Incredible Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

There are three items that I always seem to have in my home:

Funnily enough, they are used mainly for baking and rarely for drinking. Now, with these three ingredients you could make an Irish Car Bomb: pour a pint of Guinness. In a 2 shot glass mix a shot of whiskey and a shot of Irish Cream. Drop into the Guinness and chug it down before it curdles.

Not your idea of fun? Mine either. But these incredible Irish Car Bomb cupcakes will have you thanking the brave mix-master who created the drink.

Just a note: the alcohol of the Guinness bakes out of the cupcake itself, but the ganache and frosting can be potent, depending on how much alcohol you use.

I've adapted this recipe from some of my favorite individual recipes, as well as taken tips from the BrownEyedBaker blog. This recipe makes 24 cupcakes.

Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup unsalted butter; room temperature
¾ cup cocoa powder (Dutch process if you have it)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoons salt 2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Whiskey Ganache Filling:
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter; room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey

For the Baileys Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter; room temperature
3-4 cups powdered sugar
8 tablespoons Irish Cream (taste test frosting; I tend to like mine strong)

Directions:
For Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners.

Bring the Guinness and butter to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until combined. Add the Guinness mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 15-18 minutes. Cool completely.

For Whiskey Ganache Filling:
Place 1 oz pieces of chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then, using a rubber spatula, stir it until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey; stir until combined.

Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped. (Refrigerate if necessary)

Fill the Cupcakes:
Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter (or a small paring knife), cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes, going about two-thirds of the way down. Transfer the ganache to a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top (or over the top- you will have enough ganache).

For Baileys Frosting:
With hand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar- a few tablespoons at a time- until all of it is incorporated.

Add the Baileys, increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy. Frost the cupcakes; add chocolate shavings or sprinkles if desired. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container, refrigerated, for up to 3 days.

Grilled Scallop Teriyaki Salad

I've had this recipe waiting until we had a grill that wouldn't decimate scallops. You see, my husband is a charcoal and wood grill guy and it can be really difficult to regulate temperature on one of those. As scallops are a bit more tender than say, steak, this recipe didn't get used until recently when I bought my husband a dual gas/charcoal grill for Father's Day.

Scallops are probably my favorite shellfish- I could have them weekly. And since we got our Costco membership they are actually somewhat affordable. The scallops didn't glaze quite as much as I expected, but I suspect my husband may have flipped them one too many times. But they were still delicious and a wonderful addition to the crisp salad.

Recipe adapted from Cuisine at Home.

Ingredients:
* 1 cup teriyaki sauce (use your favorite or try the teriyaki sauce recipe I use)
* 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
* 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
* 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
* 12 large sea scallops (1 1/2 lb.)
* 1 cup broccoli floret
* 1 cup snow peas
* 2 cups napa cabbage, thinly sliced (I used prepared coleslaw mix)
* 1 cup carrot, cut in matchsticks (I used prepared coleslaw mix)
* 3/4 cup chow mein noodles
* 1/2 cup pineapple chunks
* 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped


Directions:
1. Preheat grill to high.
2. Whisk teriyaki sauce, lime juice, ginger and garlic together in a bowl. Reserve half the mixture for the salad; pour the rest over the scallops in a resealable plastic bag. Marinate 20 minutes, chilled.
3. Blanch broccoli and peas in boiling salted water for 1 minute. Transfer to ice water, then drain. Toss blanched vegetables in a large bowl with remaining ingredients and reserved dressing (marinade).
4. Grill scallops until cooked through, 2-3 minutes per side, brushing with marinade. Remove from grill and serve on top of salad.

Individual Chocolate Mousse Cakes

There are times when nothing will do but incredibly intensely rich chocolate. And these individual chocolate mousse cakes conquer any chocolate craving. This recipe is made with only three ingredients; the cakes are both simple and decadent.

These are best if served warm, so the centers are still gooey but are quite good chilled when the middle has the texture of taffy.

Recipe adapted from parents.com. Makes 12 individual cakes.

Ingredients

* 2 bars (7 ounces each) milk chocolate
* 6 large eggs
* 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Line a standard-size 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

2. Melt chocolate in microwave. Begin with one minute. Stir. The heat in 30 second increments, stirring after each, until melted.

3. Stir eggs and flour into melted chocolate with wire whisk or wooden spoon. Ladle into prepared muffin-pan cups, dividing equally.

4. Bake in 325°F oven for about 12 minutes or until sides of cupcakes are set but centers are still liquid. Cool cupcakes in pan for 5 to 10 minutes. Centers will set into warm mousse. Serve with vanilla bean ice cream.