ganache

“Let Momma Get Some Sleep!” Blog Series: Irish Cream Brownies with Chocolate Irish Cream Ganache

March 13, 2012 by JavaCupcake · 4 Comments

JavaCupcake Note: This is a guest post in a series of blog posts titled “Let Momma Get Some Sleep!” THANK YOU to everyone who has sent in blog posts for this series so I can focus on my new little cupcake and my family!

Hello! I am Becky from Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves. I am so excited to be a Guest Blogger for Betsy while she is on maternity leave. I want to thank Betsy for the the opportunity to be a guest Blogger on Java Cupcake. I met Betsy, when I joined #Love bloghop, a fun group. Betsy has amazing cupcake creations, as well as many other baked goods, and she was still baking at 9 mos. pregnant.

When I found out that I would be a guest blogger, I started to think of all the recipes, that I could make for St. Pat’s Day, that were baked goods. Now, there are lots of recipes that have mint flavoring or green food coloring, but immediately my mind went to something with Bailey’s Irish Cream, which isn’t green, but it’s sure Irish. With a last name of Higgins, the recipe couldn’t be anything less. Bailey’s Irish Cream is my favorite liqueur, especially with coffee. We even named our dog, Bailey, because she is the color of Irish cream, true story.

This recipe has a rich, fudgy brownie topped with a layer of Irish Cream Butter Cream and topped with a Chocolate Irish Cream Ganache. These brownies taste heavenly! You are going to think that you have a pot’ gold and will have the “Luck of the Irish, when you take your first bite. My husband doesn’t even know that I made these babies, or he would want to eat them all. I hid them in the freezer, Sshh, Dont’ tell him.

I used my go to brownie recipe baked in an 8×8 pan. Then I made Vanilla Butter Cream, substituting Bailey’s Irish Cream for the milk in the Butter Cream for the Irish Cream Layer. Finally, the ganache recipe used the heated Bailey’s to melt the chocolate, and then was carefully spread over the Irish cream layer. Pure delight! Chocolate and Irish Cream in three layers.

Irish Cream Brownies with Chocolate Irish Cream Ganache

This recipe was inspired by Fannie May Mint Brownies and adapted from Better Homes and Gardens.

Ingredients

Fudge Brownie Layer:

1/2 c butter
2 squares, (2 oz) unsweetened chocolate
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp .vanilla
3/4 c. AP Flour

Irish Cream Layer:

11/2 c powdered sugar
6 tbsp butter
1/4-1/3 c Bailey’s Irish Cream, or other brand

Chocolate Ganache Layer:

6 oz. dark or semisweet baking chocolate, chopped or chocolate chips
3/4 c Irish Cream or heavy cream

Instructions

Fudge Brownie Layer:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line an 8x8x2 pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper, edges overlapping. If using foil, spray the opposite side of the foil.
Melt butter and chocolate. Remove from heat and stir in sugar.
Add eggs, and vanilla. Beat lightly until just combined.
Stir in flour and mix well. Spread batter in pan.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. Do not over bake.
Cool on rack. Leave brownies in pan.

Irish Cream Layer:

Beat butter with and electric mixer, until light and fluffy.
Gradually beat in powdered sugar, adding Irish cream until desired consistency. The butter cream should be in a spreadable, thick layer.
Spread Irish Butter Cream over the cooled Brownie. Refrigerate at least 45 minutes, until firm. Leave in prepared pan.

Chocolate Ganache Layer:

Place chocolate in medium bowl, Heat Irish cream until simmering. Do not boil.
Pour over chocolate in bowl. Stir chocolate until chocolate is evenly melted. Allow to cool and thicken.
Pour over refrigerated brownie with Irish Cream layer and spread out over the top of the Butter Cream layer.
Refrigerate at least one hour until ganache is set.
When ready to serve, remove the pan from the fridge, wait about 15 minutes for the ganache to soften slightly and cut the bars with a knife dipped in warm water, and dried.
Cut into squares and serve immediately. Refrigerate leftovers.

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Filed Under: bars, bars, brownies, ganache, guest blogger, Irish cream, maternity leave guest post, recipes

Cosmic Brownies

March 3, 2012 by JavaCupcake · 2 Comments

Earlier this week I saw a recipe (by What Megan’s Making) for some cosmic brownies that looked like they needed to be made in my kitchen… like ASAP. So, I bookmarked the recipe, Facebooked about needing brownies in my life… and then seriously, made it happen.

Usually when I bookmark a recipe, it stays there for a few days until I muster up the energy to make them. But… not these brownies. Two bowls, no mixer and only 18 minutes in the oven. Seriously, it only took 45 minutes before I was putting one in my mouth.

