Tag Archives: cupcake

Cupcake and Cocktail | Classic Margarita

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I don’t remember my first margarita… but I do remember growing up in Syracuse, NY and going to my family’s favorite Mexican restaurant, Garcia’s. We’d go on special occasions, good grades on our report cards, birthday dinners, etc. Being about ten years old, I obviously never tried a margarita when I was there, but my parents would always get one. My sister and I would steal the colorful swizzle sticks that came decorating the salted rim glass and put them in our soda cups; suddenly our drinks became fancy and special too! Since then Garcia’s has shut down, and sadly been replaced by an “all you can eat” Chinese buffet… but I’ll always remember it as Garcia’s. Years later, I’ve definitely tried more than a few margaritas, some more authentic than others. From blended margaritas to flavored margaritas (strawberry, mango, you name it), I have to say, my favorite is simply the classic, made with tequila, Cointreau, and lime juice. Salt the rim, and it doesn’t get much better, unless of course, you invite a cupcake to the party! This cupcake pairs almost too well with a margarita; it’s a lime cake with a tequila frosting and just a pinch of sea salt sprinkled on top. Sweet, sour, and refreshing, I introduce: the margarita cupcake.

 

Margarita Cupcake

Cake Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
How: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, cream butter, eggs, and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine the flours. Slowly alternate adding the flour and the lime juice to the butter mixture until thoroughly combined. Add the vanilla extract. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full, and bake for 18 minutes, or until a fork comes out clean. Frost with Tequila Frosting and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.
Tequila Frosting:
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup tequila
  • 4 oz cream cheese
  • 1 stick cold butter
How: Cream together cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Alternate slowly adding the tequila and the powdered sugar until the frosting is light and fluffy.

 

 

Classic Margarita 

Ingredients:
  • 2 ounces tequila, preferably reposado or blanco
  • 1 ounce Cointreau
  • 1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
  • Salt for garnish
How: Combine tequila, Cointreau, and lime juice in cocktail shaker filled with a handful of ice.
Wet rim of chosen glass, with leftover lime. Hold glass upside down and dip rim into salt.
Shake drink, strain and stir.

Cupcake and Cocktail | Cucumber Gin Martini

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The first time I realized cucumber wasn’t just for salads, was at a little cafe in Pasadena about seven years ago, where they were serving water in pitchers with sliced cucumber. It was one of the most simple, refreshing drinks I’ve ever had! I can’t believe it hadn’t dawned on me years ago how perfect cucumber would be in a cocktail, or even better, in a cupcake! Today’s cupcake and cocktail is cool and sweet, basically everything you want to drink and eat on a Friday evening after a long week. Mix up a cucumber gin martini tonight along with a cucumber gin cupcake, and ring in the weekend with style. This cupcake would be perfect for a tea party or bridal shower served as dessert after cucumber tea sandwiches. Find some vintage serving platters, and you’ll have a soiree that even the queen would love!

Cucumber Gin Cupcake
  • 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup gin
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, cream butter, eggs, and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine the flours. Slowly alternate adding the flour and the gin to the butter mixture until thoroughly combined. Add the vanilla extract. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full, and bake for 18 minutes, or until a fork comes out clean.
Cucumber Frosting:
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup pureed cucumber
  • 4 oz cream cheese
  • 1 stick cold butter
Cream together cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Add cucumber puree and mix til combined. Slowly add the powdered sugar until the frosting is light and fluffy.
Cucumber Gin Martini
  • 1 1/2 cups gin
  • 1 cucumber (about 9 ounces), cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices, plus 6 thin slices for garnish
  • 2 tablespoons (or more) dry vermouth
  • Ice cubes

Mix gin and thick cucumber slices in pitcher. Cover and chill overnight or 2-3 days.

Remove cucumber slices. Pour half of gin into cocktail shaker. Add 1 tablespoon (or more) vermouth, then fill shaker with ice. Shake vigorously; strain into 3 glasses. Repeat with remaining gin and desired amount of vermouth. Decorate your martini with thin cucumber slices and serve.

Cupcake and Cocktail | Lemon Ginger Martini

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The first time I visited Santa Barbara was when I was on Spring Break during my senior year of college with my sister and some girlfriends. We spent some time in Tiburon (just outside of San Francisco), before we drove down the coast to Santa Barbara. A family friend owned a house there, with a few quirky cats, parakeets, and a yard filled with lemon trees. The idea of grabbing a fresh lemon right from the tree at anytime was such a simple luxury for me; growing up in New York the only fruit I picked fresh were apples during the months of September/October. That’s why when I found my apartment in Santa Barbara, what caught my attention most about it was the lemon tree in the backyard patio area. It makes me to so happy to be able to walk outside and grab a lemon to make a salad dressing, add freshness to guacamole, or just to slice up and toss in a pitcher of water when friends are over. My new favorite lemon indulgence is a cupcake and cocktail combination; a bright, lemon ginger martini paired with a lemon ginger cupcake.

Serve this cupcake and cocktail for a refreshing end to the week; your Friday happy hour will be a lot sweeter!

 

Lemon Ginger Cupcake:

  • 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract
  • 2 tablespoons finely grated ginger root
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, cream butter, eggs, and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine the flours. Slowly alternate adding the flour and the milk to the butter mixture until thoroughly combined. Add the lemon juice, lemon extract, and grated ginger until completely mixed. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full, and bake for 18 minutes, or until a fork comes out clean.
Lemon Vodka Frosting:
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup vodka (I used Cupcake Vodka)
  • 4 oz cream cheese
  • 1 stick cold butter
Cream together cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Add lemon juice and vodka and mix til combined. Slowly add the powdered sugar until the frosting is light and fluffy.
Lemon Ginger Martini:
  • 1 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • grated zest of one lemon
  • 1 cup fresh lemon juice
  • vodka

In a small saucepan, combine the sliced ginger with the water and sugar and bring to a simmer over a moderate heat. Simmer for five minutes, then let the ginger syrup cool. Transfer to a blender and puree. Strain the syrup into a glass jar. Stir in the lemon zest and juice.

When you are ready to make your martinis add 2 ounces vodka and 2 ounces lemon-ginger syrup into a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake. Strain into a martini glass and add a small ribbon of lemon peel as a garnish.

Sweet | Style: Miss Bradshaw

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This might be one of my favorite features we will be doing here at The Sunday Sparkle. We call it simply sweet style. We hope to give you one at least twice a month. Three if you are good.

Cupcakes styled are a way for us to honor the fashion of great icons, dresses we adore, and other designs that inspire us. The frosting, the cupcake wrapper, the little adornments and sometimes even the cupcake flavor will all be inspired by fashion.

Heck, it gives a new life to the tiny fabric scraps in my closet, more adventures in shopping and its a trip down memory lane with a little dress up.

Carrie Bradshaw is one of the few women (pass the teenager years/ not a professional dancer) that can pull off a tutu so effortlessly. This image is not from the famous opening where she is splashed by a bus in the television show, but she is standing in my dream closet (the series was so much better than the movies). Today, we honor you Carrie with our creamy tutu wrapper and a light pink flower in a cloud of white frosting.