Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes

I feel like we are always in a season of TREATS. It's like there's always a reason to celebrate something and treats are always a MUST.  I have a long list of favorites and go-to recipes when these occasions arise but when I needed a dairy free recipe last month for a preschool birthday celebration, I was up for the challenge.

This is a first for me- these cupcakes are completely vegan! We aren't going vegan in this house but I've never made a vegan dessert before and this recipe is too good not to share. 
I made this recipe for Will's class to accommodate some allergies and will definitely keep this recipe as my go to next time I need something allergy friendly! 

The key to the frosting is letting the dairy free butter come to room temperature. DO NOT MELT IT. I have a little trick of microwaving dairy butter in 5 second increments to get it to room temperature quickly, but do not do this with the vegan butter. It melts quickly and then your frosting will be toast. Trust me when I say to take the time and let it come to room temperature on it's own. Your frosting will be creamy and dreamy- pinky swear! 

The texture of the cake is rich and dense and since the amount of vanilla in the recipe is on the larger side, the flavor is super vanilla-y! Classic vanilla cupcakes with a vegan twist- you won't even miss the dairy 

P.S. Don't skimp on the sprinkles! (to keep these 100% vegan, make sure you are using sprinkles that don't contain dairy- check the ingredients list)

Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
recipe adapted from Babble

Makes 10-12 cupcakes

1 cup Flour
2 tsp. baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flavorless oil (I used canola- grapeseed or safflower would work, too)
3/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used Ripple plant based milk)
1 Tbsp. vanilla 
1/2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 365 degrees. Line a cupcake tin with 10-12 liners. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar and mix until combined. Add remaining ingredients (oil, non dairy milk, vanilla and apple cider vinegar) and beat on medium speed until no clumps remain. 

Fill the cupcake liners with batter 3/4 to the top. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick/cake tester comes out clean. The cupcakes should bounce back slightly when pressed. 

Let cool completely before frosting.

Vegan Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup vegan butter, room temperature (I used Earth's Balance brand)
2 tsp. vanilla 

in the bowl of an electric mixer using a paddle attachment, beat butter until soft and fluffy, 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. Turn speed down to low and slowly add the powdered sugar. Turn the speed up to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, another 2-3 minutes. If the mixture seems too wet, add in a little more powdered sugar as needed. Transfer frosting to piping bag and frost!

Fresh Strawberry Pie

Strawberry season is here and we finally made our way down to the Strawberry patch near our house last week. Will and Kate were alllll about it and actually did a great job of finding the ripe red berries. Miss Kate was insistent on carrying her basket the entire time, no matter how heavy it got. 

         

As soon as we got in the car, Will told me that we needed to make a pie because it was his favorite. NEWS TO ME. I NEVER make pies but when he said that's what he wanted to make, we made a pit stop at Harris Teeter on the way home for a few ingredients that we didn't have. 

Starting the week off on a sweet note with this yumminess. This pie is one of my favorites and I pulled it out of the blog archives from our Illinois days. My mom always makes a blueberry version in the Summer and this Strawberry one is just as delicious. I posted this Fresh Berry Pie back in 2012 and all that's different is that this pie only uses strawberries and I used strawberry JELL-O instead of mixed berry for the glaze. The freshly picked berries make this pie extra delicious, but what I love most about this pie recipe is the flaky, slightly sweet crush. The berry glaze seeps into that bottom and is just so good- the most perfect Springtime dessert!

Fresh Strawberry Pie

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Crust:
1/2 cup canola oil
2 Tbsp. milk
1.5 cups all purpose flour
1.5 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt

Mix flour, sugar and salt together in a mixing bowl and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together canola oil and milk. Slowly add the flour mixture to the oil mixture. Mix until it becomes thick and dough-like, then transfer to a 9" pie dish. Starting from the center of the dish, spread the crust until it is covering the entire dish in an even layer. Bake crust for 7-10 minutes, or until crust starts to brown. Let cool.

Wash and dry berries, then slice and place inside the crust. 

Filling:

2 quarts fresh strawberries, sliced
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
3.5 Tbsp. Strawberry JELL-O
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups water

Combine starch, JELL-O, water and sugar in a small bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Slowly add the JELL-O mixture stirring constantly with a whisk. Return to a boil and keep it there for one minute. Remove from the heat and let cool. 

