My Choc-Guinness Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Icing

I'm kind of doing my headless chicken routine like always with a big party around the corner - and this double birthday party for the kids is no exception. I have to-do lists everywhere and I know on one of them there is: Make Choc-Guinness Cupcakes! Now, it's early (party is still over a week away) but I'm making them to freeze (they thaw beautifully and still nice and moist) so that I can tick them off the list and move on to the other 500 jobs on my 200 to-do lists. And why not share this favourite recipe of mine that I make... well I used to make it all the time (before I had kids and had spare time to bake and cook and clean...) and people loved them - so they must be a hit ;o) Trust me they are!

This recipe is kind of famous from what I can see now searching on Google for it. I came across it years ago on the gorgeous cooking blog Smitten Kitchen. There was a bit of a craze going on about incorporating booze into sweet foods. Personally I don't think it should ever be discarded as a bad idea ;o) And these cupcakes are the proof. They are delicious. Here is the link to the original recipe.

And here is my interpretation for you all!

I've kind of streamlined the ingredients list and adjusted the instructions to suit how I make it. I think it's faster and easier - with the same yummy result. Oh and the icing recipe is mine - passed down from my mum. The Smitten Kitchen recipe has a Bailey's Buttercream but I'm not a big fan of buttercream. Trust me when I say that my Choc-Guinness Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing combo works... REALLY WELL ;o)

Ingredients List:

1 cup/250ml Guinness (minimum can size is 440ml but I always have a willing assistant happy to help avoid wastage)
1 cup/250g unsalted butter
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-process is preferred but I always use the Bournville Cadbury Cocoa in my pantry ;o)
2 cups sugar
3 small eggs
⅔ cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups plain flour
1 ½ tsp bicarb soda/baking soda
¾ tsp salt

125g cream cheese

60g unsalted butter

½ cup icing sugar

½ tsp lemon juice

½ tsp vanilla extract (not essence)

½ tsp food colouring (if necessary)

 

Tools/Utensils:

Soffritto Party Pack available from House $14.99

Measuring cups and spoons, whisk, rubber spatula

Sieve (ideally one with a handle and hooks so that it can be placed on top of your pot leaving your hands free)

3-4 mixing bowls

Medium-sized pot
Cupcake liners (24)
Baking trays (24 holes)

Mixer

Piping bags (if getting schmancy is the look you're after)

Cupcake Instructions:

 

Preheat oven to 180C (fan-forced).

Line baking trays with cupcake liners.

In bowl 1: whisk cocoa and sugar to combine. Set aside.

In bowl 2: whisk eggs, vanilla, and sour cream to smooth consistency. Set aside.

In bowl 3: whisk flour, bicarb soda, and salt. Set aside.

In pot: add Guinness and butter.

Place pot on medium heat.

And get your bowls (lined up in order) and utensils ready to work.

Bring Guinness and butter to a simmer.

Sieve bowl 1's ingredients gradually and whisk until mixture is smooth and glossy.

Turn off the heat and cool slightly (10-15 minutes --> I did the dishes ;o)

Whisk up the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla mixture and add to the pot.

Sieve bowl 3's ingredients gradually to prevent lumps.

Give the mixture a good whisk to combine ingredients and get any lumps out.

Pour mixture evenly into your cupcake liners (no more than ¾ full).

Pop in the oven for 15 minutes, rotating once if your oven cooks unevenly like mine.

Check using a skewer - cupcakes are cooked with the skewers comes out clean.

Cool cupcakes on a wire rack completely (tip: get icing ingredients out of the fridge if icing today).

Taste test of course... to um... make sure they are cooked!

Ice when cupcakes are cold (then taste test again) or freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight container.

Icing Instructions: (I don't have any pictures yet because I've only made and frozen the cupcakes. I'll ice them closer to the party and then add the pics. Promise! With sparkles on top)

1. Bring cream cheese and butter to room-ish temperature. You just need them to soften enough to beat without blowing your mixer up.

2. Add to mixer bowl and beat slowly for 1 minute to combine.

3. Mix on medium/high for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.

4. Add icing sugar slowly and scrape the sides of the bowl down regularly to keep the sugar incorporated.

5. Add lemon juice and vanilla (and food colour if necessary).

6. Taste test of course (you can add more lemon juice for tang but remember that adding too much more liquid will affect the consistency).

7. Pipe pretty stars or smother the cupcakes with delicious icing. Sprinkle for sparkle.

8. Devour!

So that's all I've got for the moment. I made the cupcakes and just so you know - I have taste-tested and they are SO moist and delicious. I had to put them in the freezer to stop me from eating them all and having to make another batch tomorrow! I'll make the icing and share photos of that little adventure. And I promise to share photos of them all decorated and looking beautiful on the sweets table at the kids party xxo

Catchalata!

Hyde Park Picnic And Photoshoot

So I promised to share photos of our little photo-shoot and here they are!

