For those of you who like to cook with booze, here's a sweet way to incorporate alcohol. Cupcakes and alcohol are a delicious combination you have to try the next time you decide to whip up some cupcakes.
Here are five alcohol and cupcake combinations you'll absolutely love.
5. Tequila cupcakes
You can use tequila in a few ways to make a sweet and delicious cupcake. Keep the lime flavor by making margarita cupcakes that have a lime-tequila cake and are brushed with a couple tablespoons of tequila on top so the first bite is absolutely perfect. You can also make tequila sunrise cupcakes that have more of an orange flavor from the grenadine and orange juice. Either way, you'll want to pair these with a margarita. You can also make strawberry margarita cupcakes, like the ones from Betty Crocker.
4. White Russian Cupcakes
A contestant on Cupcake Wars incorporated the flavors of a White Russian into a cupcake, which is absolutely genius. The sweetness of Kahlúa -- or any coffee liqueur for that matter -- combined with vodka and a vanilla cupcake is sinfully sweet. The ones made on Cupcake Wars use a vanilla pudding mix, sour cream, mayonnaise, half-and-half and mocha paste to make the cake moist and fluffy. The cupcakes are also filled with an Irish cream filling of heavy cream and Irish liqueur. I did say these would be sinfully sweet.
To get the vodka flavor into the cupcakes, follow the recipe for an Irish buttercream. It combines several different extracts and liqueurs, as well as a tablespoon of vodka.
3. Chocolate Stout Cupcakes
Chocolate and beer...what a great combination. Make a simple chocolate cake mix, but with one bottle of stout beer, like Guinness. Make sure you let the stout go flat before adding it to the cake mix because it won't be as foamy and is easier to use. Remember that beer acts as a leavening agent, so you don't want to add too much air into the cupcakes, or your recipe will not work out as planned. Try this Food Network recipe that uses a cream cheese frosting to complement the chocolate-beer cupcake.
2. Red Wine Cupcakes
Make a more sophisticated cupcake with red wine. Rather than making a red velvet cupcake, try using red wine to dye the cupcakes red. This recipe uses one and a half cups of red wine in a chocolate cupcake mix to give the cupcakes a hint of red wine after they bake. Pipe a simple chocolate frosting or a subtle cream cheese frosting for a delectable and sophisticated treat.
1. Champagne Cupcakes
Use a sparkling white wine or Champagne in a vanilla cupcake for a cupcake fit for a celebration. Adding this bubbly drink to a cupcake will give the cake a light and fluffy texture that pairs perfectly with a glass of Champagne or sweet sparkling white wine. Play up the lightness of the cake with a strawberry buttercream frosting, or keep it simple with a vanilla frosting. If you're looking for a pretty, classy cupcake for a celebration this summer, try a Champagne cupcake.
