stout beer

March 19, 2015

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes.

As usual, I am a day late – or more like four days late – and a dollar short.

I know St. Patty’s [or is it Paddy’s? I don’t really know…] Day has already passed, but I wanted to share the Irish car bomb cupcakes that I made for the occasion anyway. I guess I’m a rebel like that.

cupcakeinsides — {I just had to show you the insides of these cupcakes. Ohhhh yeahhhh!}

This recipe is pretty much the same as the previous chocolate stout cupcakes with whiskey ganache filling and Bailey’s buttercream frosting that I have shared here before. I just cut this recipe in half so that it only makes twelve cupcakes. And then I topped them with pretty green sprinkles and cute little St. Patrick’s Day cupcake toppers from Bake it Pretty. Aren’t the cupcakes just so adorably festive?! I am happy with how they turned out, and of course, as always, this is a solid cupcake recipe. I loooove using stout beer in chocolate cakes, as I’ve mentioned before. And these are just my favorite boozy cupcakes. ‘Nuff said.

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Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes.
Yield: I reduced the recipe in half to make just twelve cupcakes!

Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes:
– 1/2 cup stout beer [I used 4 Hands’ Chocolate Milk Stout, as usual]
– 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
– 6 TBS. Dutch-process cocoa powder
– 1 cup all-purpose flour
– 1 cup granulated sugar
– 3/4 tsp. baking soda
– 1/4 tsp. salt
– 1 large egg
– 1/3 cup sour cream

For the Whiskey Ganache Filling:
– 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate [I used a Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate bar]
– 1/3 cup heavy cream
– 1 TBS. unsalted butter, at room temperature
– 1 tsp. Irish whiskey, such as Jameson

For the Bailey’s Frosting:
– 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
– 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
– 3 TBS. Bailey’s Irish Cream

Instructions:
1. For the cupcakes: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line twelve cupcake cups with liners and set aside. Bring the stout and butter to a simmer over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until it’s smooth; remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt until combined. Using an electric mixer [or in the bowl of a stand mixer]. beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until they’re combined. Add the cooled stout/chocolate/butter mixture to the egg mixture, and beat until just combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low, and add the flour mixture. Beat briefly, then fold the batter with a spatula until completely combined.

3. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners, and bake the cupcakes for about 15-17 minutes, or until a thin knife/toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack.

4. For the whiskey ganache filling: Chop up the chocolate, and place it in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until it’s just starting to simmer, then pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute, then using a rubber spatula, stir it from the center toward the outside until it’s smooth. Add the butter and whiskey, then stir until combined. Allow the ganache to cool until thick but still soft enough to pipe.

5. To fill the cupcakes: Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter or a knife, cut the centers – about two thirds of the way down – out of the cooled cupcakes. Set the small pieces of cake aside. Spoon or pipe the whiskey ganache into the cupcakes, then top them with the little cake pieces that were removed.

6. For the Bailey’s Frosting: Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer [or with an electric mixer], whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce speed to medium-low, then gradually add the powdered sugar until it’s completely incorporated. Add in the Bailey’s, then beat at medium-high speed for another 2-3 minutes, or until the frosting is light and fluffy. Pipe or spread the frosting onto the filled cupcakes and top with sprinkles as desired.

– Recipe from Brown Eyed Baker.

March 9, 2015

Chocolate Stout Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache.

My 26th birthday was two days ago, and I knew I had to bake something epic to celebrate. Some people think it’s weird and/or sad that I make my own birthday dessert. But honestly, that’s half of the fun! I love picking out something special and different to make each year for my birthday.

Plus, if anyone is hatin’ on it, I just tell them [jokingly, of course… I’m not actually that confident}: “Well, I have to be the one to bake my own birthday cake from scratch. That way I know it’ll be awesome!”

Needless to say, I always suggest making your own birthday cake. Even if other people think you’re silly, just let them know that it’ll be awesome. It’s a great way to treat yoself.

