Oh Omarion.
I used to dance like that. In my mind. hehehe. I suppose I'll stick to baking.
As St. Patrick's Day just passed and the smell of Shamrock Shakes lingers in my car, I was itching to bake something related to this glorious Irish holiday. Now, I'm not Irish. I think the hubs is a fraction Irish? And I think I only went out once to celebrate during my college years [the city is out of control, and it's not because they dye the river green].
So why the interest, you ask? Well, the Irish are known for their indulgent adult beverage intake and strong livers. I wanted to pay tribute to this by incorporating such special ingredients. My first choice: Bailey's. It seemed natural to use it, and it played nice with my homemade whipped cream.
A couple weeks ago, I was searching icebox cakes and stumbled upon this blog. I know I've read her blog before, but not regularly. I'm not sure why not though. She's a woman after my own stomach -- she created cupcakes instead of the usual icebox cake. Following her cue, it only made sense to use the icebox wafers with my Bailey's whipped cream. They're so cute!
Bailey's Whipped Cream
(I'm sure this is out there, but this one's from my tastebuds)
Ingredients:1 c heavy whipping cream
4 tbsp Bailey's Irish Cream (or to taste)
1/3 c powdered sugar (or to taste)
Directions:
Mix heavy whipping cream on medium-high until soft peaks form. Add Bailey's and sugar. Whip until well incorporated and cream is more firm.
I think the sugar enhanced the Bailey's flavor...this could very well just be in my head. I actually started with just the Bailey's, and then added the sugar after I wasn't getting the taste I was looking for. I might have added a little bit more than 1/3 cup of sugar too...but it was definitely less than a 1/2 cup! So that's not too bad, right?
And since I was already in the supermarket aisle seeking out the Bailey's, I figured that I might as well grab some Guinness. Even though I don't drink the stuff (or its wheat/barley counterparts), I knew of recipes that called for it. Over the past years that I've spent blog-stalking, these recipes had always intrigued me, so I caved and threw some in my cart. How convenient it was for the morning news to do a segment on Irish dishes the day after my purchase.
If you scroll down on that page, the recipe for the Guinness cake is there, and I used it to a 't'. Except!! I made cupcakes. Of course I made cupcakes instead, silly! I baked these with cupcake liners at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 17-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Bailey's Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from Wayne's Weekend
Ingredients:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 tbs. butter, softened
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1-1/3 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
1/4 c. Bailey's (or to taste)
Directions:
Cream together the cream cheese and butter. Add cinnamon. Slowly incorporate powdered sugar, alternating cream and Bailey's to get a stiffer, but spreadable frosting (the Bailey's will quickly make the frosting very runny, so be careful!).
I could definitely get used to Guinness in cupcake form. This was such a good cake! I'm mostly surprised because of said beverage. Who knew barley and hops could taste so yummy? I thought the frosting was a nice balance for the cake. My oldest sister sent me a different link to a similar recipe, but that one included a Bailey's chocolate ganache. I thought about incorporating it into my cupcake, but I didn't have the time. Perhaps next year...and I'll work on having them ON the actual day.
You'll see that I have an abundance of ideas; I just have a hard time executing them 'on time'...or at least blogging about them on time. I'm working on my timeliness. Honest. In the meantime, you can search through my labels ;) The least I can do is be organized for you!
Happy St. Patrick's Day Wednesday!
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