Banana Cupcakes With Coffee Kahlua Frosting!

For a former coworker (and very good friend)'s birthday in January, I made banana cupcakes with an espresso and Kahlua cream cheese frosting. Yum!

The cake, flavored by ripe bananas, is moist and fluffy, and the creamy, coffee-flavored frosting is a great complement to the banana flavor.

She loves flamingos, so I couldn't resist adding a decorative garnish at the end!

Recipe adapted from here!

Skittles Vodka!

I made these for fun one day (no intention of drinking them anytime soon)! I picked up 5 mini Absolut bottles at my local liquor store, and one bag of Skittles. I separated the skittles by color, and put them in the bottles. I shook them up and left them out on the counter for a few hours. The colors are so pretty and look cute as a decoration in a kitchen or bar area. These would also be cute in a gift basket for friends!

A more detailed process can be found here!

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes With Bailey's Cream Cheese Frosting!

These are definitely in my top three list of favorite cupcakes to make! My go-to recipe comes from Brown Eyed Baker's blog and it is easy and delicious (I do not use the whiskey ganache, however).

Although I would categorize these cupcakes as an 'autumn' recipe, nothing stops me from whipping up a batch in summertime.

Guinness stout, melted butter, and rich dark chocolate come together to form a moist cake that is not too dense and certainly not too sweet. Whipped Bailey's Irish cream and cream cheese make a frosting that is to die for. I highly recommend these!

Birthday Cupcakes!

I made these fun, beach-themed Kahlua cupcakes for one of my good friends at work last month. The decorations were my favorite part!

Guiness Cupcakes with Bailey's Frosting!

These were made in honor of a special Irish-American friend's birthday - Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Bailey's Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting! I adapted the recipe from Brown Eyed Baker, essentially just removing the whiskey ganache filling part. I topped the frosting with a dark chocolate espresso bean. Yum!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Mom's birthday cupcake request this year was a bit odd - she requested chocolate cupcakes with Bailey's frosting. Nothing wrong with that combo (nice one Mom!), but it was a bit out of character for my fruit-loving, booze-shunning mamma. Regardless, the birthday girl had it her way!

Espresso Chocolate Cupcakes with Pink Bailey's Buttercream (rosette themed)!

Chocolate Kahlua Cupcakes!

For a very special co-worker birthday, I made chocolate Kahlua cupcakes. The batter contained Kahlua and so did the cream cheesey buttercream, and both came out fabulous! I topped each one with a milk chocolate-covered pretzel for garnish. Yum! Why are boozy cupcakes the best?!

Margarita Cupcakes! (A Second Time)

Ah the delicious world of boozy cupcakes ... I think they may be my favorite kind to make! They are just so fun and people are always pleasantly surprised to hear that, yes, there is alcohol baked right in!

Margarita cupcakes are a revelation ... I first made them for Cinco de Mayo last year (check them out here). I used the same recipe from Brown Eyed Baker, but I went for a different frosting. Instead of a tequila-infused buttercream, I went for a more basic, lighter heavy cream-based frosting infused with lime zest and freshly-squeezed lime juice. The lightness of the airy frosting was a complement to the cupcake.

Piña Colada Cupcakes!

A few days ago I decided to bake up some Piña Colada cupcakes, recipe courtesy of the always interesting Cupcake Project. I was intrigued by her recipe which included coconut milk, pineapple juice, shredded coconut, and actual chunks of crushed pineapple. The frosting was a cream cheese based frosting with a dash of coconut cream. The amount of coconut rum in this recipe is small but the flavor definitely comes through. I enjoyed them but next time would go without the chunky bits of pineapple; although they resulted in a really moist cupcake, the cake was a bit too dense for me, although this was many of my co-worker's favorite aspect of the dessert.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In honor of all things Irish, this year I made Guiness chocolate cupcakes with Bailey's cream cheese frosting. Recipe courtesy of Annie's Eats. Any dark stout complements chocolate so perfectly in a cupcake, and I was just as happy with the flavor of these as I was back on Halloween, when I made Pumpkin Ale Cupcakes. Yum!

Bourbon Honey Pears

I find myself constantly inspired to bake or cook from all the lovely foodie pages of blogs that I have 'liked' on Facebook. My newsfeed is always full of gorgeous cupcakes, delicious-looking dinner ideas, and fabulous drink recipes! Yesterday's dessert was no exception - Bourbon Honey Poached pears from Cook Bake Nibble!   A booze-infused sweet dish? I'm so there!  

White Chocolate Godiva Liqueur Cupcakes!

Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur Cupcakes!
 
Made on 01/25/12.

The cake part dyed pink ... can you tell I love food coloring? :)

Thanks to Foodies Kitchen! :)

What I have made thus far .... All Recipes Edition!

Spinach Quiche!
Made on 05/24/11.

Lemon Creme Cupcakes!
Made on 03/20/11.

Bacon Chocolate Cupcakes!
Made on 03/13/11.

Salmon Cakes!
Made on 06/09/11.

Champagne Cupcakes!
Made on 05/28/11.

Vanilla Ricotta Cupcakes!
Made on 11/12/11.

Cheddar Garlic Biscuits!
Made on 12/31/11.

Spinach Phyllo Cups!
Made on 12/31/11.

Thanks to All Recipes! :)

What I have made thus far .... Annie's Eats Edition!

Caramelized Sea Scallops!
Made on 01/22/12.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes!
Made on 12/10/11.

Rum Cupcakes!
Made on 06/28/11.

Raspberry Swirl Cheesecakes!
Made on 05/09/11.

And with a twist .... Blueberry swirl cheesecakes!
Made on 09/29/11.

Pumpkin Cupcakes!
Made on 10/30/11.

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes!
Made on 12/31/11.

Thanks to Annie's Eats! :)