Drizzle topping over berries and refrigerate for 4-5 hours to let the pie set before serving. 

Magical Milk + Cereal Cups

Remember those milk and cereal bars? They were almost like a rice krispies treat and were made with all types of kids cereals and my favorite part was the white chocolatey bottom portion. It was sweet and delicious and far from healthy. These were certainly classified under the "special treat" category in our house and I loved every bite.

Saint Patrick's Day gave me the perfect excuse to introduce my little ones to Lucky Charms. I cannot remember the last time I had them and I'm here to say that they taste the same as they did in the 1980s. I'm also certain that my kids will never want to snack on a healthier cereal again. If I had to pick my favorite kids cereal, Lucky Charms wins every time. And if I had to pick a regret during my pregnancies, it would be that I didn't eat enough kids cereals. Seriously! 

I've been on a homemade nut butter cup kick the past week or so. It turns out making homemade Reese's cups are dangerously easy and the options are endless. Saint Patrick's day inspired me to make this Lucky Charms version for Will and Kate and they totally bought into the festiveness of them. If I'm being honest here, these cups are suuuuuper sweet but I am a dark chocolate lover forever. If you like white chocolate, you will LOVE these. A few bites and I was good but of course the tiny humans gobbled these up in no time. The crunchy-ness of the cereal works perfect at the bottom of the cup and since the chocolate is warm when you fill the cereal lined cups, the cereal kind of soaks up all of that white chocolatey goodness- just like my beloved milk and cereal bars. 

The best part of this process? Pulling out all of the marshmallows that I could. It was like my childhood dream come true- a giant bowl of Lucky Charms Marshmallows. When we were younger, my sisters and I would always eat around the marshmallows and save them to the very end. 

Gold sprinkles are optional, but also totally necessary. Enjoy!

Magical Milk + Cereal Cups

One 10oz. bag white chocolate chips
1/4 cup coconut oil
Lucky Charms cereal (or cereal of your choice)

Line a muffin tin with liners and make room for the tray in your fridge. Sprinkle cereal on the bottom of each liner. I covered the entire bottom. 

In a heat-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips. I like to use a double boiler, but you can also melt in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring well in between. Once the chocolate is mostly melted, add the coconut oil and stir well until it's completely melted and combined. 

Pour melted chocolate over the top of the cereal until each is completely covered. Top with the Lucky Charms marshmallows and sprinkles if you are using them! Chill in the fridge to harden for 1-2 hours.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

As far as I'm concerned, pumpkin spice doesn't end at Thanksgiving. It carries well into the holiday season and as far as I'm concerned, pumpkin treats aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

I'm completely obsessed with these cookies. Snickerdoodles are my very favorite and this is a fun and festive twist for this time of year. I can't get enough and this recipe never disappoints. They are fluffy but chewy and spicy in all of the best ways. Pumpkin seems to add an extra softness to anything it touches and these cookies are pillows of perfection. 

There are so many holiday get togethers and cookie exchanges coming up- these cookies are a must add to your list! This recipe makes a ton- double up and you'll be set for a slew of Christmas events! 

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
recipe adapted from Cooking Classy

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3.5 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 + 1/8 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree 
1.5 tsp. vanilla extract

for rolling:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1.5 tsp. ground cinnamon

In a mixing bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice). 

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar, occasionally scraping down the bowl. mix in the egg yolk, then mix in the pumpkin and vanilla extract. With the mixer set on low speed, slowly mix in the dry ingredients until combined, scraping down the bowl occasionally. divide the dough in half and place the dough in bowls in the refrigerator, covered in plastic wrap, for at least 45 minutes, up to overnight. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Scoop the dough out into even 2 Tablespoons. Roll into a ball and coat with cinnamon sugar mixture. Transfer to a nonstick baking sheet, about two inches apart. (I did 6 cookies per baking sheet). Bake for 12-14 minutes. I found that 13 minutes is the perfect amount for a soft and chewy center! Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.

