bittersweet ganache glazed bourbon cupcakes (vegan!)

Today I realized that I totally forgot about my blog birthday....though I guess it's not one to mark down in the ol' birthday calendar. Yes, way back in February of 2005 I started this little home o' mine and four years later, I'm still here. It's a comfortable space and it's really brought a lot of joy into my life as strange as it sounds. I'm so appreciative of everyone who leaves comments, sends me emails or says hello to me on the street because they've read my blog. It's really quite an exciting adventure and I've met so many wonderful people that I think I'll stick around for a bit longer.

These cupcakes you see before you weren't made for my blog birthday but for my friend's real life birthday. I wanted something pretty and something quick to bake up and these cupcakes fit the bill perfectly. I used the same old, same old chocolate "wacky cake" recipe but decided to throw in a bit of bourbon cuz this was for a lil' party afterall, and a bit of booze always makes things better.

My original plan was to create a raspberry frosting but somehow the addition of real raspberries to the earth balance margarine (my friend is vegan) for the buttercream created some weirdness. The buttercream kind of "broke" and it went all dotted and no amount of whipping could cure it. I wasn't happy with it so I just made a decadent bittersweet ganache to top the cupcakes (kissed with more burbon, of course!). It was a good choice.

Cupcakes? Check out my archives:
vegan coconut cupcakes
red velvet cupcakes
limoncello & coconut cupcakes filled with lemon curd
spicy chocolate vegan cupcakes with peanut butter frosting
vegan chocolate cupcakes
pumpkin cupcakes

Or visit Vancouver's Coco Cake Cupcakes for tons of cupcake prettiness and inspiration!

vegan bittersweet ganache glazed bourbon cupcakes
1 1/2 c unbleached white flour
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 c sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil
3/4 c brewed coffee
1/4 c bourbon (Jack Daniels, Wild Turkey)
2 t pure vanilla extract
2 T vinegar

for ganache:
1/4 c almond milk (+ additional)
2 oz bittersweet chocolate (not more than 60% cacao if marked), finely chopped
1 t light corn syrup
2 T bourbon
pinch of kosher salt
sprinkles

1. Preheat the oven to 375-degrees. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and sugar into a large bowl. In separate bowl, measure and mix the oil, coffee, bourbon, and vanilla. Slowly pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl and mix the batter with a whisk.

2. When the batter is smooth, add the vinegar and stir quickly. There will be pale swirls (and some bubbling) in the batter where the baking soda and vinegar are reacting. Stir just until the vinegar is evenly distributed throughout the batter (the color becomes more consistent throughout).

3. Pour batter into a lined muffin tin and bake for 25 minutes–testing with a toothpick. Remove and place to cool on a baking rack.

4. In a small sauce pan, heat up the milk and the chocolate. Stir often until melted. Add more milk if needed. Mix in the corn syrup, bourbon and salt and stir until blended and until the ganache reaches an almost spreadable consistency. Let cool. The ganache will thicken up slightly and spread on your cupcakes. Sprinkle with sprinkles.

let's celebrate

This past weekend was our very first wedding anniversary and I don't think there is any better match for me than Cornelius -- he's my most perfect fella. Last June 25th, we tied the knot in a small little ceremony with all of our friends and family present (well, minus my dad who was too afraid to fly across country). The ceremony and reception was held at an indie gallery/diy workspace called Blim and it was a truely d.i.y. affair, with lots of homemade food and cake, dancing and way too much beer. My dress was handmade out of a set of vintage drapes and I even embroidered on a leaf and flower pattern on the skirt out of colourful buttons and left over fabric. Of course, Cornelius looked handsome in his pink shirt and grey suit found in a Seattle vintage shop. The day was lovely and perfect and way better than anything we could have dreamed up.

So when the date for our anniversary came around this year, we figured what better way to celebrate than to throw a party....a Mississippi Luau, in fact! We hustled around picking up decorations and groceries and lots of liquor (for the pina coladas and mint julips, dontcha know) and set it all up at Cornelius' (vacationing) parents house in the suburban wilds of Burnaby. Yes, we did ask permission. On Saturday, friends gathered and games of croquet and bocci ball were played and lots of food was grilled and eaten. A most perfect anniversary celebration, I think.

Out of all the food at the party, I was especially proud of my two desserts, the blue hawaii coconut cupcakes and the Chocolate/Bourbon Pecan Pie. I made these vegan cupcakes awhile ago but the pie was a first and very successful. I did run out of corn syrup and I substituted 1/4 cup of maple syrup which I wouldn't recommend...unless you leave out the bourbon. Just too many competing tastes! Just stick to the recipe and you'll do fine.

chocolate bourbon pecan pie
(adapted from epicurious.com)
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c butter, room temperature
1 T flour
3/4 c corn syrup
1/4 c bourbon
1 t vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 c chopped pecans
1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips
1 pastry crust (cold), rolled out and placed in a pie plate

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line pie crust with foil. Fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until crust edges begin to brown and crust is set, about 17 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Bake until golden brown, pressing with back of fork if crust bubbles, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer pie crust to rack. Maintain oven temperature. If your pie crust is storebought, I'd just skip this step and put the filling right into the frozen pie crust.

2. Beat sugar and butter in medium bowl until smooth; beat in flour. Gradually beat in corn syrup, then bourbon and vanilla. Mix in eggs, then chopped pecans. Sprinkle chocolate chips over bottom of crust. Pour filling into crust.

3. Bake pie until filling is puffed around edges and just set in center, covering edge of crust if browning too quickly, about 45 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)