We miss you! Come visit!

Hi lovely people! How I've missed blogger and it has only been a few days.  Did you see our Tuesday Shoesday post yesterday?  If you didn't you may not be linked to our NEW WEBSITE and NEW BLOG!!! It's all kinds of exciting.

{You Are My Fave}

We miss you over there!  Be sure to update your readers and say hello when you swing on by!

Gwyneth Paige Couture Letterpress' website is live!

It's alive! ALIVE!! C'mon over. Share in the mimosas! (or Champagne if it is evening where you are!)

Please don't forget to update your readers! Our feed link has CHANGED! Click me! Click ME!

T-minus FOUR days till launch

We are counting days!  Days till... OUR WEBSITE LAUNCH!!  Are you excited?  I am.  Know why?!  Because I've been promising you a website since January.  Such is life when you want everything to be just perfect!

Speaking of perfect, did you see Monday's post highlighting our social stationery line?  Hello couture calling cards and note cards!  Yes please!  Merci beau-coup!

This post is very exclamation point heavy.  Can you tell how excited I am?  So I thought to help count down the website launch I would post a couple sneak peek photos taken by Jen Kroll of Jen Kroll Photography.  These pictures stole my breath away when I first laid eyes on them this past Sunday afternoon.  I hope you find as much bliss in the images as I do!

Simple Quote Wednesday

You are missed.

Guinness Cupcakes filled with Jameson Ganache topped with Bailey's Buttercream

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!  Feel free to send kisses my way; I'm all of 1/8th (possibly less) Irish!! Woo!  So, I know this isn't a baking blog BUT tis' a day of festive Irish awesomeness and I want to play along in the best way I know how.  Yes, you guessed right.  Cupcakes.

I have had this recipe starred for, oh, about a year now.  It is printed and folded and sleeping in my recipe box.  These cupcakes--these rich, wonderful, Irish alcohol filled cupcakes--are one of my favorite recipes of all time.  I present to you Guinness Cupcakes filled with Jameson ganache topped with Bailey's buttercream frosting.

The cupcake are rich, delectable and perfect for any festivity where a Guinness lover is involved.  Or summer.  These are perfect for summer.  The recipe is originally from Smitten Kitchen adapted by Confessions of a Tart.

Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes

Makes 20 to 24 cupcakes

For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

1 cup stout (such as Guinness)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

2/3 cup sour cream

Ganache Filling

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate

2/3 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1 to 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey (optional)

Baileys Frosting 

3 to 4 cups confections sugar

1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof)

Make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners.

Put the butter with the beer in a sauce pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Whisk in cocoa powder until smooth. Cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In a mixer bowl, beat the eggas and the sour cream together. Add the beer/butter/cocoa mixture and beat to combine. Add the flour mixture and beat briefly just to combine. Using a rubbet spatula, fold the batter until completely combined, making sure to incorporate little pockets of flour on the bottom so that the batter is of equal consistency everywhere.

Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 of the way if you want flatter cupcakes and 3/4 if you want domed. Bake for about 17 minutes, or until a toothpick or a slim knife inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely to room temperature.

Make the filling: Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey (if you’re using it) and stir until combined.

Fill the cupcakes: Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped. Using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. I went about half to 2/3 of the way down and used a small knife to help me extract the centers. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

Make the frosting: In a large mixer bowl, whip the butter for several minutes until very light and fluffly. Slowly add the powdered sugar, letting it incorporate, utnil the butter becomes thicker and stiff (you will know when this happens). Slowly drizzle the Bailey's (or milk or cream or a combination thereof) and whip until combined. Ice and decorate the cupcakes.

Enjoy!  And Happy Saint Patrick's Day!  {All photo by Confessions of a Tart}