Cupcakes and more cupcakes!

The last couple of weekends, I have been baking up a frenzy! A couple weekends ago, I made Red Velvet cupcakes with Tangy Cream Cheese frosting my friends Christy and Shannon's birthdays. Last weekend, I made St. Patrick themed cupcakes, that I named "Car Bomb" cupcakes after the delicious drink.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I admit that I cheated with the cake portion of the cupcakes. I used the Duncan Hines Red Velvet mix, but doctored it by substituting the water with buttermilk and adding 1 tbsp extra cocoa powder because I find Red Velvet cupcakes not chocolatey enough.

The frosting however, was 100% homemade and freaking delicious! I received the recipe from Julita (who is endless supply of awesome baking recipes!).

Tangy Cream Cheese Frosting

 America’s Test Kitchen recipe

2 8 oz. packages cream cheese

10 tbsp. (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 tbsp. sour cream

1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

¼ tsp. salt

2 c. confectioner’s (powdered) sugar

1) Beat the cream cheese, butter, sour cream, vanilla, and salt together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, 2-4 minutes. 

2) Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low, slowly add the confectioner’s sugar, and beat until smooth, 4-6 min. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, 4-6 minutes. 

 Look at all of those delicious cupcakes! Nom nom nom!

Car Bomb Cupcakes

I got the recipe for the cake portion of these cupcakes from my favorite bakery in Denver, Cake Crumbs, home of the Denver Cupcake truck. The recipe was featured on a local news channel and can be found here. I actually had 36 cupcakes made with the recipe and some leftover batter. The batter tasted quite delicious and my apartment smelled like heaven the rest of the night. I made the frosting recipe up myself, with a little help from the Better Homes and Garden cupcake.

Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes

2 cups Guinness
1 cup cocoa powder
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 sticks butter
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla

Cream sugar and butter, in separate bowl combine flour, soda, powder and salt. Set aside. In separate bowl whisk together stout beer and cocoa powder. Beat eggs and vanilla  into creamed butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually mix in flour mixture alternating with stout and cocoa mixture until fully incorporated each time. Scrape sides of bowl frequently. Fill 30 muffin cups half full, bake 15-18 minutes in a preheated 350 oven.

Bailey's Irish Creme Chocolate Frosting (adapted from BHG cookbook). I am happy with the flavor of this frosting, but I need to work more on the texture of it, it was a little gritty for my liking.

1 stick butter
1/4 cup sifted cocoa powder
4 cups powdered sugar
4 tbsp milk
1 oz Bailey's Irish Creme liquer


Beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add 1/4 cup of cocoa powder and beat in smoothly. Gradually add 2 cups powdered sugar until smooth. Add Bailey's Irish Creme and milk to frosting and mix in until smooth. Add remaining powdered sugar until it reaches a spreading consistency. If frosting gets too hard, add enough milk. If frosting is too runny, add more powdered sugar.


The finished product. It was one of the most delicious cupcakes that I have made!! :)

As my friend Lindsey posted on my facebook wall in pure science nerdiness "preliminary studies indicate that my mood is positively correlated with cupcake consumption (n=2). further work is needed to make an conclusive statements." I intend to increase that n as much as possible over the next few weeks.

I have some leftover cream cheese frosting in the freezer and I am brainstorming some new cupcake flavors. Stay tuned!! :)