Peach + Blueberry Skillet Cobbler

This recipe is from Katie Lee's Endless Summer cookbook and I am dying to add the actual book to my collection. It's the ultimate Summer dessert! Peaches and blueberries covered in a sweet and creamy batter and cooked until warm, juicy and bubbly. It comes together quickly and just so delicious when all of this fresh fruit is in season. Blackberries, raspberries, strawberries...I think you could add just about any fruit to this recipe and it would be just as delicious. Peaches and blueberries though? A timeless combo.

A little (or large) scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of this while it's warm and you are golden. 

Peach + Blueberry Skillet Cobbler
recipe from Katie Lee's Endless Summer

4 cups sliced peaches (I use 4-5 peaches and leave the skin on)
1 cup blueberries
1.5 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
4 TBSP. unsalted butter, melted
1 TBSP. cornstarch
1/2 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Put the peaches and blueberries in a 10" cast iron skillet and toss with the lemon juice. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup of the sugar, the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the milk and melted butter and mix with a rubber spatula until the ingredients are just blended. Pour the batter evenly over the peaches and blueberries. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the cornstarch. Sprinkle the sugar mixture across the batter, then pour the boiling water evenly over the top of the batter, moistening all of the sugar mixture. Bake for 55-60 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling. Remove from the oven and set on a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Will's Chocolate Sprinkle Cake

Sweet little Will requested one thing for his birthday and one thing only: A Chocolate Sprinkle Cake! Easy enough, little one. And you guys, to this day he is still talking about this cake! He got his own digital camera, an accordion, a remote control motorcycle. He even got the Paw Patroller. THE PAW PATROLLER! But I swear to you when anyone asks him what he got for his birthday his first response, without any hesitation, "A CHOCOLATE SPRINKLE CAKE!" He loves his treats. #priorities

As soon as Will decided on his cake, I let him sit with me in front of my computer as we scoured Pinterest for the best sprinkle ideas on the web. And now I want to make ALL THE CAKES. There are seriously so many cute ideas and the more sprinkles, the better. 

I don't know who Beatty is, but his chocolate cake is the best ever and, well, I never question anything that Ina makes.  I consulted my baking experts to find the perfect chocolate buttercream. I have only made a handful of fancy schmancy birthday cakes and what I've learned along the way is that the crumb layer is the secret to a beautiful frosting job. Start with that and the rest will fall into place. It makes the process much easier!

Will helped me mix up the batter and I baked this baby after he went to bed the night before his birthday. Once the cake was cooled, I wrapped each layer tightly with saran wrap and frosted it the next day. This is a huge time saver and the cake still stays unbelievably fresh! Before his nap on the day of his birthday, we mixed up the frosting together and he licked the spatulas clean! By the time he was up from his nap, his cake was ready for his birthday celebrations! 

We had the best time celebrating Will's third birthday and this chocolate sprinkle cake was everything. Will was so proud. 

Here's another tip: the best sprinkle spot in town is Harris Teeter! Whichever grocery store you go to, check with their bakery. HT sells them to me in small plastic containers for around $2-3! 

Sprinkles forever and ever. 

Will's Chocolate Sprinkle Cake 

recipe from Ina Garten

Butter, for greasing the pans

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for prepping the pans

2 cups sugar

3/4 cups good cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk, shaken

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Chocolate Buttercream, recipe below

SPRINKLES!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8" x 2 round cake pans. Line with parchment paper then butter and flour the pans. 

Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment and mix on low until combined. In another bowl, combine buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla. Slowly add wet ingredients to the dry. With the mixer still on low, slowly pour the hot coffee, stir just to combine, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35- 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pan for 30 minutes then turn onto cooling rack and cool completely. 

Chocolate Buttercream*

recipe from Brown Eyed Baker

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2.5 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Using a wire whisk attachment, whip the butter on medium high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice.

Reduce speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase speed to medium high and add the vanilla, mixing until incorporated. Add the melted chocolate and whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes, scraping the bowl as needed to incorporate all of the chocolate. 

*Note: I doubled this recipe to have enough frosting for the entire cake! You will have some leftover but one batch is not enough. 

