Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Cocktail Cupcakes

Orange-Vanilla cupcake with Spicy Beet Goat Cheese frosting

I've become obsessed with cupcakes. For no good reason, unless baking for the pure art of it and for personal culinary advancement is a good reason. Wait, am I judging myself?

We own a bar. We serve drinks. Alcohol. Booze. A bit of food here and there, but mostly fancy-pants cocktails, and now cupcakes. I added booze to some of the cupcakes to help them fit in, but it was entirely unnecessary. We sold 125 in the first week.

Ginger-Lime Margarita cupcake with Orange-Tequila Buttercream frosting

I'm learning it's all about the frosting. Most people don't care that I refuse to use unnatural, over-processed ingredients like red food coloring or soy, or that the cupcakes are 100% vegan except when I whip local goat chèvre into the topping. Even the bartenders have become singularly focused, hiding in the kitchen like Gollum, eating the extra frosting by the spoonful and whispering "my Precious..."

Chocolate Liqueur cupcake with Peanut Butter frosting

I've created a monster. An irresistible, drink-your-dessert, cocktail-in-a-cupcake frosting-slathered monster. Welcome to a new definition of the House of Sin.

Chocolate Kahlua cupcake with Chocolate Coconut Ganache

Read about other inverted and perverted twists on cocktails in this month's Mixology Monday hosted at the Putney Farm blog.