{I got gold candles from Shop Sweet Lulu. They’re amazing.}

chocstout2 — {I think I should rename my blog to “Windowsill Baker.” I seem to love taking pictures on the windowsill!}

I just love Bundt cakes. They’re so effortlessly gorgeous. And I absolutely love using stout beers in chocolate cake. Once again, I used my favorite local St. Louis stout – 4 Hands Brewery’s Chocolate Milk Stout. It has cacao nibs in it, and it’s just the most amazing stout I’ve ever had. No joke.

You cannot taste the beer in the cake [although I’d be happy if you could!]; the stout just adds a lovely deep, rich, nuttiness to the cake. As for the chocolate ganache – what’s not to love? Ganache sounds so fancy, but it could not be more simple. It’s just plain dreamy.

Screen Shot 2015-03-09 at 9.21.39 PM — {Holding my cake on my beautiful jadeite stand.}

4hands choc stout — {This is an old IG photo from when I first tried the chocolate milk stout. I’m pretty sure I didn’t know how to properly pour beer into a pint glass back then…}

This chocolate stout Bundt cake with chocolate ganache drizzled over it makes a lovely birthday cake. It reminds me of a giant double chocolate donut. And I’m okay with that.

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Chocolate Stout Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache.

Yield: One 12-cup bundt cake.

Ingredients:
– 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
– 3/4 tsp. baking soda
– 1/2 tsp. salt
– 1 cup [2 sticks] unsalted butter [Plus more for the pan]
– 3/4 cup stout beer
– 12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
– 3 large eggs
– 1 cup granulated sugar
– 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
– 1/2 cup sour cream
– 1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan. {Note: With Bundt pans, you really need to butter/flour the pans very well, unless you like torn up, not-so-pretty cakes.}

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. Set a small saucepan over medium heat, and heat up the butter and beer. Stir it and keep heated until the butter melts. Remove the pan from the heat and add eight (8) ounces of the chocolate. Stir until it’s smooth.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs and sugars on medium-high speed until the mixture is fluffy. Beat in the cooled chocolate mixture, then add the sour cream. Reduce the speed to low and gradually mix in the dry ingredients. Be careful to not overmix.

5. Pour batter into the prepared pan, then bake approximately 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. {Note: Oven times/temperatures will vary, but mine only had to bake for about 40-45 minutes.} Allow the cake to cool 30 minutes in the pan [set pan on a cooling rack], then invert it onto the wire rack so it can cool completely.

6. To make the chocolate ganache: Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan just until it starts to boil. Remove it from the heat, then add the remainder of the chopped chocolate [4 ounces] and let it sit for five minutes. Stir until it’s smooth, then drizzle it over the cooled cake. Cover and store at room temperature.

– Recipe from Handle the Heat.

cakeslice2 — {One more cake slice picture for good measure.}

December 23, 2014

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Bailey’s Buttercream.

I never knew that it was possible to love a boozy cupcake as much as I love these. Holy crap. I first had one that was made by a fellow baker/coworker – Kelley – at a party awhile back. And it was just love at first sight.

You might be wondering what it is about using a stout beer in cake that makes the cake so amazing. I don’t know the exact science behind it, but something about that stout added with the cocoa powder adds an extra depth of flavor and richness to the final product. It’s hard to explain; it’s just one of those things that is awesome.

I have made these cupcakes several times, but I recently made them again for an ugly sweater party with some friends. Usually I prefer to use one of St. Louis’ local brewery’s stouts in these cupcakes – 4Hands’ Chocolate Milk Stout – it’s seriously one of my favorite stouts. This time, however, I opted for another local brew: Schlafly’s Coffee Stout. I think that the coffee in the stout really added another nice depth of flavor to the cupcakes; coffee and chocolate are always a good pair. Of course, you could use a common stout, such as Guinness. I’m just a fan of using local products in my final baked goods wherever possible, and the 4Hands and Schlafly stouts are solid choices. 🙂

Since these cupcakes were for a Christmas party, I got pretty festive with them. I have an overabundance of sprinkles, so I used some of my Christmas-y sprinkles. I then added these cute little plastic pine tree cupcake toppers to several of them. I think they turned out pretty well, and that’s my absolute favorite part of baking: when treats turn out tasting delicious AND looking awesome. It’s just the bees knees.

