It’s time for a little sentimentality via desserts, but not in the traditional sense.

Both my sister and a good friend of mine are heading to England in the next few weeks (on totally separate trips) so while I have been so excited for each respective person and sharing my favorite things from when I studied abroad there, it’s also made me incredibly jealous and heartsick for my own adventures across the pond. I’ve been musing about my favorite paintings, cathedrals, plays we saw, people we met, and of course, pubs we visited. I tried Guinness for the first time at a pub in Bath while I was there, and although I didn’t love it at the time (I had yet to grow my dark beer legs at age 20), it’s still one of the strongest sense memories from my gastronomic catalog of England.

The Eagle & Child: the pub that C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien frequented in Oxford.

So all week I’ve been craving stout, which I now adore. And after hearing my boss made chocolate stout and vanilla ice cream floats on New Year’s Eve, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head.

After perusing some chocolate-beer cupcakes, I came up with these. Rich and dark chocolate stout cupcakes with sweet and tangy Bailey’s-spiked cream cheese icing. I mean, if you’re making boozy cake, you might as well make the frosting just as naughty, no? The beer adds the most delicious malty flavor to the cake, and the Bailey’s gives the cream cheese frosting that extra little zing to make it special. Since I’m in the microbrew capital of the universe, finding chocolate stout was easy as pie, but it may be a bit tricky for others. Feel free to use Guinness or any stout of your choice.

Of course you buy the bomber. That way the cook (you) gets to drink the rest!

Fizzy liquid ingredients. The smell of chocolate stout with vanilla and milk is to die for.

Dry ingredients.

Filled.

Naughty frosting ingredients!

Just a small amount needed.

Sprinkle in.

Cupcakes for grown-ups.

—

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Baileys-Spiked Cream Cheese Icing

Makes 36 cupcakes.

I’ve adjusted for altitude quite a bit here, so if you’d like to see the original sea-level recipe for the cupcakes, check it out here on CHOW. You can still use my recipe for frosting, of course.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• 1 (12-ounce) bottle chocolate stout (I am in love with Fort Collins Brewery’s Special Edition Double Chocolate Stout right now), or stout of your choice
• ¾ cup milk
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 TBL pure vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• ¾ cup sour cream
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa, plus more for garnish (I prefer Green & Black organic unsweetened cocoa powder right now)
• 1¾ cups sugar
• 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda

For the frosting:

• 1 8-ounce package Philadelphia cream cheese, at room temperature
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 TBL Baileys liqueur (buy one of those little airplane bottles if you don’t keep it around)
• 8 ounces (½ pound) powdered sugar

Directions

For the cupcakes:

1.) Preheat oven to 365° F with rack in lower third of oven. Line 2 cupcake pans with paper sleeves and then spray sleeves with non-stick spray. Set aside.

2.) In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the stout, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. With the mixer running on low, beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the sour cream.

3.) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, flour, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in three parts, with the mixer running on low. Mix until just combined.

4.) Add about 1/3 cup batter per cupcake tin. Bake 20-25 minutes, until risen and set in the middle, but still soft and tender. Let cool 5 minutes in tin before removing and letting cool completely on wire racks.

For the frosting:

1.) Rinse out the bowl for the stand mixer and reattach the paddle attachment. Beat the cream cheese in a bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the heavy cream and Baileys. Slowly add the powdered sugar until completely incorporated and smooth.

2.) Top each cupcake with a heap of frosting and spread evenly. Enjoy with even more chocolate stout.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: chocolate, cupcakes, dessert, frosting, high altitude, indulge

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Let’s stay fat!

Haha, just kidding. But that’s what this entry feels like, in opposition to so many health-conscious and weight-loss centered food blog entries right now. Yes yes, so many people resolve to lose weight this week, which is fantastic. Yet I’ve been doing that since last New Year’s and I’m doing great. So I know I can derail, regardless of a diet frenzy right now, and do just fine.

And oh me oh my, what better way to derail than by skipping the tracks and soaring straight into one of the best chocolate cakes I have ever tasted. I finally bought the Baked cookbook for myself this holiday and couldn’t put it down the rest of my break. Every recipe sounded tantalizing and although often being lengthy, not intimidating.

This was the recipe that grabbed me the most (next to the s’mores nut bars, which no doubt will be next) and as a final farewell, my sister and I made this glorious confection the day before I left Kansas City. It came together rather quickly (especially the frosting, which was such a breeze) and filled the kitchen with the most delicious, malty chocolate smell.

We all devoured the cake after a dinner of indulgent pizza, and everyone agreed it was one of the best chocolate cakes ever, but only very light on the root beer flavor. Yet the cake is so moist and tender and the frosting is beyond to-die-for. So I still highly recommend this cake, but if you really want the root beer to sing, adding a teaspoon of root beer extract or even a splash of root beer schnapps definitely wouldn’t hurt. (And come on, when does adding schnapps to anything hurt?)

Sugar sugar sugar.

Do not measure the foam.

Mmmm, dark chocolate. There is no bad here.

Drip drip drip.

Batter.

Baked.

Very thick frosting.

Bundt.

It looks lonely…

That’s better!

Drowned crumbs.

—

Root Beer Bundt Cake

Based on the recipe from Baked bakery in Brooklyn, NYC.

Makes at least 12 servings (depending on how you cut it).

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 2 cups root beer (no diet, and in retrospect I wish I had used Stewart’s or some equally strong root beer)
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1¼ cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1¼  tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• Optional: 1 tsp root beer extract or 1 splash root beer schnapps

For the frosting:

• 2 oz dark chocolate, chopped, melted, and cooled slightly (I like using 2/3 of a Dove 63% Silky Smooth Dark Chocolate bar)
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ cup root beer
• 2/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2½  cups confectioners’ sugar

Directions

For the cake:

1.) Preheat the oven to 350° F. Spray a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick spray, or butter and flour it.

2.) In a small saucepan, heat the root beer, cocoa powder, and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted and whisk the ingredients together. Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from heat, transfer to a glass bowl, and let cool to room temperature.

3.) Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together. In a smaller bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined. Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy—do not overbeat, as it could cause the cake to be tough, but be sure there are no pockets of raw flour.

4.) Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a small knife (or toothpick) comes out clean.

5.) Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely. Gently loosen the sides of the cake from the pan and turn it out onto the rack to frost.

For the frosting:

1.) Put all the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until the frosting is shiny and smooth. If you don’t have a food processor, a Kitchen Aid fitted with the paddle or hand mixer with the whip attachments works just fine.

2.) Use a spatula to spread the fudge frosting over the entirety of the cake in a very thick, rich, awesome layer.

3.) Let the frosting slightly set before serving. Serve a la mode or just plain with a huge glass of ice cold milk.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: cake, chocolate, dessert, frosting, indulge, root beer

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