Showing posts with label alcohol. Show all posts

Snowball {cocktail review}

When I think of the word “snowball” I immediately think of a snowball fight! Or of those Hostess cakes Sno Balls.

When I came across this Snowball cocktail like drinks I was intrigued.

If you like me have never heard of a Snowball, they are an egg-based cocktail with lemon and lime flavoring. If you are making them from scratch they are usually made with an egg based alcohol called Advocaat, which is similar to egg nog and topped up with lemonade.

It’s popular here in the UK especially during the winter months, it’s commonly thought of as a winter warmer.

At first I wasn't sure what I thought of them, they have a very distinct flavor. After one I just had to have another.... and it's then I decided that when I think of snowballs I would not only think of snowball fights and Hostess cakes, but these cocktails!

There is the refreshing side of the lemony-lime flavor and the slight eggy flavor gives it a warm comfy feeling.

They definitely fit this time of year perfectly! I dressed mine with a couple of cocktail cherries and a slice of lime. A slice of lemon would work just as well.

These Sainsbury’s Smooth Snowballs are available in a package of four and would make a great addition to any winter party!

notes: In association with Sainsbury’s only the product was provided for this review, all opinions are my own, please see my contact/policy tab for further information.

Chocolate Bailey's Nanaimo Bars

You know how one day you’re just living life and then something happens that changes your life forever? And it makes you wonder how you ever lived before?

That’s exactly how I felt after I tried my first Naniamo bar. How did I live before these bars came into my life? They are the best no-bake bars I have ever had.

If you don’t know what a Naniamo Bar is, it’s a bar that has a nutty, coconut, biscuit base topped with a creamy custard like filling and a layer of chocolate. They are named after a town in Canada. There is some debate about where they originated, but does it really matter after the first bite. All that matters is where and when you will get more!

When I went in search for a recipe most of the ones I found were in American cup measurements. It’s not a problem, but since I've been baking in the UK for some long I have just gotten used to using scales. For these no-bake bars cups just make sense as there is a lot of throw this or that together!

OXO now have a 7 Piece Measuring Cup set available which is exciting to me because it includes a 1 and a ½ cup as well as a ¾ cup! They also have a matching 7 Piece Measuring Spoon set of measuring spoons. If you would like a chance to win a set of each including a Baking Spatula and a magic Baker’s Dusting Wand please follow the instructions in the widget below!

The best part of these bars is that the creamy custard middle can be adjusted in many ways. In this one I have added some Chocolate Baileys! They are one of the most addicting things I have ever made and here’s how I made them...

Chocolate Bailey’s Nanaimo Bars

the base:

½ cup (114g) butter

¼ cup sugar

5 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 large egg, beaten

1 ½ cups rich tea biscuits, crushed

½ cup chopped mixed nuts

1 cup sweet and tender shredded coconut

Line an 8x8inch square pan with greaseproof paper. Make sure there is some over hang for easy removal. Melt the butter, sugar, and cocoa powder in a saucepan. Then add in the beaten egg and whisk quickly until it’s a thick glossy chocolate. Remove from the heat before adding in the crushed tea biscuits, chopped nuts, and coconut. Fold until combined and then press down into the prepared pan. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. About 15 minutes in start the middle layer.

middle layer:

½ cup (114g) butter, softened

2 tablespoons & 2 tsp Chocolate Bailey’s

2 tablespoons custard powder

2 cups icing sugar

Beat the butter for a few minutes in a freestanding mixer until soft. Then add the Chocolate Bailey’s, custard powder, and icing sugar and beat until lighter in color and fluffy. It can take around 5 minutes. Then spread over the base layer, try to get it as flat as possible. Then chill while you make the top layer.

top layer:

114g dark chocolate

1 ½ tablespoons butter

Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl over a simmering pot of water. Once it’s completely melted very gently spread it over the middle layer. Place in the fridge for about an hour before cutting into squares.

