Everybody's Irish and, apparently, I'm a baker
Sunday, March 14, 2010 at 09:37PM Most people are either bakers or cooks; few people do both successfully.
I’ve always considered myself more of a cook than a baker. I like improvisation, and cooking gives me the freedom to do that. I sometimes make mistakes, but in general, I can fix them.
But in baking—well, improvisation generally requires throwing out the first attempt and doing it again a second time, hoping (but not knowing) that you will get a better result.
I wanted to do cupcakes for St. Patrick’s Day this year. The idea of stout (namely Guinness) and chocolate cake intrigued me and I wanted to tackle it. And what are cupcakes without frosting? That was my big stumbling block. Many recipes I found suggested a Bailey’s Irish Cream icing. Cute, but would it stand up to the Guinness? Not to mention, if everyone else was doing it, well, I just had to be different.
This was a tough one. I pondered, and researched and pondered some more.
I opened a bottle of my husband’s whiskey, and was surprised by the cherry notes in it. It was settled, I wanted a whiskey icing. But how? Wouldn’t the whiskey alone overpower the frosting? Would it be too harsh? This baking stuff was hard.
In the end, I opted to make a burnt sugar/whiskey frosting. Frosting, not being one of my strong points, I had to find a recipe that I thought I could adapt to include this burnt sugar and whiskey syrup I had concocted. In the end, I used a Martha Stewart recipe, but changed it drastically.
As for the cupcakes, I went with one from Dave Lieberman, but also adapted it. I wanted real chocolate, not cocoa powder, so I substituted. They needed to bake a little longer, but they were moist and delicious.
The best part? The guys in my catering class loved these (including the chef). They actually gushed about them. I guess there is something to this “mancake” trend that might just catch on after all. These tasty morsels are not as sweet as most cupcakes, but they are sooo good. Maybe this cook can be a baker after all. It just requires a lot more thinking, and a little less impulsiveness.
Stout Cupcakes with Whiskey and Burnt Sugar Frosting
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
340 ml of stout beer (Guinness)
200 grams dark chocolate
3 large eggs
½ cup melted butter
¾ cup sour cream
1 tbsp vanilla
Preheat oven at 350F
Sift together flour, sugar and baking soda, set aside. Over a double boiler, melt chocolate. While chocolate is melting, pour beer into a large mixing bowl, whisk in eggs one at a time, followed by butter, sour cream and vanilla.
Incorporate flour mixture into stout mixture, being careful not to overmix. Stir in melted chocolate.
Line muffin tin with cupcake liners and spray lightly with cooking oil.
Fill muffin tins most of the way, leaving ¼ inch at the top.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Whiskey Burnt Sugar Frosting
1/3 cup of Whiskey Burnt Sugar Syrup*
6 egg whites
1 cup brown sugar
¼ tsp cream of tartar
1 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar
1 ½ cups butter
Beat egg whites and brown sugar together in the bowl for a stand mixer. Set bowl over a pot with about 1-2 inches of simmering water and continue beating, making sure the mixture does not touch the water. Beat rapidly until volume increases (two to three minutes with a hand-held mixer).
Remove from heat, and put bowl into stand mixer. Add cream of tartar and one cup of confectioner’s sugar and start to beat at a medium-high heat. Slowly pour in the whiskey and burnt sugar syrup. Beat for another 10 minutes or so until stiff peaks are achieved. At this point, continue to beat over a slower speed, but add room temperature butter, 1-2 tbsp at a time. Do not despair if the volume of the frosting decreases, or it when it separates. Add the remaining half cup of confectioner’s sugar. Continue to beat for several minutes and it will regain its smooth texture. Be patient. It will appear all is lost until it recomposes itself.
Pipe with a #6 star shaped tip over cooled cupcakes.
Tasting note: This frosting was made with salted butter and was a big hit. If making with unsalted butter, I would recommend adding salt. Also important to serve the cupcakes at room temperature. Otherwise, the frosting gets a “cold butter” consistency that is waxy.
Whiskey Burnt Sugar Syrup
Take 1 ½ cups sugar and place on a stove over medium heat, cook until sugar melts completely and 
caramelizes. Do this with a fan on, it will start to smoke. Once the sugar has melted completely and reached a dark amber colour, remove from heat. Carefully add ½ cup of water, slowly. Stir as you add, use a long-handled utensil as the syrup will sputter and the melted sugar is extremely hot.
Once the water is all incorporated, add in ¼ cup whiskey. Set over a medium heat and simmer until it reduces to a total of one cup (2 to 3 minutes).
This syrup is the base flavouring for your frosting.
Makes 24 cupcakes.
Noteworthy: Etobicoke-based Black Oak Brewery makes a Chocolate Stout which I think would be an excellent substitution for the Guinness. There wasn't any at the LCBO when I visited, but some do carry it.
Reader Comments (3)
Finally! A cupcake made for women, but strong enough for a man! The little green sugar sprinkle is a nod to St.Paddy's favourite colour, But I could do without it!
The sprinkles didn't slow anyone down, but they do make them a little more festive. Guys these will make cupcake lovers out of you!
Nice! I made Guinness Cupcakes tonight...yours look perfect!