Market Menu – Give me S’more Cupcake

Here is what I made for last weeks market menu. To see what is coming up this week sign up for the 80Cakes Newsletter!

S’more Cupcakes:

Ever since I was a kid my favorite part of any Barbeque has always been making S’mores on the hot coals after all the food has been cooked. With all the Barbeques that will be going on this weekend I decided to make some S’more cupcakes. I then started thinking “Who invented the S’more”? A little googling later and I discovered that we actually have the Girl Scouts to thank for this wonderful concoction. Originally called “Some Mores”, the first recorded version was found in a Girl Scouts publication from 1927. The S’more cupcake consists of a moist chocolate cake that has been baked with a graham cracker crust, topped with marshmallow frosting and graham cracker crumble. They will be decorated in red, white and blue in honor of Memorial Day.

Italian Lemon Anise Cupcakes:

Growing up in an Italian-American family Anise was a flavor I became familiar with at an early age. It is used in many Italian desserts like biscotti and pizelli. There is even an Italian anise flavored liquor called Sambuca that is often added to coffee to make what Italians call Caffe Corretto. Anise, also referred to as Aniseed, comes from a flowering plant native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southeast Asia. The flavor resembles that of liquorice or fennel. One of my favorite Italian cookies is a lemon anise cookie covered in lemon glaze, so I decided to use this refreshing combination in a cupcake. The cake is flavored with lemon juice, natural anise extract, and a little Sambuca. The anise flavor is very subtle and really adds extra depth to the lemon. It is topped off with a light lemon buttercream frosting.

Irish Coffee Cupcakes:

Irish coffee is a cocktail consisting of hot coffee, Irish whiskey, and sugar that has been mixed together and then topped with a thick layer of cream. The origins of the drink are highly disputed but one belief is that it was invented by Chef Joseph Sheridan in the 1940’s. He worked at a restaurant in the terminal building at the Port of Foyne in Ireland, which was a busy air traffic point between Europe and United States. After a bad flight he offered tired passengers the coffee drink mixed with Irish whiskey. One American passenger asked if it was Brazilian coffee, and the chef answered, “that’s Irish coffee.” The Irish coffee was brought to the United States in the 1950’s and it is still very popular here and in countries around the world. In the 1970’s Gilbeys of Ireland started producing a liquor they called Baileys Irish Cream. It is a combination of Irish Whiskey, cream, and sugar; the main components of the Irish Coffee. This cupcake is a coffee and Irish cream infused cake topped with an Irish cream flavored buttercream. Perfect for an after dinner treat!