Irish Cream Cupcakes

Woo-hoo! Today is St. Patrick’s Day!!! And as per usual, the last post of my St. Patrick’s Day recipe run features a cupcake. And oh what a cupcake it is! Are ya’ll ready for this? Five Farms Irish Cream Cupcakes! These divine cupcakes are tender and moist and just bursting with Irish Cream flavor which is only intensified by the dreamy Irish Cream Swiss Meringue topping.

As I mentioned, I have always ended my St. Patrick’s Day run of recipes with a cupcake offering. Last year it was these decadent Baileys Tres Leches Cupcakes.

And the year before I tempted you with these zingy Irish Whiskey Ginger and Lime Cupcakes

One year, Baileys made an appearance in these Butterfly Cakes (aka Fairy Cakes) filled with Strawberry Jam & Topped with Baileys Whipped Cream

Guinness took the stage here with these Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

One year I even turned Scáiltín, which is an old fashioned Irish milk punch into a cupcake with these Malted Scáiltín Cupcakes

And I was able to squeeze Guinness, Jamesons and Baileys into these boozy Chocolate Whiskey Dipped Irish Cupcakes

Phew! That is a lot of St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes! And there are even a few more to be found in my recipe library. If you can’t find a cupcake that appeals to you there, I think maybe you just don’t like cupcakes! Todays featured cupcake is made with Five Farms Irish Cream liqueur. Five Farms is a new discovery for me from my most recent trip to Ireland. I first mentioned it in my post about Irish Coffee Martini and it made another appearance in my Irish Coffee Truffles post. Here it is again! Clearly I’m obsessed.

Speaking of my most recent trip to Ireland, today I’m going to tell you all about our last few days of our visit, which were spent in Dublin.

Now I probably shouldn’t tell you this, because I don’t want the secret getting too far out. But I just can’t help myself because I am so excited about this boutique townhouse hotel. We absolutely love it and would not consider staying anywhere else when visiting Dublin – the incomparable Number 31! This luxurious hotel is half traditional Georgian townhouse and half modernist mews which are connected by a charming courtyard.

The Georgian townhouse half is where we have always chosen to stay and we love the mildly eccentric jazz age flamboyance.

So much personality!

And the award winning, legendary breakfast never disappoints. They serve an amazing homemade Cranberry-orange Nut Loaf that is to die for. I attempted to get the recipe, but wasn’t able to wheedle it out of them. You’ll just have to go try it for yourselves! Hands down this is one of the best breakfasts I’ve had anywhere – full stop!

The location of this decadent hideaway is also superb. It is steps from St. Stephen’s Green in the heart of the city. We have a lot of friends in Dublin and spent the days shopping, dining and visiting quite a few pubs!

All in all it was a fantastic visit and believe me, we won’t wait 10 years again to go back!

But let me get back to those featured cupcakes of the day – Five Farms Irish Cream Cupcakes!

As I mentioned, if you’ve been following along on my St. Patrick’s Day countdown this year, you are certainly familiar with Five Farms Irish Cream liqueur.

I swear to you I am not getting paid by them, I just really find it superior to the other Irish Creams out there. If you can’t find a bottle, I’m sure you’ll find a substitute, but trust me – you want a bottle of Five Farms!

These mini cupcakes may be small in size but really pack a punch as far as dreamy Irish Cream goodness goes. And since they’re so small, there’s no need to limit yourself to one! They are very easy to make and are sure to be a crowd pleaser. Perfect for any St. Patrick’s Day shindig you might attend. So what are you waiting for? Get baking! I wish everyone a safe, healthy and happy holiday! Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daiobh (Happy St. Patrick’s Day)!

• Servings: 48 mini cupcakes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe from: Confessions of a Baking Queen

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

• 208 grams (1 2/3 Cups) Cake Flour
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 4oz (1/2 Cup) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
• 200 grams (1 Cup) Granulated Sugar
• 2 Large Eggs, at room temperature
• 1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste
• 4oz (1/2 Cup) Sour Cream
• 4oz (1/2 Cup) Five Farms Irish Cream (I suppose you could substitute flavored non-alcoholic creamer if you didn’t want the booze – but seriously – What are you like?!!! Oh and of course if you can’t get Five Farms, poor you… we all know Baileys is a good substitute.)

For the frosting:

• 3 Large Egg Whites, at room temp.
• 112.5 grams (1/2 Cup + 1 Tablespoons) Granulated Sugar
• 7.5 oz (3/4 Cups + 3 Tablespoons) Unsalted Butter cubed, room temperature
• 3-5 Tablespoons Five Farms Irish Cream, adjust to your preference (Need I say that I used all 5…and they were rather generous Tablespoons)
• Espresso powder to dust over the top (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F/ 180C and line a mini muffin tin with mini cupcake liners.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed for 3-5 minutes, until the mixture is very light and fluffy.

Add the eggs and vanilla and mix for another 3 minutes. Mix in the sour cream for one minute. Gently fold in half of the flour mixture, mix until just combined. Add the Irish cream and once it is incorporated, mix in remaining flour until just combined. Scoop batter into cupcake liners so they are ⅔ full. A 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop works great here.

Bake for 10- 12 minutes until fully baked- check by pressing the top center lightly. If the cake springs back it’s done. Or you can use a toothpick inserted in the center – when it has no wet batter on it, the cupcakes are done.

Let cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. 

While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the frosting.

Place a small pot containing a little water on a burner over low heat until it reaches a simmer. Then place a larger heatproof bowl on top making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water- the steam from the simmering water will cook the mixture. Add the sugar and egg whites to the bowl and whisk until the mixture reaches about 150F/65C or until the sugar has dissolved and the texture has slightly thickened and its foamy. If you rub the mixture between your fingers you should not feel the sugar granules. This should take approximately 3 – 5 minutes.

Add the mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed for 5-8 minutes until the mixture has cooled and appears thick and glossy.

Next, add the butter cubes one at a time, mixing until the butter is fully incorporated before adding the next cube. If the mixture starts to look a bit curdled don’t worry, just keep mixing. It will eventually come together and have a lush smooth texture.

Once you have a smooth buttercream add the Irish Cream to taste and mix again until fully incorporated.

Frost the cupcakes once they have cooled; using a pastry bag fitted with either a star or found tip. Garnish cupcakes with espresso powder.

Enjoy!

Links for Helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Irish Cream Cupcakes:

OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer

OXO Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop

Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Bean Paste

King Arthur Espresso Powder

Drizly – Not sure if this will work for you as all states liquor laws are different, but if it does work in your state, Drizly will deliver alcohol right to your door! It is worth checking out. I have purchased the Five Farms Irish Cream as well as the West Cork Whiskey from Drizly.

Five Farms Irish Cream

Travel Planning Guide:

Getting there: Icelandair! We love Icelandair and have always had great experience with them. Icelandair flies to Dublin, Ireland. Take advantage of their Stopover program on your next flight to Europe.

Car Rental: New Way Car Hire – Love the all-inclusive pricing on these cars as well as the Dublin Airport pickup!