NOW CLOSED

How to enter:

notes: in association with OXO please see contact/policy page for more information. I bought the Bailey’s they are in no way promoting this post. Recipe adapted from Cakespy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life by Jessie Oleson.

Figgy Pudding Cupcakes!!

Tis the season to be reading and baking! I love books and baking! Unfortunately I haven’t been able to keep up with Kelly (American Cupcake in London) and her Cupcake Book Blog as much as I would have liked, but since I loved Meet Me at The Cupcake Café I knew I would be reading this title. Might as well bake from it and join in! Right?

I’m always a bit weary with sequels and series, but I was definitely excited to find out what happened next with Issy and her café!

Issy is our main character in the first book she follows her dreams and opens The Cupcake Café. In the second book we see her face a tough decision- a decision I myself once had to make.

I really enjoyed Christmas at the Cupcake Café and would recommend it to fellow readers and/or bakers! I only re-read books I really enjoyed or related too. I think with these (2) books it was a bit of both. Even though I have no desire to own a café, I do enjoy sharing the love I put into my baking with friends and family.I get a feeling that Jenny Colgan hasn't finished with these characters and if she decides to write another one I will be first in line to get a copy.

Figgy Pudding Cupcakes

100g unsalted butter

100g treacle

50g sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp cardamom

½ tsp ground cloves

250g all-purpose flour

25g unsweetened cocoa powder

½ tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

100ml milk

1 tsp brandy

1 tsp vanilla

Pre-heat oven to 170C/gas mark 3 and butter cupcake tin

Combine dry ingredients, sift, and set aside

Cream butter, treacle, and sugar until fluffy

Add eggs one at a time and beat until combined. Add vanilla and brandy.

Bake for 20-22 minutes. Ice if you want with brandy butter icing.

Or do what I did and just mix brandy with icing sugar for a nice kick!

from Christmas at the Cupcake Café by Jenny Colgan

made for Cupcake Book Club hosted by American Cupcake in London

I have always wondered what “figgy pudding” was in We Wish You a Merry Christmas:

Now! bring us some figgy pudding (x3)
and bring some out here. (or, and bring it us here)

For we all like figgy pudding (x3)
so bring some out here.

And we won't go until we've got some (x3)
so bring some out here.

After trying these cupcakes I would change the lyrics to “figgy pudding cupcakes”! Realizing that figgy pudding is basically a traditional Christmas Pudding, after a Google search, I wish I had decorated them a little different. Ah well! They were super yummy and the spices shout out warmth and comfort! I can’t wait to see what other inspired bakes come from other readers!

Clotted Cream Fudge! What I made the first time I joined in with the Cupcake Book Club!

Paint the Town Black! Gingerbread Guinness Cupcakes!! #ToArthur

This Thursday is Arthur Guinness Day and pubs across Ireland have invited massive music names and local artists to come celebrate the man behind the pint and Paint the Town Black.

Wish I lived in Ireland! ;0)

I have had my eye on these cupcakes for a while, but whenever I look through Tea With Bea I always decide on a cheesecake! Not sure why that is? There are so many other delicious looking cakes in this book!

My frosting was very liquid-y I am sure I did something wrong…. like put my butter in the microwave to soften it and even though it wasn't melted it was probably too soft!

But it still tastes delicious and I kind like how the cupcakes looked like mini Guinness pints with the foam ya know? I also sorta wish I had made it as a cake instead…ah well there’s always tomorrow!

So here they are Gingerbread Guinness Cupcakes!! Enjoy!

Gingerbread Guinness Cupcakes:
250 ml/1 cup Guinness stout

250 g/3⁄4 cup black treacle/molasses

11⁄2 teaspoons bicarbonate of/baking soda

280 g/2 cups plain/all-purpose flour

11⁄2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1⁄4 teaspoon ground allspice

1⁄4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1⁄4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves

3 eggs

100 g/1⁄2 cup caster/superfine sugar

100 g/1⁄2 cup dark brown soft sugar

1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger

200 ml/3⁄4 cup sunflower oil

chopped crystallized ginger, to decorate
muffin trays, lined with about 24 large cupcake cases

makes 24

Preheat the oven to 170˚C (340˚F) Gas 5.

