Tripel Peach and Cream Cupcakes
This weekend did not feel like June, at all. Saturday we were lucky to get into the high 40s, and it was pouring rain most of the day! Sunday has brought a bit of sun so far, but I could really go for 80 degrees right about now. This week’s cupcake is inspired by the weather I wish we were having here in the Pacific Northwest!
Peaches and cream is a classic flavor combination for a reason, it’s amazingly delicious. As always, there’s a Sweet and Stout twist to these cupcakes, I baked the peach cake with Elysian Brewing Company’s Bête Blanche Tripel. I wasn’t quite sure what beer would go with a peach cake, but after perusing the beer section I decided a tripel would be a good choice. Tripel’s have that classic Belgian spicy-fruity taste to them, and this beer went really well with the peaches. It’s incredibly easy to drink, too.
The cake had about a cup of pureed peaches in it, and yet only came out with a slight hint of peach flavor. Next time I will dice up some peaches and put them right in the batter. It did bake up nice and soft though, very tasty. For the frosting I used a whipped cream and cream cheese frosting and, oh my, it’s bowl-devouring good. There is quite a bit of leftover frosting, and I’m imagining myself with a giant plate of peach pancakes later topped with a lot of frosting. Whipped cream is the shiz. For real.
To make sure there was no mistaking these cupcakes for anything but peach, I garnished each with a thin slice of it’s fruity namesake. It’s hard not to shove the entire cupcake in your mouth due to it’s delicious nature, but I’m refraining from eating them all. For now.
As I mentioned last week, Dylan and I participated in the Spokane Humane Society’s Parade of Paws. We got a bit soaked, but it was totally worth it. Our dog went into puppy and puddle overload, and had a great time. Our team, A Furry Frenzy, raised over $700 for SHS, and we’re proud to have been a part of that. For your enjoyment, here’s a picture of our dog, Big, soaked after the event.
Hope you had a great weekend, too!
- Jackie & Dylan
Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes
Old Jubilation with Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes
It was a pretty cold weekend here in Spokane. We went out and picked up a six pack of Avery Brewing’s Old Jubilation Ale, a malty winter warmer, and paired it with a peppermint chocolate cupcake. What’s better on a cold winter evening than a roasty-toasty beer and some chocolate? (Not much! Well, maybe a fireplace would be nice, too.)
The frosting is just asking you to take a bite.
These cupcakes were all Dylan’s idea. He wanted to make a cupcake that was reminiscent of a cup of hot cocoa, complete with the marshmallows on top. The cake was just a basic chocolate cake and I replaced the vanilla with some peppermint syrup to give the cake a hint of minty flavor. For the frosting we used a mix of whipped topping and marshmallow creme and a splash of peppermint syrup. Warning: this frosting is highly addictive and delicious. (also kind of messy!)
Chocolate and peppermint are one of my favorite wintery flavors.
After mixing up the frosting it seemed like it was going to be too runny for the cupcakes, so we put it in the freezer for a little bit to thicken it up. I don’t think it really made a difference, it was still runny. (I believe marshmallow fluff is immune to all things, like freezing) After spreading it on the cupcakes anyways, it started to spread out on it’s own, and we were actually really happy with the way it looked.
Dylan crushed up some candy canes and garnished the tops of each.
This frosting made me want to revisit the s’mores cupcake idea that we did in the beginning of the year and use this as a frosting instead. It is SO good. I must confess, I did eat more than one cupcake, and I may or may not have dropped some extra frosting on top. Don’t judge me. I think these turned out really cute, and very tasty. The white of the frosting looks like little snow poofs, great for holiday gatherings!
- Jackie & Dylan
Orange Cranberry Harvest Ale Cupcakes
In the spirit of fall (the best season), we present to you, these cranberry orange cupcakes made with Southern Tier Brewing’s Harvest Ale. We have been looking forward to trying this beer, and have yet to be disappointed by Southern Tier. This beer is perfect for fall! It was also perfect for our recipe this weekend.
One of my favorite (besides pumpkin) flavors of fall is cranberry. It’s tart but sweet flavor, is great in desserts, and complimentary to a turkey dinner for thanksgiving. Orange is great paired up with cranberry, so we used our orange cake recipe (with a few modifications) to make this tasty treat.
The night before we baked these, I took some dried cranberries and minced them, then placed them in some orange juice to soak over night. When I pulled them out of the refrigerator, they had absorbed a lot of the orange flavor nicely, and I added them into the batter. I also included some of the cranberry flavored orange juice to help carry through the flavor in the cake.
For the frosting, we did a light whipped cream and garnished with a few cranberries for extra flavor. These turned out exactly how I wanted them to taste. A creamy orange cranberry cake. The bite that you get from the Harvest Ale, partnered with the cranberries, really gives these cupcakes some personality. They would definitely make a great addition to a holiday meal this fall. I’m tempted to keep the leftovers here at home, rather than take the extras into work!
Black Cherry Ale Cupcakes
This week’s cupcake idea is brought to you by Dylan. He’s been dying to show me the secrets to his black forest cake recipe. Lucky for us, we recently received a lovely package of beer from my best friend (Mrs. 100 Beers), and in it contained a bottle of Derailed Black Cherry Ale from Erie Brewing Company. What a perfect opportunity for Dylan to showcase his kitchen skills!
These cupcakes are really fun. Each cupcake has a gooey cherry center. Dylan shared with me, after they had all been filled, that there was also a bit of rum in each. Not being one to shy away from alcohol in a recipe, I congratulated him on sneaking that in. We topped each cupcake with whipped cream frosting, shaved chocolate flakes, and a cherry.
The only issue we ran across when making these cupcakes, was the fact that it was about 94 degrees outside. The kitchen was so hot from the oven being on so we had to take a lot of refrigeration breaks to help our frosting hold it’s shape. I’ve made whipped cream plenty of times, but never really considered it to frost a cupcake. I’m glad we went with it, the cream definitely complimented the cherries and the chocolate quite well. The thing I love about this frosting is that it’s not overly sweet. It lets the flavor from the cake and cherry filling take over. We each had to sample 2 cupcakes, just to make sure we got it right. I’d say this was a success.
After we garnished each with a cherry on top, I couldn’t resist the cuteness of these cupcakes! I could have taken many more pictures than I did. (I also could have eaten many more than I did) I think these will be added to the wedding cupcake list. These were very enjoyable all around.
- Jackie