Accommodation: Number 31 – This luxurious hotel is half traditional Georgian townhouse and half modernist mews which are connected by a charming courtyard. The Georgian townhouse half is where we have always chosen to stay and we love the mildly eccentric jazz age flamboyance. The location of this decadent hideaway is also superb. It is steps from St. Stephen’s Green in the heart of the city. We would not dream of stying any where else and cannot wait to visit again!

Restaurants/ Cafés/ Bakeries/ Pubs:

Murphy’s Ice Cream – I LOVE Murphy’s Ice Cream! We used to only be able to get it when we visited Dingle, but now they have opened several shops and one is in Dublin, just steps off of Grafton Street! Their ice cream is made with fresh from the farm milk, lots of local cream, free range eggs, and organic sugar. No colourings, flavourings, or powdered milk. My favorite flavor, though it is so hard to choose because they are all so exquisite, is probably Brown Bread.

Cafe en Seine – Stunning restaurant/bar in the heart of Dublin’s City Center featuring gilded, Gatsby-esque decor.

Juanitos – self described as “soul food LA style” this fusion of Asian & Mexican cuisines really hit the spot!

Three Storey – As the name suggests, this stylish cafe, spritzeria and cocktail bar stretches over three floors of a traditional Georgian building which overlooks St. Stephen’s Green in the city center. Modern and very relaxed atmosphere. Fantastic Aperol Spritz!

r.i.o.t. – Definitely divey – this bar is located right on the Quays in the heart of Dublin city centre. Awesome place to people watch. Has full bar and house brand cocktails. Serves up Brooklyn style pizza.

P.Macs – Cozy quirky and retro gastropub with a shabby cool decor. Very relaxing atmosphere.

Shops:

Fallon & Byrne – Four floors of foodie heaven! Located just steps off of Grafton Street, you’ll find a wine bar, a brasserie, a ballroom as well as a food hall. The food hall was our destination and it was chock full of tempting goodies, often from smaller artisan producers throughout Ireland, but also from beyond. This is where I purchased my Dillisk for those Twice Baked Colcannon Potatoes. There are fresh fish, meat and cheese counters as well as a deli counter for tempting take away.

Article – Contemporary, Independent Design and Homeware shop located in the Powercourt Townhouse in Dublin city center. The place to shop if you are looking to buy thoughtful quality gifts for anyone – maybe even yourself!

Attractions:

Dublin Castle – 13 Century castle. Today Irish Govenment and Conference Center.

Grafton Street – One of the principal shopping streets in the city center. Mostly pedestrianised and lined with many cafes, shops and street performers.

Temple Bar- Busy riverside neighborhood with many pubs, restaurants and quirky boutiques.

Guinness Storehouse – Learn about the history of Ireland’s most iconic beer over seven floors. Enjoy 360 degree views of the city from the Gravity Bar!

Irish Coffee Truffles

It’s day 3 of my St. Patrick’s Day run up of recipes and have I got a winner for you today – Irish Coffee Truffles! These little dickens are rich, creamy and boozy with a zing of espresso. Perfect not only to get that St. Patrick’s Day party started, but also to keep it going or even as a perfect compliment to your nightcap!

Now there’s only a few ingredients needed to create these lovely little indulgences, so you want to make sure you use those of the best quality. And for the booze, I have some recommendations. I told you all about them in my first post of this year’s St. Patrick’s Day countdown – The Irish Coffee Martini. These tipples are new discoveries for me from our most recent trip to Ireland in October 2022 and I am absolutely wild about both of them! I strongly recommend that you get ahold of some West Cork Irish Whiskey as well as some Five Farms Irish Cream.

On our most recent trip to Ireland I was thrilled to be able to stay in the luxurious 5 Star Cliff House Hotel which is located in the charming fishing village of Ardmore in County Waterford. We have been dying to stay here for years so this was quite a treat! This small boutique hotel seems to defy gravity as it clings to the cliffs above the sea. Full advantage is taken of this birds eye location with nearly the entire sea facing side of the hotel consisting of floor to ceiling (sometimes spanning multiple floors) windows looking out over Ardmore Bay.

View from our Bedroom balcony towards the village

View from our living room balcony looking out over Ardmore Bay

Indeed every room boasts a seaview and either a balcony or terrace. The decor is sleek, modern and bright featuring stacked stone walls and gorgeous tweed throws on the beds.

The bathrooms are huge! The semi transparent wall between the bathroom and bedroom allows the natural light to stream in.

There are cozy fireplaces in both the bedroom and living room of the suites.

You can enjoy their abundant, cooked to order breakfast in their lovely restaurant while gazing out over the sea or enjoy a lazy relaxing start to the day as we did and have it delivered to your room.

The infinity pool at the spa seems to flow out into the sea. There is also an outside jacuzzi. We indulged in massages, facials and a very relaxing peat soak in outside bathtubs while gazing over the sea and wild cliffs.

The Cliff Walk is located steps away from the entrance to the hotel. This 4 km walk features beautiful seascapes and breathtaking views from Ardmore Head and Rams Head. It starts with Temple Dysert, the 10th C ruins of a monastery originally founded by St. Declan as well as his curative well.

We passed the wreck of the Samson which hit the cliffs in 1987.

And stopped to drink the curative waters from Fr. O’Donnell’s curative spring. With Covid still lurking about, we figured we should have all the help we could get!

But let me get back to today’s tasty treat – Irish CoffeeTruffles!

Made with rich dark chocolate, Irish Cream, Irish Whiskey and espresso, how could they be otherwise than divine! These truffles are easy to make, albeit the rolling of them can get a bit messy. But it is definitely worth it. I made the ganache one day and left in the fridge overnight and then on the following day, I rolled and coated the truffles. I used chopped pistachios, a combo of confectioners sugar, espresso powder and cocoa and then just plain pistachio flour, for those who maybe didn’t like the toothy vibe that the pistachio pieces provided.

I’m not sure which was my favorite. But that is the fun thing with these truffles, you can do you! Love coconut – do that! I have also dipped these truffles in chocolate coating before which is also a lot of fun. Folks at your St. Patrick’s Day festivities will be undoubtedly smitten with these indulgent boozy bites!

• Servings: 30
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe slightly adapted from: Once Upon a Chef

Ingredients:

• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Five Farms Irish Cream Liqueur
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons West Cork Irish Whiskey
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Pinch salt
• 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate, best quality such as Ghiradelli, chopped
• Cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-processed), confectioners’ sugar, espresso powder, finely chopped pistachios, pistachio flour or unsweetened shredded coconut, for coating*

Directions:

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the heavy cream, Five Farms Irish Cream, West Cork Irish Whiskey, espresso powder, butter and salt. Microwave on high power until the mixture comes to a boil, 70 to 80 seconds. Watch that it doesn’t boil over. Add the chocolate and let sit for about 30 seconds to melt. Using a whisk, stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is glossy and smooth. Refrigerate until completely firm, about 3 hours or overnight (to speed this chilling process up, pour the mixture into a wide, shallow bowl or pie plate).

