Paddys day cake/cupcake ideas?

Sigma Force

Got my hands on some shamrock n snake jellies am thinking of just making cupcakes with green butter cream but aside from using green food colouring is there another way to make the butter cream green but taste good?
The only thing I can think of is pistachios crushed and blended with the butter cream but not sure if that would even make them greenish?

Any ideas?

Lornen

Hmmm. Green frosting.. I don't know why but a dark chocolate cupcake with candied mint buttercream sprang to mind. I don't even know if it can be done, but candied mint leaves are delish!

I love dark chocolate and mint too, so that might be something new to try! :pac:

As for me, I haven't really thought about St.Patrick's Day!
I completely over looked it, Easter was on my mind more.

Sigma Force

Yeh me too but I'm using every excuse I can to bake some more. Never thought of mint dark choc and mint sounds yum. Haven't seen candied mint around where would I get it?

Lornen

Sigma Force wrote: »

Yeh me too but I'm using every excuse I can to bake some more. Never thought of mint dark choc and mint sounds yum. Haven't seen candied mint around where would I get it?

Even if you had a pale green mint flavoured buttercream and a candied mint leaf for garnish, it'd trump the traditional shamrock!

You can make them yourself I've never bought them, but all you need is fresh mint, egg whites and sugar. Some people use a touch of mint extract to get a bigger, punchier mint flavour.

There's a few different ways of doing it but here's one.

http://www.grouprecipes.com/56287/candied-mint-leaves-and-flowers.html

star-pants

Sigma Force wrote: »

The only thing I can think of is pistachios crushed and blended with the butter cream but not sure if that would even make them greenish?

AFAIK it should make it a greenish colour, pistachio icecream tends to be green and if you google (or google image) pistachio buttercream you can see from the pics that it is greenish in colour.

Sigma Force

Just had a look on you tube there's some vids of people using a green tea powder but hard to tell from it if the green is bright or just kind of a grey/green.
Pistachio buttercream sounds good I might make a few different toppings just to try them out.
It's a hard colour to make tasty although brown butter cream made with nutella looks like poo but tastes nummy so I guess you shouldn't always eat with your eyes.

sandy_c

These look pretty cool

http://www.bfeedme.com/st-patricks-day-pot-o-gold-rainbow-cupcakes-recipe/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/giggyscakes/3014004423/

tootired

I think the green tea powder is Japanese green tea, it's an amazing colour but very expensive. I got some in an Asian supermarket near Powerscourt. Was going to make green tea icecream but never got round to doing it.

Mrs Fox

I wonder if shamrock is edible?
Maybe you can sprinkle a few sprigs in the cake/cupcakes?

Acoshla

Mrs Fox wrote: »

I wonder if shamrock is edible?
Maybe you can sprinkle a few sprigs in the cake/cupcakes?

I don't even know if shamrock is edible but if you sprinkled it into a cake or cupcakes it would surely cook and wilt like skinny spinach? Not good.

Mrs Fox

Spadina wrote: »

I don't even know if shamrock is edible but if you sprinkled it into a cake or cupcakes it would surely cook and wilt like skinny spinach? Not good.

Ok, when you put it like that, it does sound a wee bit revolting

Acoshla

Just checked there, it is edible, has a lemony taste apparently, so could be an idea on top of stuff

Lornen

Hmmm.. Was just thinking about how fashionable Red Velvet cake is becoming. I've seen several variations of it now, one including a green velvet cake.. Maybe green velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and edible green glitter could be a possibility this year!

Acoshla

Any idea what the obsession with red velvet is about? It's just coloured chocolate!!

Lornen

Spadina wrote: »

Any idea what the obsession with red velvet is about? It's just coloured chocolate!!

Oh sweet mother. If your red velvet cake tastes like chocolate, you've done it wrong.

I grew up with many a Southerner.. It may call for cocoa powder but it most certainly isn't a chocolate cake.

Cake Man Raven's recipe is quite good. Not much cocoa powder in it either.




http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sara-moulton/southern-red-velvet-cake-recipe/index.html


EDIT: And to answer your question, I don't actually know what the obsession is! I've grown up with it, we make it for alot of relatives. I think it's just, unusual and no one can really put a specific flavour to it. I find the flavour very comforting.

Acoshla

Sorry I meant cocoa, but the red colouring overload is just a bit gross, that and cream cheese, ew, all round.

Lornen

Spadina wrote: »

Sorry I meant cocoa, but the red colouring overload is just a bit gross, just a weird replacement for the original red hue from the cocoa. That and cream cheese, ew, all round.

It's definitely an acquired taste and not something you'd eat often, but it's unusual and not the worst when you give it a chance. I would never be jumping up and down or requesting it to be made, but when it is, I do have the obligatory slice. :P

Have you ever tried a proper one or are you just judging how it tastes by the ingredients it requires to make it?

Acoshla

Yeah I've tasted it, I think the hype was too much and my expectations were too high :rolleyes: I nearly puked when I got the cream cheese aftertaste, never again!

Lornen

Spadina wrote: »

Yeah I've tasted it, I think the hype was too much and my expectations were too high :rolleyes: I nearly puked when I got the cream cheese aftertaste, never again!

Oh dear lord, the cream cheese. With you on that one. The amount of cream cheese it calls for is morbid. I remember my sister and mother got into this mad obsession with finding the PERFECT cream cheese frosting that wasn't too cheesy, too soft, too runny, too blah blah blah.
All you need to know is, I haven't been able to look philly in the eye since!


I do hope you find a good recipe for Paddy's day though, it'll be here before we know it!

Lornen

Spent all afternoon with my mum baking up a storm for tomorrow!

Trifle, gur cake, treacle soda bread, coconut upside-downs, green velvet cupcakes (just, unnatural looking, eat with eyes closed and they are lovely) and just some normal cupcakes with green vanilla frosting!

Fun fun fun

I know the mad green isn't to everyone's taste but there's alot of tiddlers around mine and they love it!
My 8 year old brother made and iced the cupcakes on the left. :P

Went into town today looking for fresh treacle soda bread for tomorrow, not a loaf in the town! Got home and realised I had all the ingredients so I made it myself. First time for making bread, hope it tastes good!

Happy Paddy's Day everyone!

Acoshla

One of my family made these yesterday, yum

Chocolate:


Lemon Cupcakes:



Guinness Cupcakes with Baileys Buttercream:

Lornen

Spadina wrote: »

One of my family made these yesterday, yum

Chocolate:


Lemon Cupcakes:



Guinness Cupcakes with Baileys Buttercream:

WOW! Absolutely stunning! I love the little guiness one!!

Faith

Spadina, your photos make me want to cry. Everything always looks just beyond perfect! I can't wrap my head around the amazing level of detail in everything. Mine look so crap in comparison!

I made green velvet cupcakes too:

Acoshla

Faith it wasn't me that made them ones but thanks, I'll pass on the compliment