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Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Irish Whiskey Chocolate Ganache Filling + Bailey’s Buttercream Frosting

Yield: 24 regular sized cupcakes. I actually cut the recipe in half for the Christmas party, which is easy to do with this recipe.

Ingredients:

For the Cupcakes:
1 cup stout beer [such as Guinness, or opt for an awesome local stout if you can]
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 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Ganache Filling:
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate [I used the Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate bars]
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 TBS. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 to 2 tsp. Irish whiskey [Optional – I used Jameson.]

For the Bailey’s Frosting:
3 1/2 cups (14 oz.) powdered sugar
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 to 8 TBS. Irish cream [I used Bailey’s… Creamy beige!]
8 oz. (1 block) full-fat cream cheese, COLD and cut into 6 to 8 chunks

Instructions:
Make the cupcakes!
1. Line 24 regular muffin tins with liners, and preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Over medium heat, bring the stout and butter to a simmer in a saucepan. Add the cocoa powder, then whisk the mixture until it’s smooth. Allow it to cool slightly.
3. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl: flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer [or with an electric hand mixer], beat the eggs and sour cream until blended. Add the stout-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture, and beat until it’s just combined.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and beat briefly on a low speed. After that, use a rubber spatula to fold the batter until it’s totally combined.
6. Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3rds to 3/4ths of the way full, and bake the cupcakes until a toothpick comes out clean, about 17 minutes [mine only took 15 minutes, but oven times vary]. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a rack.

Make the Filling + Fill the Cupcakes:
1. Chop the chocolate [or use chocolate chips], and transfer it to a heatproof bowl.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream until it’s simmering. Then pour the cream over the chopped chocolate. Allow it to sit for a minute, then stir it until it’s smooth. Add softened butter and the whiskey, if using, and stir until combined. Allow the ganache to cool until it’s thicker but still soft enough to pipe. [You can put it in the fridge to speed up the process, but you will need to stir it every 10 minutes.]
3. While the ganache is cooling, you have two options for preparing the cupcakes for filling: either use a Wilton No. 230 tip to fill them [it is a tip that kind of resembles a bird’s beak, used for filling cupcakes], or cut the centers out of the cupcakes and spoon ganache into them, then replace the tops with the cake you cut out of the top. For a more detailed post on filling cupcakes, this post on Annie’s Eats is a good one.
4. Fill the cooled cupcakes with the ganache, then prepare them for frosting!

Make the Frosting:
1. Into a small bowl, sift the powdered sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, 1 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar. Mix until it’s fluffy and thoroughly blended.
2. Next, add more of the powdered sugar along with 3 TBS. of the Irish cream, and mix again until combined. Add the rest of the powdered sugar, the remainder of the Irish cream, and the vanilla extract. Mix until evenly incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
3. Finally, turn the mixer up to medium high speed, and then add the cold cream cheese a chunk at a time. Wait about five seconds after each addition so that the mixer can incorporate each. Turn the mixer up to high speed and beat the frosting for about one minute, until it’s smooth. Be careful to not over beat.
4. Frost the cupcakes using a piping bag and tips or spread on with a knife. Be sure to use the frosting within 30 minutes or it may become too soft.

Recipe Source: This recipe was given to me by one of my former coworkers, Kelley. I think the chocolate stout cupcake + Irish whiskey ganache recipes are from Smitten Kitchen. I’m not sure where the Bailey’s buttercream recipe comes from, so if you know… please tell me!

lightscupcake One more photo for good measure: some bokeh from the Christmas tree in the background, plus my friend Katie being an awesome hand model!