It wasn't a huge photoshoot and it wasn't Hyde Park in London... he he he... but it was a gorgeous setting with undoubtedly more stunning weather! We had a great day. The food was delish as usual! We do love a gourmet picnic ;o)

The real reason for visiting Hyde Park though was to capture some shots of Isla wearing some of the outfits available in my Etsy shop - to give customers an idea of how they look when worn. But Isla had different ideas!

I put her in this gorgeous little Baby Singlet & Bloomer Set and she kept running away from me!

Then she decided to start climbing all over the big roots of a nearby Moreton Bay Fig Tree.

I asked her to smile for the camera and I got a very firm "No!".

So I tried a different tactic.

I changed her into a Halter Dress and walked her down to the Duck Pond.

She looked so beautiful. And she loved looking at the ducks... until one walked towards her thinking she was holding food. She high-tailed it out of there and got busy collecting sticks.

We even think we might have seen a fairy hiding in the bushes!

It was a beautiful day.

For more information about my shop and a look at what is currently available in store, please click on the link here. Or check out my Facebook page for fabric options and custom order availability!

https://www.facebook.com/RhapsodyandThread

https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/RhapsodyandThread

 

My Etsy Shop Is Now Open --> Hip Hip Hooray!

I must apologise to my readers for my absence! I have been sewing up a storm every chance I get (i.e. when the planets are aligned in such a way that the kids are asleep and I'm not cleaning, eating or drinking cocktails). That last part could happen more often.

It has been an incredibly busy last... well 6, 12, 24 months! I still can't believe that my babies have their birthday in just a few weeks. 1 and 2 years old. I just can't believe it. And there is so much to plan and organise for their big day. I've been working out the details for months, along with setting up and opening my Etsy shop. The party theme is Peppa Pig, which I think suits a combined boy/girl party because Peppa has her baby brother George - just like Isla has her baby brother Logan. We've got mascots coming, which is going to be super exciting. I can't wait to see the kids faces. And I went crazy in Spotlight buying pink, green, yellow and blue table setting stuff, streamers, balloons... you can just imagine how crazy I went. I'm fairly certain hubby is going to look at me and say "do you think you got enough stuff?". And I am confident in my prepared response of "we can never have too much stuff for their first combined birthday party!!!". It is a very special occasion because Logan is turning one, and Isla never got to have a kiddie first birthday party because she was at the hospital welcoming her baby brother on her birthday. So we have that to make up for. Have I made enough excuses? :o)

Anyway, enough about that. I want to tell you about my Etsy shop because I feel equally proud of how that is coming along. I actually can't believe my Etsy Shop is finally open! I feel like I've been sewing for years. Technically it's been about 6 months (for the shop) but it has been a very slow process squeezing in cutting and sewing while the kids have napped during the day and after they've gone to bed at night. Thank goodness there was nothing interesting on tv over the Christmas holidays so I could just bury myself in the craft cave. It has been fun. Incredibly challenging with a few setbacks, but they have been great learning curves.

My initial focus was on creating a range using beautiful Voile and Japanese Lawn fabrics. This came from my long-standing love of Liberty of London Tana Lawn fabrics. I love how light and bright and colourful most lawns and voiles are - in particular how intricately detailed the prints are due to the extra-fine weave of the fabric.

Of course you might remember the Christmas dress I made for Isla out of Liberty of London fabric. The print is called Tresco and is covered in all sorts of bright coral. It is so colourful and just a bit Christmassy!

The trouble with Liberty fabric though is that it is very expensive. I do plan on creating a small number of items using popular Liberty of London fabrics for my etsy shop - but I'm not sure that my current customer base can afford clothing in that price range.

So I sourced a cheaper range of Japanese lawn and voiles that helped me to produce and offer more affordable clothing (that still have that lightweight look, soft luxury feel, and bright colours). I'm really happy with how they turned out.

These Halter Dresses are so gorgeous. Retailing at AU$25-$27, they are great value. Especially because they are really versatile and can work first as a Halter Dress and then as a Halter Top with jeans and a cardigan. The tops of the dresses are shirred so they fit snuggly and the dress balloons out like a princess dress. I also hand-sew the tulle flowers to add a special touch.

I also make Halter Tops (AU$19-$21) for people looking for something pretty but suited to more everyday loveliness with shorts or pants.

The hand-stitched tulle flowers are also used here on my Singlet & Bloomer Sets. The bloomers have more shirring along the waist and legs to create a sweet little pantaloon look. And the singlets have 2-3 tulle flowers in different configurations. These outfits are super-comfy and are gorgeously funky, while still looking girly. These are AU$27-$29.

I'm really happy with the styles and overall look of my products. And they look great on. We had a photo shoot at Hyde Park a few weeks ago - nothing major, just an excuse to have a picnic really. But I did get some great shots of Isla modelling an Halter Dress and a Singlet & Bloomer Set. I'll share those on a different post.

That's all for now xxo

Rhapsody and Thread

https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/RhapsodyandThread

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