Boozy Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

I am not Irish.. at all.. 

I did grow up celebrating St. Paddy's however with my best friend Maureen and her very Irish family.  In 6th grade I went to her house after school on St. Patrick's Day, and when I opened the fridge at her house, her Mom had dyed the milk green.. and I remember freaking out, being so confused! What was all this green stuff? Such a funny memory :) 

St. Paddy's was a blast in college.. from what I can remember..... Blarney Blowout at UMass was a religion, back when it was just drunken fun and there weren't cops with bullets and student arrests plastered on the front of Yahoo.com... Happy to see that didn't happen again this year!

I guess I am super off topic here.. What I am trying to say is that St. Patrick's Day has always been a fun one to celebrate! This year we won't be doing any drinking or partying, but I did whip up some of the best cupcakes I've ever made, complete with three kinds of booze... and brought them to work! HA! 

Guinness & Butter

These are Guinness chocolate cupcakes with Irish whiskey ganache filling topped with Bailey's butter cream.. Holy heart attack but SO worth it. Yes I had one for breakfast. Yes I'll be running three miles on the treadmill and doing HEAVY dead lifts tonight... Life's about balance, right? ;)

The best thing about these cupcakes is the balance of flavors. This is not a sugary sweet chocolate cake like you'd have for a birthday cake. The sugar content is much lower, and there is a higher amount of unsweetened cocoa powder for a more muted sugar flavor. The beer just mutes it even more.. The ganache definitely has a bite (I used more unsweetened chocolate) and the whiskey adds a tart flavor.  All is balanced with the butter cream, which is very sweet and creamy! 

These aren't hard to make! Three separate ingredients from scratch can be daunting.. If you are afraid to attempt, just skip out on the ganache and go for regular cupcakes! Still just as tasty! 

 

For the Guinness chocolate cupcakes:

1 stick of butter, room temp

1/2 cup Guinness beer

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup flour

3/8 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder

pinch of salt

1 egg

1/3 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. On the stovetop, melt butter and Guinness over medium heat until simmering.

3. Whisk together sugar, flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt. 

4. In a seperate bowl, mix egg and sour cream until combined.

5. Once the butter/Guinness mixture is simmering, remove from stove and pour into the egg/sour cream mixture. Mix until combined. 

6. Add the sugar/flour mixture and mix just until combined! Do not over mix!

7. Put into cupcake wrappers and bake for 17 minutes. 

Let cupcakes cool, then dig out little center holes for the ganache filling. 

For the Irish whiskey ganache:

4oz unsweetened dark chocolate

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp Jameson Irish whiskey 

1. Finely chop chocolate into small pieces and place into a heatproof bowl.

2. Heat heavy cream on stove top over medium heat until simmering. Pour simmering cream over chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute.

3. Whisk the chocolate and cream mixture until combined.

4. Add butter and whiskey. Mix again until combined.

5. Let it cool but it must still be warm enough to pipe. Pipe into the centers of the cupcakes. 

For the Bailey's Buttercream:

1/4 cup Bailey's Irish Creme (I used two nips)

2.5 cups of confectioners sugar

1/2 cup butter (1 stick) at room temp

1. In a stand mixer, cream butter until it if white and fluffy, about 5 minutes. 

2. Add in sugar and Bailey's, alternating and mixing in between additions until all is combined. 

3. Whip for 6-8 minutes until soft and creamy. Pipe onto cupcakes.

Finally, DEVOUR! .. for breakfast if you want ;) 

St. Paddys baking is always a favorite of mine!! Here are some pot O' gold cake pops from two years ago.. These were so adorable and fun to present, people loved them!

OH something else fun happened today -- I purchased my own domain! Now you can visit me directly at www.onesweetbiteatatime.com ! Woo Hoo!

-Elena 

Births & Birthdays [Featuring the Ribbon Cake]

This weekend's baked goods revolved around new birth and birthdays! 