The original recipe called for mini M&M’s on top… but I didn’t have any. So I used rainbow sprinkle jimmies. I also tweaked the ganache recipe a bit too.

So uhm yeah… make these.

Cosmic Brownies

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 12 brownies

Thick, chewy brownies topped with a dark chocolate ganache... perfect Friday night treat for the family!

Ingredients

Brownies:

1 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbsp water
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp espresso powder
1 1/3 cups flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Ganache:

3/4 cup heavy cream
7 oz 84% cocoa dark chocolate
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
pinch of salt
Rainbow Sprinkles/Jimmies to sprinkle over the top

Instructions

Brownies:

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Grease bottom of 13x9in metal pan with butter then line with parchment paper and butter top of paper and sides of the pan. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, melted butter, eggs, water, and vanilla until smooth.
In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking powder and salt.
Add the flour to the wet mixture and whisk until combined, about 25 strokes. Do not over mix.
Pour batter into greased pan and spread evenly with an spatula.
Bake 17-19 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with crumbly brownie, no wet batter.
Allow to cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes before frosting with ganache.

Ganache:

While the brownies are baking, prepare the ganache.
Chop the chocolate into very fine pieces and place in a medium glass bowl.
In a small sauce pan, heat the cream until simmering. Do not boil.
Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until smooth. NOTE: If chocolate seems too thick and does not smooth out, add a few more tablespoons of heavy cream and mix in until it becomes smooth.
Stir in the salt.
Add the butter and mix until smooth.

To Assemble:

Pour the ganache over the brownie while still in the pan. Use a spatula to spread.
Top with Rainbow Jimmies.
Put in the freezer for 20 minutes to allow the ganache to set up/harden or if you're more patient, just leave it out to cool completely and harden. (I'm not that patient!)
Cut and EAT!

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Filed Under: bars, brownies, chocolate, dark chocolate, featured, ganache, M&Ms, recipes

Thin Mint Cupcakes

January 25, 2012 by JavaCupcake · 20 Comments

It’s totally that time of year… GIRL SCOUT COOKIE TIME!

I can’t resist. I bought 10 boxes. Yes. You read that correctly. 10 boxes.

2 to eat (with in the first 24 hours).

8 to bake with.

Yeah… you read that correctly. 8 boxes to bake with.

Last year I made Samoa Cupcakes and Tagalong Brownies. This year… I started with Thin Mint Cupcakes. These cupcakes are a super decadent chocolate cake filled with a whipped chocolate ganache topped with a mint buttercream. Serious amounts of NOM NOM NOM.

PS…. This is my new favorite chocolate cake recipe. I know it’s got beer in it… but I’m totally using it for every chocolate cake I make from now on!!

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes

1 bottle of Guinness Stout Beer
1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp espresso powder
1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt

2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Line cupcake pans with liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter on medium-high heat. Add the vanilla beer, whisk together and heat until it just begins to simmer. Whisk in the cocoa powder and espresso powder and heat until it just begins to bubble up. DO NOT BOIL. Remove from heat and whisk until smooth. Cool slightly.
In the meantime, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sour cream. Slowly pour in the slightly cooled chocolate mixture. NOTE: DO THIS SLOW! You don’t want to cook the eggs, so start pouring a very small amount of the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture… DO NOT DUMP IT IN ALL AT ONCE.
In three parts, add the flour mixture to the chocolate/egg mixture. Whisk until smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, making sure everything is incorporated.
Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter.
Bake 18-20 minutes, rotating pan after 12 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool in pan for 3-4 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before filling and frosting.

Whipped Chocolate Ganache

4 oz dark chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp corn syrup

1 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place the chopped chocolate in a medium glass bowl.
In a small sauce pan, heat the heavy cream and corn syrup just until it bubbles.
Pour heavy cream over chocolate and stir until smooth. If the chocolate doesn’t melt all the way, place the bowl over a double boiler and continue to stir until smooth.
Mix in the butter and extract.
Allow ganache to cool to room temperature.
Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the cooled ganache until fluffy. Don’t over mix or it will get grainy.

Vanilla Bean Peppermint Buttercream

12 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
4 tbsp cream cheese, room temperature
2 lbs powdered sugar
1/2 cup Madagascar Vanilla Bean Cream
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
pinch of salt
Wilton Green Food Gel

Cream together the butter and cream cheese.
Add half the powdered sugar and mix on high until incorporated and smooth.
Beat in half the vanilla bean cream until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl, making sure all the sugar is combined.
Add the remaining sugar and the peppermint extract.
Mix in the food gel until it’s the color you desire.
Add remaining vanilla bean cream until you get the consistency you want. Mix on high 3-4 minutes until smooth and fluffy.