To frost the cake, I started by making sure that my cake layers were even on the top, carefully cutting a tiny bit off of each top. After I frosted the middle layer and stacked my layers together, I made a crumb coating. There are TONS of tutorials on this! I opted for a smooth outer layer of frosting and used a simple piping tip to make my dotted border on the top and the bottom. I finished by literally pouring sprinkles on the top and lightly pressing them into the frosting to make them stay. 

Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake

The strawberry patch saw us a few times this Spring and we loved the constant supply of freshly picked berries. Too many strawberries are never a bad thing! I had my heart set on making the Strawberry Dream Cake from the cover of May's Southern Living but it never happened!

My friend Katie sent me this recipe as back up and I must say, this Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake was a stellar runner up! I had all of the ingredients on hand and the cake is TO DIE FOR. It came together easily and I didn't mind licking the bowl clean once the batter was poured into the cake pan. I can imagine that this cake would be just as good with blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or a mixture of all of them. 

Make this cake. It's perfect for Summer!

Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake
recipe from A Spicy Perspective

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, divided
Zest of 1 lemon
2.5 cups all purpose flour, divided
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
8 oz. plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
12 oz. fresh strawberries, diced
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prep a 10 inch bundt pan with grease and flour (I used butter).

Sift together 2 1/4 cups of the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest and set aside. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs in, one at a time, then stir in 1 Tbsp. of lemon juice. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing until just incorporated.

Toss the strawberries in the remaining 1/4 cup of flour. Gently mix them into the batter. 

Pour the batter into the bundt pan. Place in the oven and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees. Bake for 60 minutes, or until when a toothpick is inserted it comes out clean. 

Allow cake to cool for at least 20 minutes on a cooling rack. Turn pan over onto cooling rack and cake should slide out. Once the cake is cool, whisk together the remaining 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice and powdered sugar. Drizzle over cake.  

Lemon Ricotta Almond Cake

I enjoy baking but I LOVE cooking. Baking always seems to get a bit tricky and if you aren't paying close attention and making precise measurements, you could end up with a complete disaster. When I cook, I do my thing, I let my mind wander and most of the time I don't even closely follow the recipe. Cooking is my therapy and I love spending time in the kitchen.

This Lemon Almond Ricotta cake though...I loved making it! It came together seamlessly, the recipe was easy to follow and the end result was incredible. A friend made this cake for my birthday last year and I knew it would be the perfect end to our Easter meal. It might even be my new favorite Springtime dessert! Lemon and almond go together like a dream and the ricotta creates such a nice balance. Using almond meal instead of flour gives this cake a unique texture that I love. Our Easter meal was complete when we finished with a delicious slice of this gem of a cake.

Lemon Ricotta Almond Cake

recipe from Honey and Figs

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

2 vanilla beans or vanilla bean paste equivalent amount

zest from 2 lemons

4 eggs, separated and at room temperature

2.5 cups almond meal

10.5 oz. ricotta cheese. 

almond flakes

Freeze whisk attachment and mixing bowl.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 20 cm. round springform pan with parchment paper and set aside. 

Beat softened butter, 1 cup of the powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer until creamy and pale, about 5-6 minutes. Add egg yolks, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add almond meal and beat on medium to combine. Gently fold in the ricotta cheese. 

Remove bowl and whisk from the freezer and beat egg whites and the remaining powdered sugar (1 cup) until soft peaks form. This took me 8-10 minutes. Fold stiff egg whites into the cake batter and gently combine. 

Pour mixture into cake pan and sprinkle with almond flakes. Bake for 20-25 minutes and then cover with tin foil. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until cake is done, the top is slightly browned and the edges are starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. 

Let the cake cool for 20 minutes before removing from the springform pan. Dust with additional powdered sugar before serving.

Chocolate Bark with Pistachios, Popped Quinoa + Sea Salt

A little piece of dark chocolate is almost always the perfect sweet fix for me, even if it just means a palmful of chocolate chips. Dark chocolate has a permanent spot in this house!

Chocolate bark is so easy and so fun! I've never experimented much with it but after making a batch this weekend, I am a believer! I spotted this recipe on Cooking Light's Instagram account last week and knew I needed to make it. It turns out that popped quinoa is, in fact, and thing and it is one of the most surprising bites! I'm currently making a list of other things that I can add popped quinoa to. POPPED QUINOA. I just love it. 

