Over My Head and Covered in Sugar
My sister got married this past weekend in scenic Lake George, New York, an occasion for which I made 220 boozy cupcakes of two varieties. When she’d asked me, a year ago, to bake for her wedding, I thought it was a terrific idea and didn’t bother to consider how wildly unqualified I was to make cupcakes on this grand of a scale.
So this weekend I found myself in the kitchen of her venue, wrestling with a restaurant-grade stand mixer, terrified that I would ruin these cupcakes (and hence, I’m pretty sure, the entire wedding), and covering basically everything and mostly myself in powdered sugar. See picture for evidence.
While my cupcakes were clearly made with more love than finesse, I think they turned out pretty ok. (Time was on my side as they were only presented three hours into the open bar reception.)
I made two types, a “bride” cupcake consisting of champagne cake with strawberry frosting and a “groom” cupcake that was Guiness and chocolate topped with Bailey’s buttercream. The frosting alone took nine POUNDS of butter (roughly the same number of pounds I gained sampling frosting and then eating celebratory buffalo wings at the wedding after-party).
Making buttercream special:
Buttercream frosting consists, most basically, of butter and confectioners sugar. The exact ratio of those two ingredients depends on the kind of frosting you’d like: the more sugar, the stiffer the frosting. If you’re spreading the frosting with a knife, it should be a little more buttery, but if you’re piping it, a little stiffer is better. If you’re leaving you’re buttercream plain, you may want to add one teaspoon of vanilla per quarter pound of butter. Otherwise, add 2-3 tablespoons of booze, pureed fruit, etc. to flavor it.
Strawberry Buttercream:
sliced strawberries
½ pound butter
4 ½ – 5 ½ cups confectioners sugar
Puree strawberries in a food processor. Sift confectioners sugar to remove clumps. Cream butter and ¼ cup of the strawberry puree. (As it’s hard to puree just ¼ cup of strawberries, I recommend pureeing your whole pint and then just adding the leftovers to a delicious smoothie.) Add sugar one cup at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
Bailey’s Buttercream:
Bailey’s Irish Cream
½ pound butter
4 ½ – 5 ½ cups confectioners sugar
Follow the steps above, adding Bailey’s instead of the strawberry puree. Add to your favorite cupcake or consume straight from the bowl.
Happy Pi Day!
Truths:
- 3.14 is National Pi Day!
- Oreo turned 100 last week!
- I’m in need of some comfort food tonight
- Comfort=chocolate pudding
- My dad’s side of the family hails from western Pennslyvania, and while much of the family tree has dispersed to more cosmopolitan regions, Oreo pudding combos were at every family reunion I can remember. We may be all profiterole now, but deep down, we’re still dirt pie.
As in a mathematical proof, this is a clear equation for Oreo Pudding Pi(e). But Oreo Pudding Pi(e) would not be complete without a cocktail thrown in for good measure, (the name of this site demands it), so this is actually a recipe for Mudslide Pudding Pi(e).
Mudslide Pudding Pi(e)
Ingredients:
Makes one 9 inch pie
- 1 15.5 oz package chocolate sandwich cookies, such as Oreo.
- 3 Tbs butter, melted
- 2 boxes chocolate pudding
- 2 cups cold milk
- 2 oz Kahlua
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 2 Tbs Bailey’s
Grease a 9 inch pie pan. Set aside. Reserve 14 cookies. Eat 6, save the other 8 for garnish. Pulse remaining cookies in food processor until ground to small crumbs. Mix in bowl with melted butter. Press into pie pan. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, whisk together packages of pudding and milk. Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, mix in Kahlua, and pour into pie crust. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. In a large bowl, beat heavy cream with sugar. When soft peaks form, add Bailey’s. Beat a minute more, careful not to over whip. Spread cream in a thick layer on cold pie. Garnish with remaining cookies. Serve immediately.