One of the best things about food is that it unites people.  People come together to celebrate milestones such as birthdays, baby showers, weddings... and food is always involved.  That's why when someone asks me if I can make a personalized dessert for them to present at their event, I am so extremely flattered because I know the intimate role food plays at gatherings. 

My first project was for a friend from high school, Kristine, who is expecting her first baby girl!  She asked for cake pops and baby heads, but gave me the creative freedom to come up with the rest! I felt like with spring on the way, flower and pastels would be the perfect mix! 

I love putting little flower headbands on them! And the crying babies are always my favorite.. Just trying to keep it real, right? They aren't angelic all the time!

My second project of the weekend came on Sunday when my family and I celebrated my Yia Yia's 87th birthday! My Dad asked me if I could make a cake, so I decided on a tall, three layer chocolate-peanut butter cake with a butter pecan butter cream.  I absolutely love chocolate peanut butter and I've made this cake before, knowing how moist and decadent it always comes out! 

 I chose butter pecan as the butter cream flavor because I wanted the taste to be rich, and bring out the peanut butter flavor in the cake, which it did! I found a new butter cream recipe that said to add 1 tbsp of light corn syrup for every cup of frosting, and wow what a difference! This butter cream was soft, smooth and creamy while still holding it's shape for piping.

I had wanted to try vertical butter cream ruffles for a while, and decided that this would be the cake I could experiment on, it being a family cake and all.  I used a Wilton 125 flower petal tip, keeping the fat end dug into the cake as I piped back and forth to create a ribbon pattern.

It did not come out perfect, and not as straight up as I wanted, but I have to admit I think this is pretty good for my first attempt! 

For the top, I decided to pipe flower petals to make one giant flower-like pattern!  I then created a flower out of fondant that I kept folding and pieced together. I thought the design was very simple but elegant.  I chose pink butter cream only because I had this cake plate tucked away and have been dying to use it!  

My Yia Yia loved it!

I really love this picture because it represents me and the relationship I have with my Yia Yia. Growing up I'd sit in this kitchen with her and she would teach me how to make all types of food and mostly desserts, from sugar cookies to greek pastries, and even how to steam milk for hot chocolate! She never cared if I made a mess... that was half the fun! And even if the cookies were ugly, she said they were beautiful!  Her skills in the kitchen are amazing, and at 87 she still cooks every single day for her and my Papou.  I hope to still be cooking at her age! I know her love for food has been instilled in me, and I am forever grateful! 

Yes, I consumed this whole piece, ice cream and all.. how can you not!? Worked out all week, ate healthy, and avoided every drop of alcohol all week, knowing I was going to consume this baby!! 

-Elena

"Bikini Ready" Greek Feta Basil Turkey Burgers

The snow is melting and the sun is shining and that means one thing -- bikini season is around the corner! As is wedding season... 

I've worked hard this winter to stay in the gym, despite long hours at work and no sunlight! I hate going home in the dark, going to the gym in the dark, coming out in the dark. It's all so depressing! But Louis and I did a good job at motivating each other to go, and honestly, seeing the results has made it SO EASY to get there.  Biceps, triceps, shoulders, glutes.. I see changes everywhere! And the fact that I had to use a bobby pin today to cinch my pants is the biggest reward! 

I have to credit my recent "body win" to a few things.

First, is an app that I absolutely love, called My Macros + which has helped me keep on track. It calculates your macros for you based on body fat you want to lose!  The My Macros + app has a bar code scanner, recipe maker and has access to the macros of basically every food, restaurant and beverage out there! I love it! It also has a compatible app called My Workouts + which has been great for tracking my workouts and targeting certain body areas. 

Secondly, meal prep. People find meal prep tedious.. I love it! If you're planning on making chicken breast for dinner, why not make 5 servings of it for work too?  I've been throwing 7-8 breasts in the crock pot with spices and boom, at least 10 portions of 4oz protein ready to go! I mix that with a cup of veggies (fresh or frozen) and 1/2 cup brown rice or sweet potato and I have lunch for the whole week!  That with the addition of fresh fruit, a protein bar and yogurt has helped me achieve the results I am looking for. 