Place your coating(s) on a plate. Remove the chilled truffle mixture from the refrigerator. If you’ve had the mixture in the fridge for longer than 3 hours, you may need to let it sit out at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes so it’s malleable enough to work with.

Using a small spoon, scoop out about 2 teaspoons of the chocolate mixture. Dust your fingertips with the cocoa powder or the confectioners’ sugar/cocoa mixture. Use your fingertips to shape into a rough ball. Quickly and gently roll in your palms to form into a smooth ball, then roll in your topping of choice. (If the chocolate starts to melt from the warmth of your palms, drop the truffle into the cocoa or confectioners’ sugar/cocoa mixture and lightly coat, then continue rolling. You may need to wash your hands in cold water from time to time.) Place the truffles in a single layer on a plate or in a storage container, cover, and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator about 10 minutes before serving (keep in mind that they’ll get too soft if left out at room temperature for too long). The truffles will keep for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator. They can also be frozen for up to two months.

*For my toppings I used rough chopped pistachios, pistachio flour and a mixture of 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon espresso powder and 1 Tablespoon Dutch Process Cocoa.

Enjoy!

Links for Helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Irish Cream Truffles:

Pistachio Flour

Espresso Powder

Small Cookie Scoop (2 3/4 – 2 tsp. /#100) or King Arthur Flour has this one.

Travel Planning Guide:

Getting there: Icelandair! We love Icelandair and have always had great experience with them. Icelandair flies to Dublin, Ireland. Take advantage of their Stopover program on your next flight to Europe.

Car Rental: New Way Car Hire – Love the all-inclusive pricing on these cars as well as the Dublin Airport pickup!

Accommodation:

The Cliff House Hotel – Luxurious 5 star boutique hotel in the picturesque fishing village of Ardmore. Boasts Michelin starred fine dining and amazing spa!

Tarte au Citron

Golden like the sun, with its crisp buttery crust and its luscious, dreamy – not too sweet not too tart- zingy lemon custard filling, this Tarte au Citron will definitely work its magic to ensnare your beloved on this Valentine’s Day 2023.

I mean don’t they say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach?

The Husband, who conveniently also happens to be my Valentine, generally doesn’t like any chocolatey super sweet sugar bombs that seem to be all the rage for this holiday.  Which is totally unlike me. That is exactly what I would want. Truth be told…in a the shape of a cupcake if all were going my way. Just saying…He, on the other hand, prefers fruit forward desserts. And since I’m making these treats for him, not me, I oblige. So bring on the fruit! These mini Passion Fruit & Berry Pavlovas were a big hit last year.

Just like this lovely Cashew Crusted Blackberry & Lime Tart was a few years ago.

One year he was delighted with these  Luscious Lemon Squares;

And I don’t want to forget about that Poached Pear Tart with Lemony Cream.

One year, I was even clever enough to combine what he loves, a good Gin & Tonic, and what I love, cupcakes by making  Pink Grapefruit Gin & Tonic Cupcakes:

And a couple of years ago, I was pretty sly with these Mimosa Butter Sweetheart Cookies. I really like cookies and was able to not only add some of his favorite jam into the mix with these, but was also able to get some champagne on deck. Always up for a glass of bubbles!

But lets not get sidetracked from this years gorgeous offering; Tarte au Citron – A classic French Lemon Tart!

This bright, golden delight will remind you that Spring and the return to sunny days are not far off. Recently I read about a link between Valentine’s Day and spring. The usual origin story that you’ll hear about Valentine’s Day, is that it was a pagan holiday (Lupercalia) which was co-opted into a Christian feast day to honor St. Valentine who might be one or a combination of two martyrs – neither of whom’s stories are very romantic.

But another theory has come forth suggesting that our modern association of Valentine’s Day with romance comes from two poems (Parliament of Foules & The Complaint of Mars) which Chaucer wrote in the 14th Century. At that time, Britons considered the first day of Spring to be February 14th. And Spring has long been associated with fertility (I just told you all about Imbolc, a Celtic fertility festival, which became christianized as St. Brigid’s Day in Ireland Yup, this assimilation of pagan to christian was a common practice). Coincidentally, that day just happened to be the feast day of St. Valentine, hence Valentine’s Feast Day became associated with fertility and thereby romance. Nowadays the first day of spring is not declared until the equinox which falls between March 19 -21st – this year it is on Monday March 20th. Seems folks in the past were ready to get a jump on Spring in February. This bright citrusy tart is certain to evoke thoughts of warmer times to come. (Not that we’ve had much winter…don’t even get me started!)

This tart is quite easy to make and I bet you have all the required ingredients in your pantry right now. Just be aware that in order to get the sweet, crisp but not crumbly pâte sucrée crust just perfect, you’ve got to allow for quite a bit of chill time. It is because of all the butter used in it. So you know it has got to be good right? The rich custard filling is also chock full of butter. It is so luscious and zesty (zest from 2 whole lemons to be exact) with just the right amount of pucker in every bite! So pucker up Valentine, this one’s for you!

• Servings: one 9 inch tart
• Difficulty: easy - but do take into account the chill times required for the pâte sucrée
• Print

recipe from: Pardon your French

Ingredients:

For the pâte sucrée crust:

• ½ cup (125 grams) unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature.
• ¾ cup (95 grams) powdered sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla bean paste (can substitute vanilla extract if you prefer)
• 1/3 cup + 1 ½ tbsp (40 grams) almond flour (ground almond)
• 1 large egg
• 1 ¾ cup + 1 tbsp (233 grams) all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp salt

For the lemon filling:

• 1 cup (250ml) lemon juice (about 6-7 lemons)
• Zest of 2 lemons (organic lemons)
• 3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• ¾ cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, cubed.
• 4 large eggs + 4 large egg yolks

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cubed butter and powdered sugar until creamy and smooth. Add the vanilla bean paste, almond flour and egg, and mix until homogeneous. Add the all-purpose flour and salt, and mix until just incorporated and the dough comes together into a ball. Place plastic film on the counter and turn the dough out onto it. Using another piece of plastic wrap, pat the dough into a circle. Wrap in the plastic film and place in the fridge for 2 hours, minimum.

Pre-heat your oven to 350F (180C).

Take the pâte sucrée out of the fridge, place it between two large sheets of parchment paper and roll it out to a 12-inch circle. Unpeel the top sheet of parchment paper, transfer the crust to a 9-inch tart pan (trim the sides if needed) and poke the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Chill it again for 30 minutes. Line the top of the crust with foil or parchment paper and place pie weights or dried beans to keep the pie crust from puffing when baking.

Bake the pâte sucrée for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment paper filled with weights and bake for 10 more minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden.

Set the tart shell aside to cool (still in the dish). Leave your oven on at 350F/180C.

In the meantime, make the filling. Place a fine-mesh strainer close by before you begin.

In a medium saucepan (no heat yet), whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, salt, egg yolks and eggs. Add the cubed butter and turn the heat to medium. Whisk slowly until the butter is all melted. Continue whisking steadily for several minutes until the mixture thickens to a thin custard consistency.