To Assemble Cupcakes:

Thin Mint Cookies
Peppermint Buttercream
Chocolate Shavings
Piping bag & large round tip
Apple corer

Core each cupcake using the apple corer.
Fill each cupcake with whipped ganache. (I filled a disposable piping bag, cut off the top and filled each one with that.)
Using a large round tip and a piping bag, pipe a round swirl of buttercream on to each cupcake.
Top with a Thin Mint cookie and chocolate shavings.
EAT! ENJOY!

And this is what you do when you have left over peppermint buttercream. NOM NOM NOM

Filed Under: buttercream, buttercream, chocolate, chocolate cupcakes, cookie cupcakes, cookie cupcakes, cream cheese, cupcake recipes, filled cupcakes, frosting and icing, ganache, ganache, girl scout cookie cupcakes, Madagascar vanilla beans, mint cupcakes, peppermint, peppermint and mint, recipes, whipped cream, whipping cream

Chocolate Amaretto Mini Cupcakes

July 19, 2011 by JavaCupcake · 2 Comments

For some reason I thought of Amaretto today. I don’t know why… but it just came to me. It might have been because of the Amaertti German biscuits I bought at the German store today (which are SO GOOD). But the point is… I’m making these cupcakes! Ha! So, I ran BACK to the local German store and picked up a 700ml bottle of Italian Amaretto (for only €3,99!! liquor is so cheap here!) and came up with this recipe for Chocolate Amaretto cupcakes!

Since these are mini’s I won’t be drenching them in the Amaretto like I did the regular size cupcakes, but you definitely should poke some holes in your cupcakes and drench them with more of this delicious liquor if you decide to make regular size cupcakes with this recipe. I’m pretty sure that’d be just a little too much Amaretto for such a small cupcake, since there is Amaretto in the cake, ganache and the buttercream!

I’m bringing these to an FRG meeting tomorrow. (For those of you who don’t know… FRG = Family Readiness Group in the Army. I’m the FRG Leader of my husband’s company in the Army and it’s my first meeting after taking the job. I want to make a good impression!) I’m pretty sure these will be a hit with not only the other FRG Leaders but the soldiers who will be there!

Chocolate Amaretto Cupcakes
Makes 24 mini cupcakes and about 6 regular size cupcakes

1 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup amaretto liqueur
1 egg

1 cup all-purpose flour1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees and line your cupcake pan with mini nut cups or mini cupcake liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, oil, sugar egg, and amaretto.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In two parts, gently whisk the flour into the wet mixture. Mix until all the clumps are out. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.
For minis: Scoop batter into liners about 1/2-2/3 full. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
For regular size: Scoop batter into liners about 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool in pan for 5 minutes until removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Amaretto Ganache
This made enough to dip all the cupcakes with 1/2 left over

4 oz semi-sweet bakers chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup whipping cream (I actually ran out of whipping cream, so I used 1/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup coconut milk)
3 tbsp Amaretto liquor, separated
1 tbsp butter

Chop the chocolate and place it in a glass bowl.
In a double boiler, bring the cream and 2 tbsp Amaretto to a boil.
Pour over the chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds.
Stir until smooth.
Add the butter and 1 tbsp Amaretto and stir until incorporated.
Dip the tops of cooled cupcakes in the ganache. Set aside before to firm up frosting.

Chocolate Amaretto Buttercream
Makes enough to frost all the cupcakes in the above recipe

1/2 cup (1 stick)unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 lb powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp amaretto liqueur
2-3 tbsp whipping cream

Amaretti biscuit cookies

Sift together the powdered sugar and the cocoa powder.
Cream the butter until smooth.
1 cup at a time, add the sugar/cocoa. Mix until smooth.
Add the amaretto and mix until incorporated.
Add the whipping cream until you get the consistency and texture you desire.
Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix for 30 seconds on high.
Pipe a dollop of buttercream onto each cupcake. Top with an Amaretti biscuit cookie.

Filed Under: alcohol, alcohol cupcakes, chocolate, chocolate cupcakes, cupcake recipes, featured, ganache, recipes

Happy Valentine’s Day!

February 14, 2011 by JavaCupcake · 4 Comments

With cupcake orders this weekend and requests from Emily’s teacher… it was time to make some more super sweet love cupcakes! This year, I made them with a twist! [Read more...]

Filed Under: buttercream, chocolate, dipped, filled cupcakes, ganache, holiday, recipes, valentine's day, vanilla

Reese’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

December 10, 2010 by JavaCupcake · 6 Comments

My angel baby turned 11 years old this week! And for her birthday, she requested a Reese’s cake! Hhhmmm…. How could I pull off this cake? [Read more...]

Filed Under: cake, chocolate, ganache, peanut butter, recipes