Bailey's Irish Cream Cupcakes & Frosting

Bailey's Irish Cream Cupcakes

For the Bailey's cupcakes:
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
12 tbsp butter, at room temperature
2 whole eggs + 2 egg whites, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup Bailey's Irish Cream

For the Bailey's buttercream:
1 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp Bailey's Irish Cream

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with 24 cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add eggs and egg whites one at a time, beating on low between each addition. Add vanilla.
- Add flour slowly in 3 additions, alternating with Bailey's, starting and ending with flour.
- Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake 15-17 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the frosting, beat butter in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, until completely mixed. Add the Bailey's and beat until well combined.
- Poke holes in the tops of the cupcakes and brush some Bailey's on each before frosting.
- Load frosting into a piping bag fit with a large tip and decorate as desired.

Fruit Swirl Coffee Cake

Coffee Cake

4

eggs

3/4

cup milk

1/2

cup butter, melted

2

teaspoons vanilla

1

box Bisquick® Gluten Free mix (3 cups)

2/3

cup granulated sugar

1

can (21 oz) fruit pie filling (any flavor)

Glaze

1

cup powdered sugar

2

tablespoons milk

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Grease 1 (15x10x1-inch) pan or 2 (9-inch) square pans with shortening or cooking spray.
2. In large bowl, stir all coffee cake ingredients except pie filling until blended; beat vigorously 30 seconds. Spread 2/3 of the batter (about 2 1/2 cups) in 15x10-inch pan or 1/3 of the batter (about 1 1/4 cups) in each square pan.
3. Spread pie filling over batter (filling may not cover batter completely). Drop remaining batter by tablespoonfuls onto pie filling.
4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle glaze over warm coffee cake. Serve warm or cool.

Makes 18 servings

Sugar & Spice Pork Loin

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

2 medium gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

2 medium red onions, cut into quarters

1/2 c. olive oil

1 tsp. ground cumin

1.5 tsp. fennel seeds

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

one 4 lb pork loin, rolled and tied

1/2 c. chicken broth

Arrange the veggies in the bottom of your slow cooker. Drizzle 1/4 c. olive oil over the veggies and toss.

Make rub in a bowl with cumin, fennel, cinnamon, ginger, brown sugar & black pepper. Sprinkle 1 Tblsp. over vegetables and stir together.

Pat the rest of the rub all over the loin, place the meat on top of the vegetables, and cover with remaining olive oil and chicken broth.

Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours.

Transfer pork to a cutting board, covering with foil for 20 minutes. Cut the meat into 1 inch slices and serve on a platter with vegetables.

Nutella Cupcakes

Self-frosting Nutella Cupcakes

adapted from these ones.

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup canola or mild vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4-1/2 cup Nutella, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 325F.

In a medium bowl, beat the butter, oil and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt; add to the butter mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. The batter will be thick. It needs to be in order to swirl in the Nutella!

Divide the batter between 12 paper-lined muffin cups. Drop a spoonful of Nutella on top of each, and swirl through the batter with the tip of a bamboo skewer, knife or other pointy object. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until springy to the touch. Tilt them in the pan to help them cool. Makes a dozen cupcakes.