Immediately pass the lemon filling through the fine mesh strainer, directly into the tart shell. Using an offset spatula (or back of a large spoon), smooth out the top of the filling. Bake the tart for 5 minutes, until the filling has slightly set and turned slightly deeper in color.

Set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes. Serve tart slightly warm or chilled.

Enjoy!

Useful links for Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Tarte au Citron:

Oxo Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer

Set of 3 Stainless Steel Fine Mesh Strainers

Oxo Egg Separator

Oxo Dusting Wand – I sometimes use a wand such as the one pictured above, but I also love this one, which isn’t as photogenic, but can be used with one hand!

Non-melting Confectioners Sugar – I have actually not used this brand. I usually use King Arthur Baking’s product. You can, of course, use regular confectioners or powdered sugar to stencil a design on your tart as I have done here. Non-melting is nice because, well…it doesn’t melt. But I just bet you’ll scarf this scrumptious tart down right away, so any design you might add won’t need a lot of staying power.

Fudgy Nutella Brownies

Fudgy Nutella Brownies! I mean what more do I have to say? What ya got here is a rich, delightfully chewy chocolate brownie made even more decadent by the addition of smooth, creamy Nutella, not only to the batter but also generously drizzled in luscious swirls over the top! And then, just a sprinkle of flaky sea salt over the top puts you in a state of salty sweet bliss!!!

So I gotta ask….are there any Nutella fans out there? Cause let me tell you I love me some Nutella! I actually didn’t even know it existed until I was living in Ireland and my friend Theresa had a jar. I watched with amazement as she spread it over her toast. I was like “What! You can eat chocolate on toast!” I had no idea it was a thing. Yup, love at first bite.

It is not by chance that I’m blogging a recipe which features Nutella today. Today February 5th is World Nutella Day. This celebration of all things Nutella was started in 2007 by Sara at Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle at Bleeding Espresso as a day to celebrate, get creative with and most importantly, to EAT Nutella.

A couple of years ago, the founders have transferred Nutella Day to Ferrero the company who owns that most beloved spread. Take a peek at their Facebook page and see how folks are celebrating the day! I love Nutella so I usually try to participate with a Nutella laden recipe every year. One of my favorite Nutella creations was this Nutella, Double Chocolate & Banana Tart which was quite stunning if I do say so myself.

just looks at these delicious Homemade Banana Toaster Tarts drizzled with Nutella

And how do you like this big ole Malted Nutella & Biscoff Brownie Torte 

Then there was this gorgeous Nutella Star Bread:

And some amazing Nutella Chocolate Chip Babka:

And I don’t want to forget these irresistible Salted Peanut Butter & Nutella Sandwich Cookies – sweet salty bliss I tell you!

But let me get back to today’s amazing Nutella laden treat that delivers quite a chewy chocolate punch – these fantastic Fudgy Nutella Brownies.

I gotta tell ya’ll these are really easy to make, with ingredients you likely already have in your pantry. They come together quickly, so you can whip them up in a flash to your friends and family’s amazement! Are you looking for a snack to bring to that Super Bowl party? Look no further. This is it! But you don’t need a planned event to bake up a batch, just delight in this little indulgence all by yourself. I won’t tell anyone….

• Servings: 8x8 inch pan - 9 to 12 brownies, depending how you slice 'em
• Difficulty: easy-peasy
• Print

recipe from: Yossy Arefi via New York Times Cooking

Ingredients:

• ½ cup/113 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), plus more for greasing the baking dish
• 4 ounces/113 grams bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup/296 grams chocolate-hazelnut spread, like Nutella
• ⅔ cup/134 grams granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ½ teaspoon espresso powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• ¾ cup/96 grams all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• flaky sea salt for sprinkling over top (optional)

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper.

Combine the chopped chocolate and butter in a heat-safe bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir the mixture occasionally until melted. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine ¾ cup/222 grams chocolate-hazelnut spread, sugar and eggs. Mix on medium-high for 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl a couple of times. Add espresso powder and vanilla and mix briefly to combine.

Turn the mixer to low and stream in the chocolate-butter mixture. Mix until well combined, then fold in the flour and salt.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, spread evenly with a knife or offset spatula and spoon several dollops of the remaining ¼ cup/74 grams chocolate-hazelnut spread evenly over the top. Use a toothpick or skewer to swirl the spread and brownie batter a few times, leaving big streaks of the spread on the surface. Sprinkle flaky sea salt over the top if you are using.

Bake the brownies for 25 to 30 minutes, or until just set in the middle. A toothpick inserted into the center should pull out some moist crumbs.

Enjoy!

Useful links for Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Fudgy Nutella Brownies:

Oxo Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer

King Arthur Flour Espresso Powder

Chocolate Black Cat Macarons

So here it is Halloween! I can hardly believe. Once again, I’ve taken a break from blogging since Easter. Last year I did have a good excuse – major home renovation. This year? I got nothing. I won’t even try. But perhaps you will forgive me when you take a peek at these divine, spooky sweet Chocolate Black Cat Macarons I’ve whipped up for Halloween 2022! These sinful little delights boast a crisp outer shell surrounding a lusciously chewy center filled with a silky, dark as your soul, decadent chocolate ganache.

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. I mean, think about it…You get to dress weird, drink booze and eat candy for dinner. In fact, all of that fun stuff is encouraged. How could you go wrong on such a day! Our modern holiday of Halloween, actually has Irish origins. Today’s celebrations are derived from the Celtic holiday of Samhain. Samhain was Celtic New Year. It was a harvest festival which marked the dying of the sun-god and a turning to the colder, dormant half of the year. On this night, the Celts believed the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead was at its lowest point. The dead could more easily travel back over to our side, and if we weren’t careful, we could accidentally wander over in to their world and be trapped-a good reason to stay close to home and bonfires, no doubt! This belief likely gave rise to our Halloween legends of ghosts, ghouls and witches wandering about on this night in particular. I’ve posted some great Halloween recipes in past years ranging from the historically based traditional recipes such as:

Soul Cakes (Traditional Halloween/ Samhain)

Yeasted Irish Barmbrack Bread (traditional Halloween/Samhain)

Irish Tea Barmbrack with a Whiskey Honey Glaze (traditional Halloween/Samhain)

To the more whimsical offerings such as:

White Chocolate Mummy Pretzels

Halloween Cookies & Cream Owl Cupcakes

Mini Mummy Brownie Bite Cupcakes

As well as some wonderful boozy libations to kick your celebrations into high gear:

Fireball Cider Cocktail

Or this Roasty Toasty Cocktail

A few year’s ago I managed to combined whimsical and boozy altogether in my Halloween treats with these adorable – I mean terribly frightening Itsy-Bitsy Tipsy Spider Cupcakes.

or how about these Black Velvet Frankenstein Cupcakes

A couple of years ago, I had a howling good time making these little rascals:

Reese Cup Werewolf Cupcakes

I loved making these boo-tiful Spooky Ghost Cupcakes!

And last year’s offering was these diabolically delicious <a href="http://<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iLOaolI8Fgc&quot; title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen>Malted Chocolate Devil Cupcakes!