Put the Guinness and treacle in a tall saucepan (the next step will cause the mixture to bubble up violently and potentially overflow, so choose a very tall pan) and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the bicarbonate of/baking soda. Let stand until completely cool.

Put the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom and cloves in a bowl and stir until well blended.

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, both sugars and the grated fresh ginger. Gradually add the oil. Add the stout syrup and stir thoroughly.

Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared cupcake cases, filling them four-fifths of the way up (the mixture will not rise that much).

Bake in the preheated oven for 25–35 minutes until they feel springy to the touch. Remove the cupcakes from the muffin tray and let cool on a wire rack.

golden cream cheese icing

225 g/1 cup cream cheese

60 g/3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

175 g/11⁄2 cups icing/confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons golden syrup

piping bag fitted with a star-shaped nozzle/tip

To make the golden cream cheese icing, put the cream cheese and butter in a bowl and beat until combined and glossy. Add the icing/confectioners’ sugar and beat until fluffy. Fold in the vanilla extract and golden syrup.

Fill the prepared piping bag with the icing and pipe onto the cupcakes. Top with a couple of pieces of crystallized ginger, to decorate.

Variation: to make into a layer cake instead of cupcakes, spoon the mixture into 2 x 20-cm/8-inch pans or 1 x 25-cm/10-inch pan and bake at 160˚C (315˚F) Gas 4 for 45–55 minutes (for the small pans) or 1 hour 15 minutes (for the large pan).

I’m sharing these on Cupcake Tuesday with Hoosier Homemade!

You can also find this recipe here.

Flourless Chocolate Lime Cake with margarita cream!!

I made this cake first of all because I've never made a flourless cake. Second, because of the lime, my family LOVES lime. :)
My cake is super dense, which I imagine is what happens when there is no flour, but it makes the cake very dense. There were no complaints at my house!
I made the lime cream to top it based on Nigella's recipe for Margarita cream, minus the alcohol. Not that I don't love alcohol, I just have 4 kids who will be eating this cake. ;) The lime cream is ah-may-zing!! It's so yummy and a must have to balance out the sweetness of the cake.
~ Janet

This recipe is taken from Nigella's website so it is the UK version. I tried to make it American friendly if any questions please leave a comment. It also appears in her book Kitchen.

For the cake:

150g dark chocolate, chopped -Bittersweet Chocolate Ghirardlli's
150g soft unsalted butter, plus some for greasing
6 eggs
250g caster sugar -super fine sugar
100g ground almonds -Almond meal/flour
4 teaspoons best-quality cocoa powder, sifted
zest and juice 1 lime
icing sugar, to dust (optional)
1 x 23cm springform or other round cake tin

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4, line the base of your cake tin with baking parchment and butter the sides.
Melt the chocolate and butter together either in a heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water, or in a microwave (following manufacturer’s instructions), then set aside to cool slightly.
Beat the eggs and sugar together until about tripled in volume, pale and moussy. I do this using a freestanding mixer, but a hand-held electric model would be just fine too; obviously, by hand is possible but would demand tenacity and muscle.
Mix the ground almonds with the cocoa powder and fold this gently into the egg and sugar mixture, followed by the slightly cooled chocolate and butter. Finally, fold in the zest and juice of your lime.
Pour and scrape this mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 40–45 minutes (though start to check at 35); the cake will be just firm on top, but still have a bit of wobble underneath.
Remove from the oven and sit the cake in its tin on a wire rack to cool. Once the first heat has left it, drape a clean tea towel over the cake to stop it getting too crusty, though a cracked and cratered surface is to be expected; it’s crunch I’m avoiding here.

