Category Archives: Sweets

Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting + 5 Spring Cupcake Links!

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lps0006I called an old friend today to wish her a happy birthday. A few hours later she called me back. We attempted to have a conversation, but N started crying. Neither of us could ignore his helpless newborn cry so we said goodbye. I felt sad we couldn’t chat longer. I miss her. Distance and small children who need us make staying in touch difficult. We try anyway because we need each other. We try because we remind each other of who we are. We try because a 20 year friendship deserves it.  One day our little people won’t need us as much and our conversations will last longer than 5 minutes. So today we make an effort for one day.

If today, we had more than 5 minutes to chat this is what I would have said: Happy birthday sweet friend! It is so good to hear your voice. I know, it is hard to believe we haven’t talked since N was born. Crazy how 5 weeks fly by. Lets not let another 5 weeks go by. Are you taking some time for yourself today? You should. No, don’t feel guilty. You deserve some time just for you. They will be ok. I wish we could grab a drink tonight and chat and eat the cupcakes I made. I think it is so cool your birthday falls on the first day of spring! Spring means a new beginning. This 36th year is your new beginning. Surprise yourself this year. Do something adventurous, and call me and tell me all about it. Also, be patient with yourself. You have a lot going on and there is only so much you can do in a day. Go for a run to clear your head as often as you can. Go to yoga and breathe out whatever is troubling you. Stop debating about whether you should have a second piece of cake today. You should damn it! It’s your birthday! You mentioned buying eye cream. You should buy some. Time is not our friend. If it works let me know! I know you have to go, me too. I hope this is your best year yet. I love you and miss you terribly. Bye for now.

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Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe adapted from Alice Water’s The Art of Simple Food 1-2-3-4 Cake and Averie Cook’s Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients for cake:

2 eggs

1/2 cup of milk

1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup of sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp. poppy seeds

zest of 1 lemon

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 cups cake flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 350. Line a 12 cup standard size muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.

Separate 2 eggs and set aside. Sift and measure 1 and 1/2 cups of cake flour into a medium bowl. Stir in 2 teaspoons of baking powder and a 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat 1 stick of butter until light and fluffy. Add 1 cup of sugar and lemon zest. Cream until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides once or twice. Add the egg yolks, one at a time. Now add vanilla extract and fresh lemon juice. Once it is well combined, add the flour mixture and milk alternately. Start with 1/3 of the flour and then 1/3 of the milk, ending with the flour. Stir until just incorporated. Do not over mix! In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. Spoon the batter, about 2/3rd the way full, into the prepared muffin pan and bake for about 18-20 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. The cupcakes will last in an air tight container, at room temperature for 2 days. Enjoy and happy spring!

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

recipe barely adapted from Averie Cooks

(double the recipe if you want a lot of frosting on your cupcakes)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

1 1/4 cups of confectioner’s sugar or more for desired consistency

pinch of kosher salt

optional: lemon zest for garnish

Directions:

Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, lemon juice and confectioner’s sugar until smooth. Add a pinch of salt. Continue to add sugar until you reach desired consistency. Refrigerate the frosting for about an hour so it firms up a bit. Once firm, frost your cupcakes with as much or as little frosting as you like. Enjoy!

5 Spring Cupcakes You Should Try!

If you like lemon meringue pie, why not try the cupcake version? Cooking Classy has a recipe that looks fantastic and I’m guessing tastes even better!

Looking for a cupcake recipe to try on your more adventurous eaters? I found it! Head to Annie’s Eats for her strawberry balsamic cupcake recipe.

I love the combination of raspberries and lemon. I need to make this cupcake by My Baking Addiction very soon.

I love carrot cake, especially in cupcake form. The Cupcake Project has a carrot cake cupcake recipe that promises to be moist and delicious. Check it out!

Peeps and Easter go hand in hand. I love Peeps, especially when they are a little stale. How about a vanilla cupcake, frosted with vanilla raspberry marshmallow frosting, topped with a pink peep? Yes please! Heather Cristo has the recipe for you.

Chocolate Stout Cake with Vanilla Bean Mascarpone Frosting + 5 Stout Desserts You Should Make For St. Patty’s Day!