This bark is the most incredible (and incredibly easy) sweet treat ever. It's rich and decadent and basically takes no time at all to make. Pistachios and sea salt make lovely chocolate toppings and the popped quinoa...well, you just need to try it for yourself. It's toasty and poppy and adds a fun little crunch. 

Mmmmmm. I love this stuff. 

Dark Chocolate Bark with Pistachios, Popped Quinoa + Sea Salt

1 Dark chocolate bar (I used Ghiradelli 60% Cacao)
Handful unsalted pistachios
2 Tbsp. quinoa, popped
Sea salt, for sprinkling

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

To pop the quinoa, heat a small, heavy bottom pan on medium-high heat. Add 3-4 pieces of quinoa and cover, wait for them to pop. Once you hear them pop, add the remaining 2 Tablespoons. They will pop very quietly and quickly. Remove from the burner and transfer to a bowl. Set aside.

In a double boiler on medium-low heat, melt the chocolate. Pour melted chocolate onto the parchment prepared baking sheet and smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle with pistachios, quinoa and sea salt. 

Transfer sheet to the refrigerator and let harden for a few hours or overnight. Break into pieces and enjoy!

Olive Oil + Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Brownie Cookies

You guys. 

THESE COOKIES. 

Every now and then, I find myself needing a cookie. The craving comes on fiercely and nothing else seems to do. I have always loved cookies, but it wasn't until I discovered the New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies that I truly appreciated the art of cookie baking. Since my obsession with cookies blossomed, these Snickerdoodles stole my heart, and most recently, these chocolatey little loves right here. 

A dear friend of mine took a healthy helping of gelato and sandwiched it between two of these cookies. She's a genius.

Olive oil gives a richness that isn't always present in cookie batter and surprisingly, the taste isn't overpowering once the cookie is baked. And sea salt on top ...my favorite component of a perfect cookie. A little chewy on the outside but soft and chocolatey on the inside. Basically, 50% cookie, 50% brownie and 100% impossible to just stop at one. 

I'm now wishing I had a batch of these already made so that I could sit down, Santa-style, and enjoy a few with an ice cold glass of milk. I don't even like milk. 

Olive Oil + Sea Salt Brownie Cookies
recipe from Butterlust

1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
1 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. hot water
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1.5 cups 60% cocoa dark chocolate chips (Ghiradelli is my favorite)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the olive and sugar and mix on medium until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure to mix well between each one. Add the cocoa powder, flour and salt and mix until a dough forms. 

In a small bowl, dissolve the baking soda into the hot water. Add the dissolved baking soda and water mixture as well as the vanilla to the batter, and beat until just combined. Gently stir in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate the batter for at least 30 minutes or overnight. 

Using a tablespoon, scoop out heaping tablespoons of dough onto your cookie sheets. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are set. 11 minutes was the perfect amount of time in my oven. 

Strawberry Sorbetto

Will and I went down to the strawberry patch with our friends last week and we came home with a five pound box of ruby red beauties. He loves strawberries as much as I do and I think we need to make another trip to the patch before it closes for the season. I need a strawberry rhubarb pie, strawberry salsa and strawberry mojitos in my life as soon as possible. Strawberries for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Please and thank you. 

I knew that I wanted to make something special with these fresh berries and when flipped through the pages of my Ciao Bella cookbook, I knew that sorbetto would be sweet and refreshing and the perfect seasonal treat! This cookbook has become my go-to for homemade ice creams, gelatos and sorbettos. The base recipes are so easy and the add in ideas are phenomenal. I have loved everything from this book and highly recommend it. 

This recipe is the best kind of recipe- quick and simple. The base recipes It starts with a basic sorbetto base and adds in eight cups of fresh berries. The sorbetto base could not be easier. Two cups of water and two cups of sugar, otherwise known as simple syrup. Because strawberries are naturally on the sweet side, especially coming fresh from the patch, I only used one cup of sugar instead of two and my sorbetto was still as sweet as can be! 

We've been topping our sorbetto with a pinch of shredded unsweetened coconut and some mini dark chocolate chips. 

This strawberry sorbetto is everything. 

