Cupcakes for Courtney :)

My ever so lovely friend (& once upon a time roommate) Courtney recently posted links to a variety of tasty looking cupcakes and challenged me to make them all. While I LOVE cupcakes...Joel and I certainly can't regularly eat 24 cupcakes on our own...

This weekend however, with a visit to this lovely lady planned, it seemed high time to test out one of the recipes - and bring her the results of course :)

The cupcakes can all be found on http://mingmakescupcakes.yolasite.com/ after a mysterious text only asking for a flavor choice I decided upon Cupcake 24 : Coffee Chocolate Cupcakes with Bailey's Irish Cream Frosting. Under the orders of my husband I strictly stuck to the recipe (mostly, haha). 

So here is what I did and how I did it following the recipe from the above link:

Cupcake 24 : Coffee Chocolate Cupcakes with Bailey's Irish Cream Frosting

Ingredients:

For cupcakes:

 

* 1/2 tsp baking soda

* 1/4 cup buttermilk

* 3 (heaping) tbsp cocoa

* 1 stick butter

* 1/2 c. coffee

* 1 c. sugar

* 1 c. flour

* 1/4 tsp salt

* 1 egg

* 1/2 tsp vanilla 

 For frosting:

* 1 stick butter

* 4 cups confectioners' (powdered) sugar

* 1/4 c. Bailey's Irish Cream

* 1 tsp vanilla

* 1 tbsp milk

* 2 tbsp coffee

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°

In a small bowl dissolve baking soda in room temperature milk. Set aside.

 In a sauce pan melt butter at a low temperature and add in cocoa powder.

Stir butter and cocoa until smooth.

Once smooth, add in coffee.

Stir coffee/cocoa/butter mixture continuously.

Once mixture is smooth, turn off heat.

 

 Combine sugar, flour and salt.

 Mix together well.

Mix in coffee/cocoa/butter mixture and egg at low speed.

Beat until smooth.

 Once smooth add in buttermilk mixture and vanilla.

 Beat together until smooth.

Pour batter into 24 cupcake wrappers.

Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Remove cupcakes from oven and place on cooling rack.

For frosting:

Combine softened butter, powder sugar, coffee, vanilla, milk and Bailey's.

Beat together until smooth.

 Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

Try not to eat too much frosting before you put it on the cupcakes...this could cause a stomach ache....I speak from experience ;)

Frost cooled cupcakes! 

**This was the point were I really couldn't handle not doing a little something extra for these already delicious cupcakes**

And....I decided to make a semi-sweet chocolate drizzle and put a chocolate covered coffee bean on top. YES, these last two things were the perfect touch...both for the appearance of the cupcakes (way cuter) as well as the flavor. It added just a little something :)

YUUUM!

Again...

I probably took too many pictures...

 Have I mentioned I LOVE cupcakes???

 Hi little cupcake!

Packed and ready to go to Courtney! (Ok, ok...I kept some at home...)

The lovely lady tasting her surprise treat...I think she approved ;)

 YAY CUPCAKES!