which is good, but flat (being generous they are maybe a tad concave), which is NOT good. I tried pushing them down so they settled neatly the little cupcake-shaped holes in the cupcake baking device, but to no avail. They popped merrily back up and sat atop their hole. So, I was left to attempt to spoon (because I learned my lesson about pouring with the floor) this sticky batter into the exact geometric center of the cupcake paper, thus causing it to fall into the cupcake-shaped hole and remain there. This rarely happened. I am neither lucky nor skilled in the dolloping of sticky cupcake batter, so my papers slid down into their holes at various jaunty angles or, in one case, imploded. Being a guy, I sought to remedy this using logic. If one dollop caused our cupcake paper to list to port, why then a properly-sized starboard side dollop would right our ship. This worked, after a fashion, but caused some papers to be more filled than others, depending on the degree of original crookedness. Some dripping may have also occurred. I can't be blamed for that, clearly. I was going to even out the levels when I was done my game. Really I was. Heh :-)
Anyhow, next I try bread. Beware.
Here's the link to the recipe
Deletehttp://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/cake/guinness-baileys-and-jameson-whiskey-cupcakes-3.html
The cupcakes sound tasty, but I submit that a rename is in order. Car Bomb? My Irish eyes are not smiling :(
ReplyDeleteThere's a drink made by dropping a shot of Bailey's and a shot of Jameson into a pint of Guinness. It's called an Irish Car Bomb. Tacky, sure, but there it is.
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