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csc0036When you marry a Fitzpatrick and live near Boston it is necessary to celebrate St. Patty’s Day. Before we had kids, Bubba and I would head to an Irish pub and drink green beer. Before I met Bubba, I drank way to much green beer and listened to bad Irish bands at the Black Rose with my college roommate, Amy, also an Irish girl.  When I was a kid, my grandmother made corn beef and cabbage and gave us green carnations on St. Patty’s Day. I guess in some way I have always celebrated this holiday. This year with a new baby in the house, C and G to take care of, and a complete lack of energy, our celebration will be minimal. Sure I will have a beer to celebrate. I just may fall asleep shortly after I finish it. I may even attempt to make this corn beef and cabbage recipe. Maybe Bubba will help the kids make a leprechaun trap this weekend.

I am not sure how we will actually celebrate this holiday. So in anticipation of a busy weekend and not enough sleep, I made a chocolate stout cake with vanilla bean mascarpone frosting a few days early. This was my first attempt making a chocolate stout cake. I love chocolate, but I am not a huge fan of stout beer, so I was a bit hesitant to try this recipe. I am so glad I gave it a shot anyway, because it is by far one of the tastiest cakes I’ve made! The chocolate and the stout are similar in that they both add a dark, bold flavor. The sour cream keeps the cake super moist. The sweet vanilla bean mascarpone frosting adds the perfect balance of sweetness to a slightly bitter crumb. Overall, I love this cake!

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The recipe suggests serving the cake with a stout beer like Guinness. Bubba tried it and said it is a great pairing. Who knew?

csc0020I chose mascarpone (Italian style cream cheese) instead of traditional cream cheese because I had a container of it in the fridge. While making the frosting, I got distracted by N’s crying and over-beat it. The butter and cream cheese separated a bit. I almost threw it out, but Bubba said it still tasted good. I went ahead and frosted the cake, and, yes, it did still taste good. Next time I make cream cheese frosting, I’ll follow these tips by Joy the Baker.

Have a great St. Patty’s Day!

Chocolate Stout Cake with Vanilla Bean Mascarpone Frosting

recipe slightly adapted from Simply Recipes

serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 cup stout of stout beer, like Guinness

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

2 cups superfine sugar

3/4 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch spring-form pan with butter. Line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Set aside.

Add the beer and butter to a large sauce pan and cook over medium-high heat until the butter is completely melted. Add the cocoa powder and sugar. Whisk together until combined. Remove from heat. Allow it to cool to room temperature.

In a separate bowl beat together the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract until well combined. Add the sour cream mixture to the butter & beer mixture and whisk together until fully incorporated.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the beer-butter mixture and whisk together until it just comes together. Do not over whisk!

Pour the batter into the prepared spring-form pan. Drop the pan on the countertop a few times to shake out the air bubbles in the batter .

Bake for about 50-60 minutes, but check doneness at 50 minutes. Cool completely in pan, on a wire rack. When cool, run a knife around the edge to separate the cake from the pan. Remove the ring from the pan. Carefully transfer cake to cake stand. Spread on the frosting and serve with a nice, cold stout. Happy St. Patty’s Day!

Vanilla Bean Mascarpone Frosting

recipe inspired by Simply Recipes cream cheese frosting

will frost 1 8 or 9 inch cake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup or 1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature

8 oz of mascarpone cheese

2 cups of powdered sugar, sifted

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 vanilla bean, scraped

pinch of kosher salt

Directions:

Beat the cream cheese for a few minutes on medium speed. Add the butter and beat until smooth.  Scrape down the bowl.

Add the vanilla extract and vanilla bean. Slowly add the powdered sugar and a pinch of salt. (Add more powdered sugar if you want it sweeter.)

Refrigerate the frosting for about an hour to help it to firm up. Spread on cooled cake and serve!

5 Stout Desserts You Should Make for St. Patty’s Day!

If you love Guinness and you love vanilla ice cream try a Guinness Float! Gimme Some Oven has the recipe for you.

Two of Bubba’s favorite things is bacon and beer. I may need try this beer candied bacon recipe from Tide and Thyme very soon!

Do you love cupcakes and chocolate covered pretzels? Try My Baking Addiction’s stout cupcakes with chocolate covered pretzels. Sounds amazing!

Guinness. Chocolate. Pudding. Yes, it exists. Head over to Sprinkle Bakes for the recipe.

I love snickerdoodles. Heather Cristo came up with a twist on the traditional cookie just in time for St. Patty’s Day. Head over to her blog for the Guinness Snickerdoodles recipe. I hope to make them soon!