So yeah, I’m breaking out of the cupcake mold this year by going with these Black Cat Macarons!

Macarons can be notoriously finicky to make. I was definitely worried that the trick might be on me when I set out to make these, but I had taken efforts to get everything right. My egg whites were aged overnight, my bowls were wiped squeaky clean and I had sifted, pulsed in a food processor and sifted again. I had thoroughly read the recipe several times over. I found watching this video from Sugar Geek Show was also very helpful as far as my batter folding technique.

Truth be told, I didn’t get these to come out perfect the first time. My shells were cracked. Could’ve been I didn’t let them age enough to form the proper skin. Could’ve been I over mixed. Not sure. Yet, I persisted and Voila! So don’t despair ya’ll. Macarons are difficult, but not impossible! I think they are without a doubt worth the effort. And the good news is that even the ones that don’t look purty, still taste delicious!

All right, now that you’ve done all your prep work, get ready to make some amazing bakery quality level Chocolate Macarons! Now I realize I didn’t give you much time to get these done for Halloween – seeings how today is actually Halloween and this recipe calls for aged egg whites. But think of it this way, you will be more than ready to make these spooky macarons next year, or you could just leave the ears and kitty faces off and still be able to enjoy these fabulous treats. The choice is yours. I suppose if you are a real rule breaker you could just make these without aging the egg whites – but you didn’t hear that from me! I did make these Baileys & Coffee Macarons once and did not use aged egg whites. They came out just fine but from what I hear, aged egg whites are the preferred ingredient. But what the heck- Halloween is the perfect time for being naughty! Bake up a batch of these tricksy spooky darkly delicious Black Cat Macarons before the sun sets today! Happy Halloween ya’ll!

• Servings: 18
• Difficulty: moderate - attention to detail required!
• Print

recipe slightly adapted from: Sugar Geek Show – design inspired by Posh Little Designs

Ingredients:

For the Shells:

• 50 grams almond flour
• 114 grams powdered sugar
• 7 grams cocoa powder
• pinch of salt
• 57 grams egg whites aged overnight in the fridge and brought to room temperature
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 28 grams granulated baker’s sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the ganache filling:

• 2 ounces heavy cream
• 2.5 ounces dark chocolate
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

For the Royal Frosting:

• 1 Tablespoon meringue powder
• 2 Tablespoons warm water
• 120 grams powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• green and black gel or powdered food coloring

Directions:

Preheat oven to 320ºF and line a 1/2 baking sheet with parchment paper and a macaron template or a macaron silicone baking mat as I did.

Sift together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and almond flour, twice if not blended.

Pulse the mixture in a food processor 8-10 times to make the almond flour mixture even finer and texture and to blend the ingredients together. 

Whip the egg whites on low to frothy consistency and slowly add the sugar in thirds.

Once the egg whites turn white and you can see some lines forming in the surface from the whisk, add cream of tartar, whipping on medium until soft glossy peaks form.

Add the vanilla to the meringue during the soft peak stage. Then continue whipping on medium-high until you get stiff peaks that start gathering and bunching on the inside of the whisk.

Add 1/3 of your almond mixture to the meringue. Fold your spatula under the batter and around the edges and then cut through the center until almond flour is mixed in. Continue with the rest of the almond flour and folding until homogenous. (see video)

Gently press the spatula on top of the batter while you turn the bowl to take out some fo the air from the meringue. Continue folding around the outside edge until the batter forms a ribbon and moves like lava. 

Your meringue is ready when it forms a ribbon off the spatula and the batter that settles almost dissolves all the way back into the rest of the batter but still leave a bit of a line. 

Place the majority of the batter in a piping bag fitted with a 1/4 inch piping tip – like a Wilton #12 or Ateco #802. Place a tiny bit of the batter in a separate piping bag fitted with a small round tip. This will be to add the ears to your macarons.

Pipe small rounds about 1″ in diameter on the macaron template.

Go back and using the second piping bag fitted with the small tip add the triangle ears to the top edge of every other macaron round, being sure that the ears level with the height of the round batter.

Drop the pan onto the table 5-6 times from about 5″ above the table to release bubbles. Use a toothpick to remove big pockets of air trapped under the surface. Use a very small amount of water on your fingertip to smooth any rough spots. 

Allow to dry, uncovered until a crust forms on the surface. About 30 minutes – 2 hours or until a dry film develops over the surface of the cookie. For humid areas put a space heater nearby to help dry the cookies faster. 

Bake at 320ºF for about 14-15 minutes or until lightly browned. If not quite brown baked, bake for an additional 1 minute. Cooled cookies should pull away from the parchment paper without sticking. If they do stick, they were not baked enough.

For the Ganache:

Place all the ingredients into a heatproof bowl and microwave for one minute. Let sit for 5 minutes then whisk until smooth. Heat for another 15 seconds if not fully melted. Place into the fridge for 20 minutes then whisk until smooth. It should be the texture of peanut butter.

For the Royal Frosting:

Combine water and meringue powder in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Add extract and whisk on medium high for about 2-3 minutes.

Mix in powdered sugar until combined.

The icing will be very thick. Add warm water a few drops at a time until the icing is the consistency of toothpaste. 

Divide the thick toothpaste like icing into 2 bowls

Add black food coloring to bowl 1 until desired colors are achieved.

Mix well. 

Transfer finished black icing to a piping bag and seal closed.

Add green food coloring to bowl 2 until desired color is achieved. 

Mix well.

Transfer finished green icing to piping bag and seal closed.

For Assembly:

Once shells have cooled, evenly pipe rounds of ganache into the center of the bottom of each macaron shell. Top with “earred” shells to create a sandwich.

Decorate top “earred” shell with royal frosting to make cat’s eyes and whiskers. Or use mini M&M’s for the eyes as I did. You can draw the pupil on with food safe markers and stick the eye to the macaron by adding a small dot of royal frosting on the back.

Enjoy!

Happy Halloween!

Links for helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Black Cat Macarons:

Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer

Oxo Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

Cuisinart Food Processor

Simple Baker Silicone Baking Mat for Macarons

Oxo 3-in-1 Egg Separator

King Arthur Flour Almond Flour

Ateco disposable piping bags

King Arthur Baking Company Black Cocoa– This is how I got the deep dark color of the macaron shells without using food color

Vanilla Bean Paste

Wilton Icing Colors – Gel will not thin icing

Baileys Tres Leches Cupcakes

Woo-hoo! Today is St. Patrick’s Day!!! And as per usual, the last post of my St. Patrick’s Day recipe run features a cupcake. And oh what a cupcake it is! Are ya’ll ready for this? Baileys Tres Leches Cupcakes!!! Get out, right?! So, instead of making the traditional Tres Leches cake, I made a version of it in portable cupcake form and my innovation did not stop there. Oh no. I replaced one of the Leches with Baileys Irish Cream. The result is an incredibly decadent Baileys drenched dream, just perfect for your St. Patrick’s Day festivities.