When cold, unmould, dust with icing sugar if you wish and serve with the jaunty Margarita Cream that follows...

Margarita Cream

60ml lime juice (2-3 limes) or from a squeezy bottle
1x15 ml tablespoon tequila
1x15 ml tablespoon triple sec or Cointreau note above I omitted this and it turned out great!
75g icing sugar -confectioners sugar/powder
250ml double cream -heavy cream

Stir the lime juice, tequila and orange liqueur together in a good-sized bowl, then whisk or fork in the icing sugar and let it dissolve in the sour, strong liquid.
Slowly whisk in the double cream and keep whisking until you have a light, floaty, aerated mixture, then serve with the Chocolate Lime Cake above

For the American version use this in place of the ground almonds.

Almond meal/flour found in health food stores, or in your health food isle at the local grocer.

Kahlua Cupcakes!! by Indiana Baker

White Russian Cupcakes
Makes 12

1 1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
6 tbsp butter, softened
1 large (med UK) egg & 1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1/8 cup vanilla vodka (plain vodka would work too!)
1/4 cup Kahlúa, divided

Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt. In a large bowl, beat together sugar and butter until fluffy. Add egg and egg white one at a time mixing well after each. Then add vanilla, vodka, and 1/8 cup Kahlúa (half a shot). Gradually add flour mix in three additions, alternating with milk, ending in flour. Bake 17-20 min or until toothpick comes out clean. While cupcakes are still warm, brush top with remaining Kahlúa. Remove from pan to cool.

Kahlúa Buttercream

1 stick of butter, softened
3 cup powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
3-4 tbsp Kahlúa

Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add salt, then add powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating until combined. Add Kahlúa one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.

To Finish: Garnish with shaved chocolate, sprinkles, or chocolate syrup

Enjoy!! I made them for my knitting group and I had no complaints! ~Janet aka Indiana Baker

Lemon Drop Cupcakes

taken from Better Homes and Gardens

3/4 cups butter

3 eggs
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup limoncello (Italian lemon liqeur) or milk
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp finely shredded lemon peel
1 recipe lemon frosting
1/2 cup lemon drop candies, finely crushed
1 recipe glazed lemon slices

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg. Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temp for 30 min. In a medium bowl, stir together baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a 2-cup glass measuring cup combine the 2/3 C milk and the limoncello and set aside.
2. In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on med. to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and lemon peel; beat until combined. Add eggs, one and a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and milk mixture to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition until just combined. 3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups (about 20) filling each about 3/4 full. Use the back of a spoon to smooth out batter in cups. Bake for 18 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool cupcakes in pan for 5 min, remove to wire racks, cool completely.
4. Up to 1 hour before serving, generously spread or pipe lemon frosting onto cupcakes. Sprinkle crushed candies over frosted cupcakes. Top cupcakes with glazed lemon slices.

LEMON FROSTING
Allow 1/3 C butter sto stand at room temp. for 30 min. In a large mixing bowl beat butter, 1/3 C shortening, and 1 tsp vanilla with an electric mixer on med. speed for 30 sec. Slowly add 2 C powdered sugar, beating well. Add 2 Tbsp lemon juice. Gradually beat in 2 C additional powdered sugar. beat in 1 - 2 Tbsp milk, 1 tsp at a time., until frosting is spreading consistency. Makes about 2 1/3 C frosting.

GLAZED LEMON SLICES
Slice two small lemons into 1/4 in - thick slices. Remove seeds. Roll slices in sugar to coat well. Coat an unheated large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat skillet over med-high heat. Arrange slices in a single layer in the skillet. Cook for 6-8 min or until sugar dissolves and lemon slices appear to be glazed (do not let them brown), turning once. Transfer to a piece of foil; cool completely. Roll cooled lemon slices in sugar again before serving. These slices are edible, if desired.