turn down for cake

pineapple upside down cake

take that, suzy homemaker

usually when i think of pineapple upside down cake, i think of some 1950s suburban housewife from middle america who decided to give her jello molds a rest and looked to her betty crocker cookbook for some "exotic" inspiration. (i think i just described my grandmother...love you!) stereotype aside, this cake is ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS.

as a demonstration of women's rights and my power of choice, i decided to omit the traditional maraschino cherries and instead use a honey glaze to add some sticky-sweetness to the cake. the end product is a sensationally moist, vanilla, buttermilk cake topped with sweet, tangy pineapple rings and honey. as a testament to its sheer deliciousness, my boyfriend ate 25% of the cake in one sitting and then had to go lay down. he has no regrets.

enjoy this outrageously simple, wonderfully flavorful recipe!

ingredients:

3/4 cup softened butter, plus extra for greasing

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 3/4 cups flour

3 large eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

2/3 cup honey

1 can pineapple rings

directions:

preheat oven to 350F

in a large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar, and vanilla together

in a separate bowl, whisk together cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour

using a mixer on low-medium speed, add dry ingredients to the butter/sugar/vanilla mixture

add eggs and buttermilk to the mixing bowl and continue to mix until batter is well-combined

use butter to grease a 9" round cake pan (you can also use a skillet)

pour honey into buttered pan and spread evenly to cover the bottom

place pineapple rings in the pan on top of the honey and then pour cake batter over the pineapple rings

use a spatula if necessary to spread the batter evenly in the pan

bake cake for one hour

after removing from the oven, let cake sit in the pan for 3-5 minutes; then place a plate on top of the pan and invert

serve warm or at room temperature

guinness and baileys and whiskey, oh my!

irish car bomb cupcakes

in case you were wondering what the end of a double rainbow looked like...

in the spirit of st. patrick's day, alcoholism, and kelly green belligerence,  i've created this decadent, boozy baked treat. i don't know about you, but given the options of boiled beef and cabbage or a moist, chocolate stout cupcake filled with whiskey ganache and topped with baileys cream cheese frosting, i'm all about the cupcake. 

not only are these cupcakes the perfect dessert for a st. patrick's day celebration, they are also incredibly EASY to make. you may or may not remember chasing your actual irish car bomb with several of these boozy babies, but that just means the calories don't count, right? happy st. paddy's day, friends!

chocolate stout cake ingredients:

3/4 cup cocoa powder

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

12 oz (1 bottle) Guinness stout

1 stick softened butter

1 tbsp vanilla extract

3 eggs

3/4 cup sour cream

whiskey ganache* ingredients:

8 oz bittersweet chocolate

2/3 cup heavy cream

2 tbsp butter

4 shots irish whiskey

*you can omit the ganache from the cupcakes and still have a scrumptious guinness and bailey's-filled treat

baileys frosting ingredients:

5 tbsp heavy cream

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

5 shots of baileys irish creme (any flavor)

16 oz philadelphia cream cheese, softened at room temperature

chocolate stout cake directions:

preheat oven to 350F

in a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients

in a second bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients

combine dry and wet ingredients and mix thoroughly until batter is smooth

fill cupcake liners with ~2 tbsp of batter each and bake for 25 minutes

while cupcakes are baking, marvel at how easy this recipe was

whiskey ganache directions:

melt chocolate until smooth using a double boiler

add heavy cream, butter, and whiskey

continue to stir until well-combined

remove from heat and refrigerate until firm

when ganache has firmed, scoop out 1/2 tbsp from the top of each cupcake and fill with ganache

*if you have leftover ganache, you can drizzle it on top of the cream cheese frosting as shown in the picture

bailey's frosting directions:

using a hand mixer, combine and beat all ingredients together at medium speed until smooth

frost the cupcakes and keep refrigerated until ready to serve