As I mentioned, I have always ended my St. Patrick’s Day run of recipes with a cupcake offering. Last year it was these zingy Irish Whiskey Ginger and Lime Cupcakes

The year before Baileys made an appearance in these Butterfly Cakes (aka Fairy Cakes) filled with Strawberry Jam & Topped with Baileys Whipped Cream

and who can forget my Irish Coffee Cupcakes

Guinness takes the stage here with these Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

One year I even turned Scáiltín, which is an old fashioned Irish milk punch into a cupcake with these Malted Scáiltín Cupcakes

And I was able to squeeze Guinness, Jamesons and Baileys into these boozy Chocolate Whiskey Dipped Irish Cupcakes

Phew! That is a lot of cupcakes! But let me get back to our featured treat today: Baileys Tres Leches Cupcakes. Tres Leches literally means 3 milks. A Tres Leches cake is an ultralight sponge cake, similar to an Angel Food Cake, soaked overnight in a mixture of evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and cream and then topped with a whipped cream frosting. It is popular in Mexico and Latin America as well as here in the States. For St. Patrick’s Day, I thought it would be fun to replace the regular heavy cream in the leches mix with Baileys and I was not disappointed. These moist Baileys bombs are to die for!

These cupcakes are easy to make, but you’ve got to have a bit of patience to get all of that Baileys milk mixture to soak in. After poking holes in the cupcakes with a fork, I put the Baileys soak in a decorating squeeze bottle and slowly drizzled it over the tops of the cupcakes allowing it to soak in as I went. I must admit, when I saw the volume of the Baileys soak (I used all but about 3/4 – 1 cup of the liquid. The leftover is awesome in your morning coffee!), I thought there was absolutely no way that the cupcakes could hold it all. I thought when I undid the cupcake wrapper there would be an absolute flood of liquid. But nope, after an overnight rest in the fridge, it was all impossibly absorbed and the cupcakes magically transformed!

So there you have it. These Baileys Tres Leches Cupcakes will definitely steal the show at any St. Patrick’s Day celebration. So what are you waiting for? Get baking! I wish everyone a safe, healthy and happy holiday! Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daiobh (Happy St. Patrick’s Day)!

• Servings: 24 cupcakes
• Difficulty: easy - but time needed for the Baileys/milks mixture to soak in to cakes
• Print

recipe slightly adapted from: Perfect Tres Leches Cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

• 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 5 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1/3 cup whole milk

For the Baileys Soak:

• 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup Baileys Irish Cream

For the Frosting:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup Baileys
• 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• cocoa powder to dust over top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line two 12-count muffin tins with foil cupcake liners. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl and set aside. Separate egg yolks and whites into separate bowls.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks and 3/4 cup of the sugar on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until creamy and light in color. Add the milk and vanilla and mix until incorporated.

Add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. The batter will be thick.

Transfer the batter to a large bowl and set aside. Wash the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the egg whites to the clean bowl and beat with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed until frothy, about 1 minute. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.

Gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter so as not to deflate the egg whites. Use an 1/4 cup scoop to evenly divide the batter between the cupcake liners.

Bake for 15-16 minutes until golden brown on top and the cupcakes bounce back to the touch or a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool completely.

Pierce the tops of each cupcake several times with the tines of a fork to create holes down into the cupcakes. Whisk the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and Baileys together, then transfer to a squeeze bottle. 

Soak each cupcake with the milk mixture, a little at a time, until most of the Baileys mixture has been soaked up. (You might end up with about 3/4 cup liquid left over). It may seem like too much liquid at first, but if you do a little on each cupcake, then let it soak in while you move on to the others, you can return to the first ones and repeat the process a couple of times until most of the milk mixture has been soaked up. Refrigerate for two hours or overnight.

Beat the heavy cream, Baileys, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean paste in a bowl of a stand mixer until stiff peaks form. Pipe or spoon onto the tops of the soaked cupcakes. Dust with cocoa powder and top with chocolate pearls if desired.

Enjoy!

Links for Helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Baileys Tres Leches Cupcakes:

Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer

Oxo Good Grips Ice Cream Scoop

Sugar Belle Bottle Coupler Set

Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Bean Paste

Valhrona French Chocolate Pearls – This is what I used to decorate the top of the cupcakes. It is a crispy bit of cereal coated in dark chocolate. This link if for a much, much bigger bag than you would need for just this dessert, but I wanted to let you know what I had used.

Whiskey Butter Tarts

Whiskey Butter Tarts! With a name like that how could this dish be anything other than amazing?! Seriously, I love every single word. Whiskey. Butter. Tart. Fantastic! And let me tell you, these little devils live up to their name! You’ve got the buttery shortbread pastry, the gooey caramel like center and the crunchy chewy top along with a zing of Irish Whiskey flavor thrown in for good measure. Are you drooling yet?

I got the recipe for these delectable little darlings from one of my best friends, Theresa Storey, who just happens to also be a best selling, award winning author! A couple of years ago, Theresa published her first cookbook where you can find the recipe for this scrumptious treat along with over 100 other delicious seasonal fruit recipes. It is called Fruit on the Table: Seasonal Recipes from the Green Apron Kitchen.

Theresa runs a business, The Green Apron, which is an artisan preserve company. She grows much of the fruit and vegetables she uses in her preserves at her family’s orchards at Derryclough and in the walled vegetable garden at her parents 18th Century castle, Glenwilliam.

Her award-winning preserves are made in small batches by traditional methods using locally sourced, organic produce where possible and without artificial preservatives, colours or setting agents. The Green Apron has won 15 Blas na hEireann Irish Food Awards, 7 International Great Taste awards and is listed not only in McKenna’s Guide, but also in Georgina Campbell’s Guide. The Green Apron is also now offering workshops on sustainable living, preserving and bee keeping.

Theresa’s book, Fruit on the Table is a top 10 best-selling cookbook in Ireland , has won a Gourmond award there and has been selected to compete for an International Gourmond award. In her book, Theresa follows the seasons and tells you how best to keep fruit on your table all year round. It is an absolute treasure trove, filled not only with her family recipes for jams, jellies and chutneys but it also runs the full gambit of meals, including recipes for cocktails, snacks , mains and going all the way through to desserts. And it doesn’t stop with the mouthwateringly delicious recipes, Fruit on the Table also gives you the low down on growing your own fruit, the ins and outs of preserving, tips on foraging as well as drying fruit. I’m proud to be sharing this recipe from her book. I have shared quite a few over the years, but I’m telling you, they’re only the tip of the iceberg. You’ve just gotta get ahold of this essential cookbook. And speaking of those Green Apron recipes that I’ve shared before, let me just remind you of a few. A couple of years ago, I kicked off my St. Patrick’s Day blog-a-thon with her Prize-Winning Scones with Strawberry Jam & Clotted Cream.

I told you about her Batley Cake

which I filled with her deletable boozy Irish Whiskey Marmalade (also used to fill these tarts.

And this year, I’m sharing Butter Tarts. Truth be told, her recipe is for Canadian Butter Tarts. I just made them boozy by throwing in a few glugs of good ole Irish Whiskey! She also bakes her tarts in a traditional bun pan. I’ve shared a link for one below. I wanted a smaller little two bite tart, so I decided to make up a batch in a mini muffin tin and was very pleased with the results.

