Guinness Cupcakes with ganache filling and Baileys buttercream icing

Makes 20 to 24 cupcakes.
For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes
1 cup Guinness stout beer
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon extract vanilla
Ganache filling
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoon butter, room temperature
Baileys Frosting
5 1/2 to 6 cups confectioners sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 to 8 tablespoons Baileys
-Special equipment: Bismarck Round Decorating Tip 230 and a pipping bag for filling the cupcake.

Cupcakes directions
Preheat oven to 350F.
Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in a saucepan. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Beat eggs and sour cream in bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and combine. Add flour mixture and beat to combine.  Fill cupcake liners with dough, 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake about 18 minutes. Cool cupcakes completely.
Filling directions
Put chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate and stir until smooth. Add the butter and stir until combined. Let it cool.
Prepare a decorating bag with your ganache and Round Decorating Tip 230; insert tip in top center of cupcake go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom (aim for 2/3 of the way) and squeeze out a small amount of filling.
Frosting directions
Whip the butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar while beating. When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys cream and beat until combined.
 Ice and decorate the cupcakes.

Pecan cookies

Ingredients
4 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for coating
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups of chopped pecans
1 pinch of salt

Directions
 With an electric mixer, cream butter. Add 1/3 cup sugar and cream until light. Beat in vanilla, salt, and flour, scraping down sides of bowl, just until dough comes together. Fold in pecans.
Squeeze dough to shape into small balls. Place, 3 inches apart, on a baking sheet. Gently flatten with the tip of your finger.
Bake until golden brown, rotating sheet halfway through, about 25 minutes. Let them cool until just warm and sprinkle them with sugar. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Cupcakes

This is a cake you don't see in  South America, at least I have'nt seen it. So of course i was intrigued by it. A bright red cake with a white frosting looked very appealing and I heard from everyone that it was just great.
So, I went to the computer and started reading recipes. I found some variations between recipes so I decided to keep investigating until find out which was the real deal.
Then I found out in an article on Yahoo that this is a Southern cake. And that there are 8 essentials for an authentic Red Velvet cake:
1. The cake must have some cocoa, but not much because this is not a chocolate cake.
2. The cake must have red food coloring.
3. The cake must have cream cheese frosting.
4. There should be pecans.
5. You must use high-quality ingredients.
6. Precise measurements and meticulous attention to detail are key for this cake.
7. Not over-mix the batter.
8. Red velvet cake batter needs vegetable oil, not butter or shortening.

About 24 cupcakes.

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.
Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes.
Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks butter, softened (1 cup)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• Chopped pecans for garnish

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.
Garnish with chopped pecans.