Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey’s Buttercream

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In case you hadn’t taken notice, St. Patrick’s Day is this weekend. I love all the glittery shamrocks, leprechauns, and Irish booze. What better way to mark the occasion than by baking cupcakes laced with two of the green isle’s two favorite spirits? Bailey’s and Guinness.

A quick Google led to several different variations. Many recipes called for a whiskey ganache filling for the cake, which sounded divine, but I was kind of pressed for time.  So, I went with a basic recipe for a moist, chocolate Guinness cake topped with a Bailey’s buttercream frosting.

I made these for my ladies book club that I hosted last Friday night, and everyone really enjoyed them. There is just enough of a boozy bite from the frosting to give it a kick, and the Guinness cake was just perfect – light, airy, and moist. I was honestly a bit worried about the cupcakes before putting them in the oven. With a whole bottle of beer in the batter, it’s very thin. Next time I might try using a batter bowl to fill the cupcake liners, instead of a scoop. Whether you’re creating an Irish celebration at home this St. Patty’s Day, or going out for a wild night on the town…try to squeeze in some time to make these cupcakes!

Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey’s Buttercream

1 bottle Guinness
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Bailey’s buttercream:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 to 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Bring Guinness and butter to a simmer in large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs and sour cream. Add Guinness-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat until just combined. Add flour mixture and beat on medium-low speed until combined.

Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely before frosting.

For the frosting, place the butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until creamy.

Gradually add the sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes after each), until the icing is the consistency you desire. I like it relatively stiff for piping purposes. You may not need to add all of the sugar at this point.

After all sugar has been added, add Bailey’s and milk and blend until just combined. Add remaining sugar if the liqueur has made the frosting too soft.

Source: cupcakes from Dave Liberman, Bailey’s buttercream from Smitten Kitchen

DIY Hamburger Buns

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I know, I know. Hamburger buns from scratch? When they’re only a couple of bucks to buy at the grocery store, who has the time? I’ve been making an effort to make time for more homemade breads this year – and I was completely blown away by these hamburger buns! I’ve always  known that bread baked in your own oven was always more substantial than the it’s airy store-bought counterpart. But, I really didn’t think it would make that much of a difference in a burger. I couldn’t have been more wrong!

This bun will hold up to any burger and toppings you should choose to pile onto it. And yet, it still manages to remain tender and really “hugs” the burger – soaking up all the delicious, beefy juices that manage to make their way out. A batch of dough for these guys was the perfect amount for us. Made just enough for all of us to have a burger, and then I froze the other half for a dinner later in the month. Most breads and doughs freeze so beautifully, it’s always so handy to have in the freezer for an easy meal.

DIY Hamburger Buns

2 Tbsp sugar
1 packet (2 ¼ tsp) active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)
1 cup warm milk (105-115 degrees)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
3 to 3 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I only needed 3 cups)
1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp cold water
Sesame seeds for topping

In a bowl of an electric mixer, dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Sprinkle the yeast over the surface and let sit for 10 minutes. If the mixture hasn’t started to get frothy, start over. Add the warm milk, oil, salt and 1 1/2 cups of flour to the yeast mixture. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.

Add an additional cup of flour and then the remaining flour 2 Tbsp at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. This particular dough should be quite slack, i.e. very relaxed in order to make soft and tender buns. So you want to add only enough more flour, past the 3 cup point, to make the dough just kneadable, sprinkling in only enough more to keep it from sticking to you or the work surface.

Switch to the dough hook and knead until you have a smooth and elastic dough, about 7-9 minutes. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl. Turn once to coat the entire ball of dough in oil. Cover with a dampened towel and let rise until doubled, about one hour.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface. Working with oiled hands, divide the dough into 9 equal pieces (a bench scraper and kitchen scale come in handy here). Shape each piece into a ball, and flatten into 3 1/2-inch disks. For soft-sided buns, place them on a parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet a half-inch apart so they will grow together when they rise. For crisper bun, place them three inches apart. Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.

15 minutes before you want to bake the buns, preheat the oven to 400. Just before baking, brush the tops of the buns lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with any desired toppings.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the bread reaches 190. When the buns are done, remove them from the baking sheet to cool on a wire rack. This will prevent the crust from becoming soggy.

Source: adapted from King Arthur Flour; via Annie’s Eats and Confections of a Foodie Bride

Blackened Fish Tacos

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These fish tacos are a new favorite dinner in our home. While I love the beer battered version, I think I’ve grown to love this lightened version better. Light, fresh, and bursting with flavor – it’s a meal that comes together in a half an hour or less. Plus, they’re relatively figure friendly (well, compared to their battered and fried cousin at least). This is the kind of meal that I’ll be looking forward to making after a long day at the beach with my guys!

The fish filets are quickly pan seared and piled into warm corn tortillas. Then topped with a spicy chipotle cilantro aioli, a refreshing mango salsa, and some finely shredded cabbage. The sweetness of the salsa, alongside the spicy smokiness of the aioli is sheer perfection. If you’re looking for a new time-friendly dinner to add to your menu, add these tacos. I’m fairly certain you’ll love them too!

Blackened Fish Tacos

1 lb flaky white fish filets (I used mahi-mahi)
3 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
2 tbsp olive oil
8 corn tortillas
shredded cabbage

For the mango salsa:
1 mango, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp kosher salt

For the chipotle aioli:
1/3 cup good mayonnaise
3 tbsp sour cream
3 tbsp chopped chipotle in adobo sauce
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
juice from 1/2 a lime

To make the mango salsa, combine ingredients in large bowl and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for an hour to let flavors meld.

For the chipotle aioli, combine ingredients in a food processor and pulse several times until ingredients are well combined. Place in a small serving dish and set aside.

To prepare the fish, brush fish filets with melted butter. Sprinkle fish generously with seasoning. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add fish and cook, without moving, for 3 minutes. Flip filets, and cook for an additional 3 minutes, until fish is cooked through. Remove from heat, flake the meat with a fork, and set aside.

To assemble the tacos, warm corn tortillas in a skillet for a few moments. Pile fish into tortillas, followed by the chipotle sauce, the mango salsa, and the shredded cabbage.  Serve immediately.

Grilled Baby Bok Choy

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Grilled bok choy is one of my favorite vegetable side dishes. I usually cook it when we’re putting something on the grill anyways – steak, chicken, kabobs.  Often I’ll just keep the seasoning simple – olive oil, salt, and pepper. But, whenever I want something a little more special,  I made a wonderful spicy Asian vinaigrette to go on top before grilling.

Some people steer clear of bok choy because it falls under the cabbage category. If you think you don’t like cabbage, give this recipe a try. I too, was a “cabbage hater”, but bok choy really brought me around. It’s a very mild flavor, so it’s a great place to start. Feel free to play around with the flavorings in the vinaigrette too. I like the flavors that the soy sauce and Sriracha lend, but just most things in the kitchen, the possibilities are endless! I like to use  baby bok choy if I can find it, because it cooks so quickly and is tender. Large heads of bok choy will work as well, but you should quarter them before grilling.

Grilled Baby Bok Choy

4 heads of baby bok choy (or 1 head of full-sized)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat for 15 minutes, and lightly oil the grate.

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, Sriracha, and black pepper. Slice the bok choy in half, lengthwise. Brush the cabbage with the soy sauce mixture on the cut side, letting the vinaigrette fall into the grooves.

Lay the bok choy on the preheated grill, cut side up. Cook until the stalks show grill marks and the leaves are crisp at the edges, about 2 minutes. Turn the bok choy, brush with remaining soy mixture, cover, and grill the other side for about 2 more minutes. Remove to platter and serve.