I’d wager you will be delighted as well. These treats are wonderful with a cup of tea, coffee or maybe a glass of whiskey if you’d prefer. They are amazing hot out of the oven, but a pleasure anytime. The perfect little nibble for your St. Patrick’s Day festivities.

• Servings: 48 mini muffin sized tarts/
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe very slightly adapted from: Fruit on the Table: Seasonal Recipes from the Green Apron Kitchen by Theresa Storey

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

***The pastry ingredient amounts listed are if you plan to make the tarts in a mini muffin tin as I did. If you are using a proper bun pan or full sized muffin tin, half the pastry ingredient measurements. Keep the filling measurements the same no matter what sized baking tin you choose.

• 220 grams (8 oz./ 2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 450 grams (1 lb) all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup cold water

For the filling:

• 3 Tablespoons Irish whiskey
• 170 grams (6 oz.) raisins
• 340 grams (12 oz.) light brown sugar
• 2 eggs beaten
• 30 grams melted butter, slightly cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Place raisins in a bowl and pour 3 Tablespoons Irish Whiskey over them. Set aside and allow the raisins to plump up.

Place the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Scatter the butter, cut into 1/2″ cubes, over the flour. Process until it resembles sand. Remove from processor and place in large bowl.

Add the cold water, 1 -2 Tablespoons at a time, mixing after each addition until the pastry holds together. You will likely not need all of the water. Turn the pastry onto a work surface and knead until smooth. Flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place it in the refrigerator to rest for at least 30 minutes.

Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8″ thickness. Using a fluted cookie cutter, cut circles slightly larger than the holes of a mini muffin tin. ( I used a 2 1/2″ cutter) Try to cut out all of the pastry circles in one go if you can. The pastry is a bit persnickety when you attempt to re-roll it.

Line the wells of the muffin tin with the pastry circles.

Whisk the sugar, eggs, melted butter, vanilla bean paste, cornstarch and cinnamon together, mixing until smooth. Fold in the whiskey soaked raisins. (Do not drain the whiskey off, add the raisins and whiskey)

Half fill the tart cases with the sugar mixture, taking care to stir frequently as the raisins will settle to the bottom.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until the filling is set and pastry golden. Let cool for a few minutes before removing them from the tins onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Do not allow them to cool completely in the muffin tins as they may end up sticking.

Enjoy!

Links for helpful kitchen tools & ingredients for Irish Whiskey Butter Tarts:

Fruit on the Table: Seasonal Recipes from the Green Apron Kitchen

OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

Cuisinart Pro-Classic Food Processor

Nonstick Twelve Hole Shallow Bun Tin

Irish Whiskey Cake

Alrighty! Here we are at day 2 of my annual St. Patrick’s Day recipe blog-a-thon. And I’ve got a great recipe to share with you today – Irish Whiskey Cake! This moist and flavorful, boozy spice cake is shot through with pecans and enveloped in a warm buttery whiskey glaze.

All you Irish Whiskey lovers – this one is for you! We’ve got whiskey in the cake and on the cake! Hooray! And this cake is super-dooper easy to make. I almost feel like I’m cheating somehow. But here is the secret – you just go buy a box cake mix and then doctor it up a bit. The results are just wonderful whiskey perfection!

Now the original recipe called for applying the whiskey butter glaze over three days. I have found that you can achieve pretty much the same taste by applying the glaze over three hours instead. You just want all that buttery whiskey goodness to be able to soak into the cake. I think you can do that over a few hours vs. days. I do also poke some holes in the cake to facilitate maximum whiskey absorption.

Did I just say “maximum whiskey absorption”? Yup, sounds about right for St. Patrick’s Day Festivities! This delicious Irish Whiskey Cake will serve a crowd. So there you are, sorted for the St Patrick’s Day potluck!

• Servings: 16 slices
• Difficulty: easy - but allow 3 hours for whiskey glaze to soak in
• Print

recipe adapted from: Taste of Home

Ingredients:

• 1 package spice cake mix (regular size)
• 1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 3/4 cup 2% milk
• 3/4 cup Irish whiskey
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1-1/3 cups coarsely chopped walnuts, divided (I used pecans instead)

For the whiskey glaze:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup Irish whiskey
• 1 teaspoon water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300° F. Grease and flour a 10-in. tube pan or bundt pan.

Place all of the ingredients, with the exception of the nuts in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and mix for2 minutes. Fold in 1 cup the nuts, reserving 1/3 cup for later. If you are using a bundt pan, sprinkle remaining nuts in the bottom of the prepared pan and then add the batter. If you are using a bundt pan, sprinkle the nuts over top of the batter once you have added it to the pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 60-65 minutes. Cool in pan.

While the cake is cooling, prepare the glaze. Place all ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes. Cool 3 minutes.

Take a wooden skewer, toothpick or swizzle stick and poke a scattering of holes in the cake. Pour one-third of glaze over top of cake, allowing some to flow over sides down into the pan. Let stand 1 hour. Remove from pan. Reheat the glaze if you need to and brush another third over the cake. Wait one additional hour and then brush the remaining glaze over the cake. Allow the cake to cool completely and then cover.

Enjoy!

Links for helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Irish Whiskey Cake:

Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer

Duncan Hines Spice Cake Mix – This is for a box of 2, so you’ll be ready to go when everyone requests you make this cake again!

Butter Mochi

So I don’t know if ya’ll have ever tried Butter Mochi but it is absolutely delish! Both tender and chewy with rich butter and vanilla flavors, you will be hooked with your first nibble! Butter Mochi hails from Hawaii and is kind of like their version of a brownie. It is made with glutinous rice flour and that is what gives it both its soft pillowy marshmallowy center as well as its chewy crackly crunchy top crust. A true texture sensation!

I could not find Mochiko in my local grocery stores and got a couple boxes on Amazon. I have included a link below. Once you have the rice flour, these bars come together quickly and easily and will serve a crowd. I chose not to mix in any coconut as the Husband doesn’t care for it, but would wager coconut would be a great addition for any coconut lovers out there.

If you have never tried this treat, my descriptions are probably not doing it justice. I’ll admit, it doesn’t really look very exciting, rather it looks pretty plain and simple. But don’t be fooled, it will deliver big time on taste and texture. You’ve got to trust me, it is not really like any dessert bar you’ve experienced. We are big Butter Mochi fans around here and wager you will be too!

P.S. Just a reminder – in just 4 days my St. Patrick’s Day recipe blog-a-thon gets going. See one delicious recipe a day all the way up to the big day – March 17th! And if you just can’t wait and want get a jump start on those Irish-y recipes, take a look at my St. Patrick’s Day recipes from previous years. Just click on Runcible Eats/Recipes on the top navigation bar and scroll down to the very bottom. You’ll find ’em under the heading “St. Patrick’s Day”. And believe me, there’s a ton of them!

