Spumoni Cupcakes

It sure has been a little bit since I've posted anything. We were moving, and I'm still not totally ready to use my spare time crafting/baking in the new house since I'd like everyone else to get super comforable and settled and rooms decorated before I organize and decorate my new crafting room! Anyhoo - on to the most recent recipe I made off Pinterest...

I pinned this recipe a WHILE ago (almost 6 months), knowing that I would be making them for a very good friend's birthday. He loves spumoni ice cream, so I figured these would be a hit. They're pretty easy, and the reviews were amazing.

So, here's the ingredient list & recipe:

INGREDIENTS

1  box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® white cake mix

Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box

3/4 of box (4-serving size) pistachio instant pudding and pie filling mix

1/4 cup cherry juice (from jar of maraschino cherries)

1 container (12 oz) Betty Crocker® Whipped chocolate frosting

18 whole maraschino cherries with stems

RECIPE

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 18 regular-size muffin cups.
• Make cake mix as directed on box; divide batter evenly into 2 bowls. Add 3/4 box pudding mix to 1 of the bowls; mix well. To other bowl, add cherry juice; mix well.

• Divide pistachio batter evenly among muffins cups. Divide cherry batter evenly over pistachio batter in muffin cups.
• Bake cupcakes and cool completely as directed on box. 

• Frost cupcakes with frosting. Top each with cherry.

The only things I changed were: I didn't use Betty Crocker cake mix since I figured the cheapest cake mix would be fine and easier on my wallet. I used a little more pudding mix and cherry juice than what was called for, AND I couldn't find cherries with stems! So, unfortunately, they weren't fancy cherry toppers. 

I didn't take many picture this time since I was doing five million other things in preparation for my daughter's birthday, which is the same day as my friend's, but you get the idea. I don't really have much to add either. I don't love pistachio, so I didn't taste them this time, but I might actually try one next time I make them because of the raving reviews. These were so easy that I'll be making them again real soon.

Here's the link to these fabulous gems! : http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/italian-spumoni-cupcakes/8fc0cbd6-6151-4c24-9f52-5e41b004d20d

Irish Cream Cupcakes

Tuesday night, when I got home from work, I knew it was time to get packing and clean up the kitchen because my mother-in-law and brothers-in-law were coming over for a hot minute, and we had the people who are going to be renting our house coming over to sign the lease.  I packed up some of the pictures from around the house, and did some dishes.  BUT - the real highlight of my night was baking cupcakes.  ;)  For our Wednesday night church gathering, we were having an Irish feast in honor of St. Patrick's Day nearing.  So I'd decided to make Irish Cream Cupcakes.  I found this amazing recipe on Pinterest and went to work.  I can't remember ever making cupcakes from scratch, so I'm going to say this was my first time and I had great results, which I will completely attribute to the awesome recipe!  Here's how I made them:

 

Cupcake Ingredients:

2 1/2 c flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 c granulated sugar

12 Tbs butter, at room temperature

2 whole eggs

2 egg whites

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 c Bailey's Irish Cream non-alcoholic coffee creamer

Cupcake instructions (makes 24 cupcakes): 

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line muffin tins with 24 cupcake liners.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes. Add eggs and egg whites one at a time, beating on low between each addition. Add vanilla.
• Add flour slowly in 3 additions, alternating with Bailey’s, starting and ending with flour.
• Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake 15–17 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

I pretty much followed the directions, except I did put in a little extra Bailey's, and I think my cupcakes were in the oven for 18 minutes.  Also, I don't have a wire rack, so I flip over a 13x9 cake pan and let them rest on top of that.  After they were cooled, I put them on a baking sheet and let them rest overnight in the oven -- safely away from the wandering fingers in my house.

Then Wednesday came and the work day went by... I picked the kids up from my in-laws' house, and went home to make the buttercream frosting! I know I'd never made frosting before, so I was in for a real treat.

Buttercream frosting ingredients (to frost 24 cupcakes generously):

2 c butter

8 c powdered sugar

6 Tbs Bailey's Irish Cream non-alcoholic coffee creamer

Frosting instructions:

• For the frosting, beat butter in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, until completely mixed. Add the Bailey’s and beat until well combined.
• Poke holes in the tops of the cupcakes and brush some Bailey’s on each before frosting. Load frosting into a piping bag fit with a large tip and decorate as desired.
• If you want to frost all 24 cupcakes with as much frosting as I’ve pictured above, you’ll want to double the frosting recipe.

I made the frosting just how it said to, except I'm not totally sure I got exactly 8 cups of powdered sugar because I was running low, and finished off my supply making this.  I ended up just pouring the rest in from the bag.  I also added a little extra Bailey's until I thought it tasted good.

I also don't own a brush for things like this, so I poured the Bailey's into a 1/8 tsp measuring spoon for every two cupcakes, and just poured it on and spread it around with the bottom of the spoon.

For the frosting, I bought this pretty sweet piping tool.  It was $10 at Target and came with 4 different tips.  I loaded the frosting in and piped it on, added sprinkles to all, and shiny green shamrocks to some.  Voila! Beautiful and delicious cupcakes!

These were well received at last night's gathering and the leftovers were appreciated at work today.  I treated myself to half a cupcake today, and, seriously, they're amazing!

Here's the link to the original blog, enjoy!:

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/irish-cream-cupcakes/