Third, and least favorite-- skipping alcohol and cutting back on sugar. Which means sweets.. Which is hard. OH so hard.. But I credit Arctic Zero for releasing new delicious flavors like sea salt caramel and mint choco chip.. Never did I think non-dairy icecream would be appealing.. But I find myself craving it! And knowing half the pint is NO fat and only 75 calories is so comforting. Mixed with a little FF whipped cream and it's a dream come true for dieters!

Lastly, the food scale has helped me a ton. I've always dabbled with it, and always use it when baking, but the My Macros + app makes you measure EVERYTHING, and since weighing out all of my foods I've seen a major difference in how my body feels, and reacts to exercise and clean eating in general. It is so easy to overeat, and you don't realize it until you really see what 4oz of chicken really is! (No, it's not the entire chicken breast!)

If you're sick of chicken like I was this week, give these delicious Greek-style turkey burgers a try! They are protein packed, low carb and full of flavor and nutrients! I eat them with brown rice and veggies and they make a scrumptious lunch!

Greek Turkey Burgers

Makes 8 - 3oz burgers 

160 Calories / burger with P:17.17/C:4.34/F:8.19

1.2 lb package Lean Ground Turkey 

2 Eggs

1/4 C Instant Oatmeal, dry 

1.5 oz Feta Cheese 

3 tbs Ground Flaxseed Meal (I use Bob's Red Mill)

1 Medium White Onion

Fresh Basil, as desired 

Spices, as desired (I used oregano, black pepper, garlic, red pepper)

Coconut oil, for frying

Combine these ingredients.  Add some coconut oil to your pan and get it hot, around 350 degrees.  Plop your burgers in and fry each side for about 5 minutes. Make sure they are cooked through, internal temp should be 165 degrees. Plate and serve! So easy!

I like this recipe not only for the protein, but you also get a healthy dose of Omega-3 fatty acids that your body needs from the egg and flaxseed meal! You can throw that stuff in anything -- breads, pancakes, waffles, protein shakes, and it will help hit your healthy fat macro for a serving! Also, don't skip the fresh basil!! It totally ties in all the flavors and is very necessary! 

I portioned my food for yesterday so I'd have some carbs/fat left for dinnertime in order to accommodate my french fry craving, and a hamburger bun :) The whole meal with the bun, fries, cup of vegetables was turkey burger was 419 calories, P: 23.8/C: 52/ F:12.9! For an entire dinner! 

The hour I spent yesterday meal prepping is rewarding come lunch time the next day :) YUM!

Beat that, McDonalds!!! 

What are you doing to stay on "bikini bod" target? 

-Elena

A Bridal Planning Weekend

Oh such a fun weekend filled with wedding details! 

I spent the day Saturday with my best friend and the bridal party shopping for our bridesmaid dresses!  It is so exciting to pick out styles and colors and try on all of these gorgeous dresses!  After we went out for lunch and drinks, and had a blast talking over details of the upcoming wedding. It is thrilling to watch your best friend so happy... I literally can't contain my excitement for them, and can't wait for September!

Sunday I met with a bride and groom for a cake pop testing for their October wedding!  They are getting married at a vineyard in southern CT and I can't wait to see this place all done up for their big day!  They are going with deep, rich purples and shades of gray with pops of pink, all mixed in with the rustic winery and wine barrels.. It will surely be gorgeous! 

They are an adorable couple, so clearly in love and very excited! 

I put together a tray of flavors for them to try with an array of colors from their color palette and they were just beautiful.  I love hydrangeas, and Brittany told me she will have purple hydrangeas in the centerpieces so these cake pops matched perfectly!  I also love the contrast of the deep purple with the white hydrangea.  

This wedding will surely be gorgeous and I am so happy they've chosen me to contribute to what sounds like their happy ever after, dream come true fairy tale :)

Needless to say, my mind was in the clouds this weekend! So much planning, excitement... I can't wait for my turn ;)

-Elena