• Servings: about 24 squares
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe from: Pastry Love by Joanne Chang

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cups (1 pound/455 grams) mochiko (glutinous rice flour or sweet rice flour)
• One 13.5 -14 ounce (375 to 390 gram) can full-fat coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cups (360 grams) whole milk, at room temperature
• 1 2/3 cup (335 grams) sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick/115 grams) unsalted butter, melted
• 3 large eggs (about 150 grams) at room temperature
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 3/4 cup (90 grams) sweetened shredded coconut *optional*

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and place a rack in the center of the oven. Generously butter a 9X13 inch baking pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the mochiko, coconut milk, milk, sugar, melted butter, eggs, baking powder, salt and vanilla bean paste. Whisk together until smooth. Add the shredded coconut if you are using it and whisk it in. Let the batter sit for about 15 minutes at room temperature for the rice flour to full absorb the liquid.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, rotating the pan midway through the baking time, until the top of the cake is golden brown and the mochi feels firm when you press it in the middle. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on a wire rack.

Cut the mochi into small pieces about 2X2 inches square, and use a small spatula to remove them from the pan. Place each piece in a small muffin paper or on a piece of parchment or waxed paper.

Butter mochi can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can also freeze them; put them in a 325° F oven for about 20 minutes to revive and get a little chewy and caramelized on top.

Enjoy!

Links for helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Butter Mochi:

Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer

Oxo Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour

Vanilla Bean Paste

Pastry Love by Joanne Chang – LOVE this cookbook!

Passion Fruit & Fresh Berry Pavlova

Betcha ya’ll are already set as far as your Valentine Day desserts huh? Well just in case you’re still mulling it over, look what I surprised my Valentine with: Passion Fruit & Fresh Berry Pavlova: A meringue cookie topped with a dollop of whipped cream, a slick of tropical passion fruit curd (of course passionfruit! what other curd would be perfect for Valentine’s) and a handful of lovely fresh berries!

This dessert is a dream for anyone who loves food with texture. You’ve got the crispy crunch of the outer meringue, the pillowy chew of the marshmallow-like middle, the silky layer of fluffy whipped cream and passionfruit curd followed by the sweet tart addition of fresh berries. So elegant and absolutely delicious, these easily made treats are perfect for your Valentine’s day festivities.

The Husband, who conveniently also happens to be my Valentine, generally doesn’t like any chocolatey super sweet sugar bombs that seem to be all the rage for this holiday.  Which is totally unlike me. That is exactly what I would want. Truth be told…in a the shape of a cupcake if all were going my way. Just saying…He, on the other hand, prefers fruit forward desserts such as this lovely Cashew Crusted Blackberry & Lime Tart:

Or these Luscious Lemon Squares,

And then there was that Poached Pear Tart with Lemony Cream.

One year, I was even clever enough to combine what he loves, a good Gin & Tonic, and what I love, cupcakes by making  Pink Grapefruit Gin & Tonic Cupcakes:

And last year, I was pretty sly with these Mimosa Butter Sweetheart Cookies. I really like cookies and was able to not only add some of his favorite jam into the mix with these, but was also able to get some champagne on deck. Always up for a glass of bubbles!

And just recently I did share a recipe for Cranberry Chiffon Pie which would be perfect for Valentine’s Day given its’ flirty pink hue.

But let me get back to the dessert of the day: Passion Fruit & Fresh Berry Pavlova. This dessert is not as popular in the States as it is in Europe, much to my dismay. It seems that it hails from either Australia or New Zealand. No one is sure which country can claim it and has been a source of controversy between the two. It was named in the honor of the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova who toured the countries in the 1920s.

Pavlovas can be made in a 8 – 9″ cake size or as smaller individual serving sizes as I made here. I prefer the smaller sizes as you can keep the meringues in an airtight container and only pull them out to assemble right before you are ready to serve. They can not sit out for long though, so don’t assemble them until folks are ready to dig in.

The good news is that you can make the meringues the night before you need them and keep them under wraps until your fruit is sliced, the whipped cream is whipped and you are ready to assemble. One caveat – meringues do take a while to bake. With these you cook them at a low temperature for 3 hours and then turn the oven off and let the meringues just sit in there overnight. Then it is straight into an airtight container. But hey, Valentine’s Day isn’t until tomorrow. I bet you’ve got all the ingredients you need to whip these up today. Well, maybe not the passionfruit curd. But you could customize them to your own taste with a slick of your favorite curd or jam or leave that out altogether. They will still be scrumptious with just the luscious whipped cream and fruit. Happy Valentine’s Day!

• Servings: 8 individual pavlovas
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe from: Pastry Love: A Baker’s Journal of Favorite Recipes by Joanne Chang

Ingredients:

• 6 large egg whites (about 3/4 cup, 180 grams) at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) superfine sugar
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, sifted after measuring
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (240 grams) heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons confectioner’s sugar
• Passion Fruit Curd, for topping
• 2 pints (500 grams) fresh berries, the original recipe used raspberries. I used blackberries, strawberries & blueberries

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 175° F and place a rack ib the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside

In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed for about 1 minute. The whites will start to froth and turn into bubbles and eventually the yellowy viscous part will disappear. Keep whipping until you can see the wires of the whisk leaving a slight trail in the whites, 2 -3 minutes.

With the mixer still on medium, slowly add the superfine sugar in six to eight increments, whipping for about 20 seconds after each addition. ( It should take about 3 minutes to add all the sugar. When all the sugar has been incorporated into the egg whites, increase the speed to medium-high and beat for about 1 minute longer. The meringue should be fluffy and look a bit like shaving cream. Remove the bowl from the mixer and using a rubber spatula, fold in the cornstarch, salt and vanilla. The meringue batter will be gloppy and sticky-looking.

Using a 1/2 cup ice cream scoop or 1/2 cup dry measuring cup, scoop 8 mounds of meringue onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 3 inches apart. Use a large spoon to press a well into the center of each meringue mound, moving the spoon around in a circular motion to make a shallow depression in the meringue.

Bake for 3 hours, rotating the baking sheet a few times. Turn off the oven and let the meringues sit in the oven overnight.

The next day, remove the meringues from the oven and carefully peel them off the parchment. (At this point the meringues can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.)

When you are ready to serve, whip the cream and confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl with a whisk until it is soft and billowing. Do not over-whip or the cream will get grainy. It should look similar to the meringue when it was fully whipped.

Place each meringue on an individual serving plate or all together on a large serving platter. Spoon about 2 Tablespoons of the whipped cream into the center of each meringue. Make a depression in the cream, then spoon about 2 heaping Tablespoons of the passion fruit curd on the top of the cream. Crush some of the fresh berries and keep some whole and scatter evenly on top of the curd.

Passion fruit pavlovas should be served within 1 hour or so of assembling. (Once filled, the meringues get really soft after a few hours.)

Enjoy!

Links for helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Passion Fruit & Fresh Berry Pavlova:

Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer

Oxo Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

Pastry Love by Joanne Chang – LOVE this cookbook! Everything I have baked from it has been sensational! For this pavlova recipe, she actually gives you the recipe for homemade passion fruit curd. I sadly could not source any passionfruit, so turned to amazon to get a jar of it.

Tiptree Passion Fruit Curd