Strawberry Sorbetto
recipe from Ciao Bella

2 cups water
1 cup sugar
8 cups fresh strawberries (quartered)
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

In a medium saucepan on medium-high heat, combine water and sugar. Bring water to a boil and remove from heat once sugar is dissolved. Let cool.

In a blender, combine 4 cups of berries, half of the simple syrup and the 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Combine the remaining strawberries and simple syrup in the blender and blend until smooth. 

Pour strawberry mixture in the body of an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer sorbetto to airtight containers and store in the freezer. (these containers by Zak Designs are my favorite)

Side note: There is no difference between Sorbetto and Sorbet. One is the the Italian name and the other is the French. 

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes {Chocolate Guiness Cupcake with Baileys Buttercream and a Whiskey Ganache Center}

Cupcakes are always appropriate. There is something about a personal size cake that makes you feel happy. Bad day? Eat a cupcake. Someone's birthday and you can't be there to celebrate in person? Eat a cupcake. Bachelor finale? Eat a cupcake. They are the perfect celebration dessert and make for a fun display at parties. Add a little alcohol and you've just scored big. 

Here's a booze-y cupcake recipe for your St. Patrick's Day. Three layers deep, these rich little cakes feature Guiness, Jameson and Baileys. The Irish tri-fecta. A chocolate Guiness cupcake is filled with a whiskey ganache and topped with a gigantic swirl of Bailey's Irish Cream Buttercream. What more could a leprechaun want? I may have missed the St. Patrick's Day bar crawl downtown Charlotte, but baking with alcohol, which resulted in Guiness for breakfast, is the next best thing. 

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes 

recipe from The Brown Eyed Baker

Cupcakes:
1 cup Guiness Stout
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1.5 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Whiskey Ganache Filling:
8 oz. bittersweet baking chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. butter, room temperature
2 tsp. Irish Whiskey (I used Jameson)

Baileys Buttercream:
2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
6 Tbsp. Bailey's Irish Cream

To make the cupcakes; preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring the Guiness and butter to a simmer in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk mixture until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to combine. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until well combined. Add the Guiness- chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture and beat briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners, filling about 2/3 of the way full. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center, 17-19 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a rack.

To make the whiskey ganache filling; finely chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heat proof 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 from the center outward until just combined. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until just combined. Let the ganache cool until thick, but still soft enough to be piped.

To fill the cupcakes; using the bottom of a large decorating tip, cut the centers of the cooled cupcakes, going about two thirds of the way down. Transfer the ganache to a piping bag with a large tip and fill the holes of the cupcakes all the way to the top. 

To make the Baileys Buttercream; Using the whisk attachment of a stand 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 until incorporated. Add the Baileys, and increase the speed to medium high and whip for another 2-3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy. 

Using a decorating tip, frost the cupcakes and top with sprinkles for extra luck!

Pumpkin Pecan Cranberry Upside Down Cake

This festive little cake was the result of gathering ingredients from my kitchen and hunting for recipes that included them. I started with fresh cranberries and pumpkins, and knew that I would probably need some butter to make it GOOD. Pecans were a no brainer and brown sugar seemed like another appropriate ingredient to add to the bunch. After a quick search and a few key words using my ingredients, I found this DELICIOUS cake recipe. Pineapple Upside Down Cake was one of my favorites growing up and I had no doubt this version featuring pumpkin, pecan and cranberries would be a nice seasonal twist! 

The cranberries are sweet, yet tart, the nuts are gooey and decadent and the pumpkin is just enough.

If you need a quick, yet impressive dessert to share with friends this Christmas season, this one is a winner. Served warm with vanilla bean ice cream is totally the way to go.

Pumpkin Pecan Cranberry Upside Down Cake
recipe from Sis. Boom Blog

16 Tbsp. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
2 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
6 Tbsp. canola oil
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. 

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and whisk until smooth. Pour the brown sugar mixture into the bottom of the cake pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the cranberries and pecans. Place them in the pan over the brown sugar mixture. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin and canola oil. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and stir until combined. Carefully spread the batter over the cranberry pecan topping. 

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cake on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.

Place a large plate or platter on top of the cake. Invert the cake and plate together and remove the pan. Carefully peel off the parchment paper.