One Cupcake to Rule them All

Amazingly, within 90 minutes on a rainy day in DC, we gathered our bounty:

If you missed my earlier post about our great D.C. cupcake challenge, click HERE.  Moving swiftly, we then displayed each cupcake for a feast of the eyes:

After a sliver of almost every one (I swear, only a sliver!), here is the order of our favorites:
Tied for 1st - Sprinkles and Baked and Wired
3 - Georgetown Cupcakes
4- Hello Cupcake
5 - Red Velvet
6 - Crumbs

I had 2 favorites  - a spice cake with espresso icing from Baked and Wired, and this glorious delight - peanut butter chocolate chip with peanut butter icing and chocolate sprinkles, from Sprinkles.  One word - D - Vine.

Now for this week, I will need to do 10 hours of yoga, a full day of spinning, and how many crunches to burn all this goodness off...????

At least we only ate salad for lunch and dinner! 

Okay, hopefully you're not ready to run out the door to the nearest cup cakery, or start baking yourself, but I'm sure you're probably thinking...if I were stranded on a deserted island, which cupcake could I live off of forever...?

For me, now I know!

Chocolate Raspberry Bourbon Brownies

Photos by B.G

I L.O.V.E. chocolate.  Who doesn't?  And fresh-picked raspberries? They are a sweet summer delight! Oh, and Handsome Hubby (let's forever after refer to him, as H.H, k?) loves him his bourbon.  I don't, but it adds some nice flavor to a dessert!

I modified a choc-p.b. recipe (I know, my favorite combo, but like I said, the fresh-picked raspberries couldn't go to waste) by using a simple raspberry sauce.

I took these to 2 different dinner parties in one weekend (shhh!), and they were a big hit - ENJOY!

RASPBERRY SAUCE:

1 cup of fresh (or frozen) raspberries
1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 tbsp. bourbon (my addition)

In a small saucepan stir together cornstarch and sugar. Add water and the raspberries.  Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until mixture begins to boil. Cook mixture for an additional minute, then remove form heat. Stir in vanilla and bourbon. Let stand until cooled.

 

Did I also mention cream cheese?

 

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY BOURBON BROWNIES

 

Ingredients:

• your favorite brownie batter
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened (can be light)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 eggs
• RASPBERRY SAUCE
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cream or milk

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare the brownie batter and spread into a greased 8×8 baking dish.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, eggs, and sugar. Add the raspberry sauce, adding the cream as necessary to make the mixture more smooth. The consistency should be thick, but smooth enough to easily mix with the electric mixer. Add the vanilla and salt.
3. Pour mixture over brownie batter and marble with a knife.
4. Bake for 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

          (I'd personally recommend underbaking!)