Easy Guinness Cupcakes with Chocolate Whiskey Frosting

Happy St. Patty's Day!  I know the internet is littered with similar recipes, but I couldn't refrain from taking part.  It's fun to cater your menu around the holidays and these cupcakes turned out so well, that I had to share them.  This is my EASY version of the impressive originals.  The cake is dark and flavorful with a slightly bitter taste from the Guinness and is complemented perfectly by the sweet and subtle whiskey flavored chocolate frosting.

Guinness Cupcakes

1 Chocolate cake mix

2 T. cocoa powder

1 t. instant coffee powder

3 Eggs

1/2 C. applesauce

1 1/3 C. Guinness

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray and flour cupcake pans.  

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and beat until smooth.  Fill the cupcake pans 1/2 way full with the batter.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick skewered into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.  Cool before frosting.  

Chocolate Whiskey Frosting

1 Container of your favorite chocolate frosting

1 1/2 T. Whiskey

Gently fold together the two ingredients in a medium sized bowl.  If you'd like your frosting to taste more like Whiskey, add more, but the frosting will become more like a ganache, instead of a firmer cake frosting.  

Fizzy Piña Colada

This weekend, Sean and I reunited with my “work family” for a pool party in Gilbert, AZ.  We had a great time catching up on everything from new jobs and crazy coworkers, to summer vacations and baby stories.  We had delicious food – the biggest sandwich I’ve ever seen & my friend Lisa’s husband Darrin’s creamy guacamole.  I brought a drink that my dad taught me to make – and it was a HUGE hit!  I figured this was good timing, since today is father’s day. 

My dad’s been making this drink for 30 years and I know why.  I couldn’t even find a thing about it to change.  It’s perfect.  I just added some vibrant garnish for looks.  Thanks dad for this incredible summer staple and for always being my go-to guy for advice, help and a grounded, objective opinion.  Happy Father's Day!

This drink’s got the pineapple and coconut flavor that you expect from a Piña Colada, with a tart fizziness that everybody loves.  It is frothy and icy and temptingly refreshing.

1 12 oz. can of frozen lemonade concentrate

12 oz. pineapple juice

½ C. cream of coconut*

¼ C. clear rum (or to taste)

Lemon lime soda

Raspberries

Lemon wedges

*Cream of coconut can be found in the liquor section, although it’s not alcoholic

In a freezer-safe container, whisk together the frozen lemonade, cream of coconut, juice and rum.  Make sure these ingredients are well combined, without lumps, and place the container in the freezer for at least 12 hours.  It will form a sorbet-like mixture.  Don’t worry – it’s not supposed to harden completely, because of the rum. 

Drench a glass of ice with the lemon lime soda, leaving just a smidge of room at the top.  Scoop a healthy (read: extra large) spoonful of the sorbet into the soda and stir until it’s completely combined.  Complete this drink with a wedge of lemon, some raspberries and a place by the pool for an amazing tropical getaway in a glass. 

Blackberry Caipirinha

I first tried this drink in Jyväskylä, Finland, with my friend Alla.  Funny, really, because it’s actually from Brazil.  I imagine it’s just as refreshing though, no matter where you are in the world. 

My visit to Finland seems like a lifetime ago now, and an entire world away.  Alla was gracious enough to invite me for a week to her land of the midnight sun.  And it truly was a midnight sun – I remember one night in particular, staggering out of a bar at 4 in the morning with the sun shining bright overhead – a confusing and unmistakably delightful memory.  

Alla introduced me to wonderful, foreign things like cucumber and Munster toasts, Finnish sauna, and her family’s summer cottage.   We had such a blast.  I wish I could do it all over again.  One of my favorite memories of Finland though, is how Alla tried to teach me to say “Hooray, Finland!” so that when my plane landed in Helsinki, I could shout it out.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t pronounce it correctly, and it came out “Whore!  Finland!”  My apologies to the shy, Finnish men and women on the plane.  Kiitos, Alla, for the unforgettable visit!  

 Alla and me outside of our apartments in Albi, France.

I’ve tried to order a Caipirinha many times in the U.S., but it’s hard to find.  So, I bought a bottle of Cachaça and made my own version.  A Caipirinha is normally made from lime, muddled with raw sugar and topped with rum.  My version adds some fizz and blackberries for color.  Try to find Ypioca rum – it’s the best.  

Cachaça Rum (Ypioca is best)

Lime

Sugar

Lemon lime soda

Blackberries

In a martini shaker, muddle together half of a lime with 1 T of sugar and 3 blackberries.  Add two measures of Cachaça and shake to combine.  Strain and pour into a glass of ice and top with lemon lime soda.  Garnish with a lime wedge.  

The view from Alla's summer cottage.

 Me, all ready for the wilderness outside Alla's summer cottage.