Guinness Stout Cupcakes with Bailey's Buttercream

Landscaping

There is a part of wedding planning that no one talks about. It’s not on any checklist. It’s not on the supposed wedding “timelines” or in the unnecessarily-large bridal guides. Yet, it consumes most of my time!

It’s preparing your house for everyone you know (and some you don’t!) to visit (and judge you!).

Sure, maybe this is not relevant to you for any number of reasons. Maybe you have your sh*t together! But we moved into our house over a year ago and sometimes I look around and think it still looks like we haven’t unpacked. Not like we’re not trying (Ethan’s trying). But I generally exist in a spinning-vortex of chaos and general disaster and that doesn’t leave a lot of room for what Ethan would call “completion” of projects.

However, in this case I’m feeling some pressure.

This isn’t like Thanksgiving when you can put all your junk in the closet for the day. No - this is Summer! This is clean-the-basement kind of cleaning! Mulching! Tree-trimming! Weeding! (yuck)

For me, weeding is right up there with dishwashing, on the list of chores I’d rather not be doing. Also on that list is laundry. If you want clean clothes to wear and forks to eat with, you better be prepared to wash them yourself. I’ll help. Sometimes.

So here is what i’m doing if I’m not working:

painting

painting

weeding

painting

mulching

decoration-making

planting

weeding

weeding

painting

reorganizing (for the thirtieth time)

cooking

weeding

And there is still more to do!

A few examples:

Here are some incredibly oversized stones that make up a pathway that I 25% deconstructed and left for unknowing guests to trip over… I did eventually finish that...

My beautiful shade-loving coleus with their overgrown rhododendron counterparts… I should rip those out.

Dusty Miller with baby Zinnias and my solar pathway lights which are crooked and do not work anymore...

Still a work in progress, but the pathway does look better with all the stones in place… Also check out those Astilbe… so cute. Also you can just make out my Gladiolas which are growing in quite nicely, if not a little late....

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Bailey's Buttercream

Doesn’t that sound like a dream come true?

Is there a more perfect combination than Guinness, butter, and chocolate? No. The answer is no.

There are a lot of these recipes out there. You obviously don’t need to use Guinness, you could use any good stout beer. This particular recipe is modified from Smitten Kitchen, Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes. I’ve left out the chocolate filling (to save time, mostly - I’m making 5 dozen).

Add beer and butter to a saucepan or pot over medium heat

Add cocoa… definitely sift the cocoa...unlike me

Mix with dry ingredients

Line or spray a cupcake tray and fill ⅔ full. Bake 15-17 minutes

Frost with Bailey’s Irish Cream Buttercream and sprinkle with cocoa

Cupcakes:

(makes ~24 standard cupcakes)

Ingredients

2 c. sugar

2 c. flour

1.5 tsp baking soda

¾ tsp salt

2 eggs

¾ c. sour cream

1 c. guinness (~half a bottle, you’ll have to drink the rest - oh no!)

2 sticks butter

¾ c. cocoa powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Whisk sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside
3. In a separate bowl, beat eggs until fluffy. Add sour cream and combine
4. In a saucepan or pot, heat guinness and butter until all butter is melted
5. Sift cocoa powder into saucepan. Whisk furiously until mixture is smooth. (If it’s not all that smooth, don’t worry). Let mixture cool
6. Add chocolate mixture to egg mixture and combine
7. Add dry mixture and combine.
8. Scoop into lined cupcake tray, ⅔ full
9. Bake 15 - 17 minutes or until toothpick inserted, comes out clean

Bailey’s Buttercream

Ingredients

1 stick butter, room temperature

3 - 4 c. confectioner’s sugar

4 TBS Bailey’s Irish Cream or Cream or a combination

1. Beat 1 stick butter until fluffy
2. Add confectioner’s sugar, 1 heaping TBS at a time - until the desired consistency is achieved. Allow sugar to completely combine before adding another scoop. It should appear fairly stiff because you still need to add the liquid ingredients
• Allowing the sugar to fully combine after each addition will prevent you from using too-much sugar
3. Add Bailey’s 1 TBS at a time. If you use all Bailey’s, you will be able to taste it. It’s fine with just cream, but it’s not as good.

Is there a more perfect combination than Guinness, butter, and chocolate? No. The answer is no.

There are a lot of these recipes out there. You obviously don’t need to use Guinness, you could use any good stout beer. This particular recipe is modified from Smitten Kitchen, Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes. I’ve left out the chocolate filling (to save time, mostly - I’m making 5 dozen).

Add beer and butter to a saucepan or pot over medium heat

Add cocoa… definitely sift the cocoa...unlike me

Mix with dry ingredients

Line or spray a cupcake tray and fill ⅔ full. Bake 15-17 minutes

Frost with Bailey’s Irish Cream Buttercream and sprinkle with cocoa

Cupcakes:

(makes ~24 standard cupcakes)

Ingredients

2 c. sugar

2 c. flour

1.5 tsp baking soda

¾ tsp salt

2 eggs

¾ c. sour cream

1 c. guinness (~half a bottle, you’ll have to drink the rest - oh no!)

2 sticks butter

¾ c. cocoa powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Whisk sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside
3. In a separate bowl, beat eggs until fluffy. Add sour cream and combine
4. In a saucepan or pot, heat guinness and butter until all butter is melted
5. Sift cocoa powder into saucepan. Whisk furiously until mixture is smooth. (If it’s not all that smooth, don’t worry). Let mixture cool
6. Add chocolate mixture to egg mixture and combine
7. Add dry mixture and combine.
8. Scoop into lined cupcake tray, ⅔ full
9. Bake 15 - 17 minutes or until toothpick inserted, comes out clean

Bailey’s Buttercream

Ingredients

1 stick butter, room temperature

3 - 4 c. confectioner’s sugar

4 TBS Bailey’s Irish Cream or Cream or a combination

1. Beat 1 stick butter until fluffy
2. Add confectioner’s sugar, 1 heaping TBS at a time - until the desired consistency is achieved. Allow sugar to completely combine before adding another scoop. It should appear fairly stiff because you still need to add the liquid ingredients
• Allowing the sugar to fully combine after each addition will prevent you from using too-much sugar
3. Add Bailey’s 1 TBS at a time. If you use all Bailey’s, you will be able to taste it. It’s fine with just cream, but it’s not as good.