Iron Cupcake February:Coffee

I was extremely excited when February's Iron Cupcake ingredient was announced. Coffee is one of my absolute favorite things in the world and I just got a new coffee press.

Immediately, I thought about the Bailey's and coffee cupcakes that I created for St. Patrick's Day last year. They were very delicious but I have been thinking of reworking the recipe for a while. I wanted to do something that would bring out more of the Bailey's flavor and have a more tender crumb.

This was also a good excuse to buy a big bottle of Bailey's:)

I altered my favorite vanilla cupcake recipe to make it coffee-tastic (did I actually just write that?).

Makes 12 cupcakes.
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temp
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg white, at room temp
1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup+1tsp STRONG brewed coffee

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare pan for 12 cupcakes.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a second bowl, use mixer to combine sugar and butter until fluffy (3-5 minutes). Add the egg and egg white slowly and beat well. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then add the milk. Add 1/3 more flour mixture and then add the coffee. Mix in the rest of the flour mixture until just combined (don't overbeat your cupcakes or they will be disgusting).

Drink some Bailey's on ice and fill 12 cupcake papers with equal amounts of batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

While the cupcakes are baking, mix up the Bailey's filling. This portion of the recipe comes from Crazy About Cupcakes by Krystina Castella.

One package (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

3 tablespoons Bailey's (or any brand) Irish creme

Mix all ingredients with electric mixture until it has the consistency of thick pudding. I hate pudding, but for some reason, I'm in love with this stuff. I'm sure that has nothing to do with the Bailey's...

Finally, mix up the frosting and wish for a second Kitchenaid mixer bowl. I made a basic and incredibly light chocolate buttercream:

The measurements are approximate, I usually just add flavorings and powdered sugar until it's the right consistency.

1 stick unsalted butter, room temp

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

2 cups powdered sugar

splash of heavy whipping cream (this will give it that light texture)

Using electric mixer, cream butter for approximately 3 minutes on high speed. Slowly add in cocoa powder, powdered sugar and whipping cream.

To assemble the cakes, wait until they are completely cool! I cut out a little cone shape in the tops of each cupcake with a very sharp steak knife. Then I drop in a dollop of Bailey's filling and squish the top back on the cupcake. If it squirts out the sides a bit, no worries! Once the frosting is added, no one will notice.

I top my cupcakes with Wilton icing bags and a star tip, but you can just as easily spread it on with a spoon. Personally, I like the swirls. Add a chocolate-covered espresso bean if you feel inclined.

The winner of Februry's coffee challenge gets all these goodies:

DIANAEVANS - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5599270
as well as a pair of cupcake earrings from LOTS OF SPRINKLES at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6057281.
PLUS, IronCupcake:Earth can not forget our good friend, CAKESPY, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382 As an added bonus for February, SWEET CUPPIN CAKES BAKERY AND CUPCAKERY SUPPLY will be tossing in a variety of cupcaking supplies, http://www.acupcakery.com/index.html.Last and certainly not least, don’t forget our corporate prize providers: HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, http://www.fiestaproducts.com/, HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com/, JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com/; TASTE OF HOME books, http://www.tasteofhome.com/; a t-shirt from UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM http://www.upwithcupcakes.com/. Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers, http://www.1800flowers.com/ .

Valentine Treats for Everyone

My furry assistant chef and I spent the evening making Valentine treats for our friends. She even designed a special Valentine card for her pal, Rusty. Tomorrow we'll deliver the treats and post some pics and recipes!

I found a recipe for peanut butter dog cookies, and thought it might be a nice treat. Duchess loves peanut butter and I wanted to make something special for her and Rusty. Rusty's humans are always willing to take care of Duchess when I'm running late or away on vacation.

Disclaimer: In light of the recent salmonella scare, this peanut butter is ok. I have been using this jar for a while and it hasn't killed me yet. It should be safe for the pups!

These little treats were really easy to make and are guaranteed to make any pup happy.

1 cup peanut butter, creamy or chunky

2 cups wheat flour

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon baking powder

Mix all ingredients, preferably with an electric mixer. You could also mix by hand, if you don't mind smelling like peanut butter all day. Roll out the dough to 1/2 inch thick for bigger cookies. If your pup is smaller, roll it out to 1/4 and bake it for a few minutes less. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters--we made bones and hearts. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or 16-17 for smaller cookies.

The best Christmas present ever

I completely forgot to post about my greatest Christmas present! Almost a year ago, I posted about the elusive Cupcake Cookie Jar at Target that I passed up. I spent the next month calling every Target in the Chicagoland region, hoping for one left on a shelf somewhere. My efforts were in vain and I had almost forgotten about that wonderful little cookie jar.

Come Christmas, my little mommy told me that she had a special present. My mother isn't typically, um, great at buying presents. I usually get strange things, like long johns or a sweater with appliqued reindeer. Instead, she outdid herself!

It isn't the one from Target, but I still love it! She discovered this adorable cookie jar last summer at the local Cracker Barrel and bought it for me. She even found a cute spatula with cupcakes to go along with it.

So, while cleaning out my kitchen during vacation, I found the perfect spot for it next to my straw holder (a gift from my supercool old roomie). In case you were wondering, the cookie jar is holding a stash of Cadbury chocolates and Butterfinger bells.

Thanks Mom!