Irish Hills Cupcakes

Note: While these cupcakes were made for St. Patrick’s Day, this cupcake and frosting recipe can be adapted to any holiday!

These cute little numbers remind me of the performance of Brigadoon my mom and I went to see at the local high school when I was a little girl. I’ll never forget the gallant, handsome lad who played the role of Tommy. He sang “Heather on the Hill” to Fiona with such charm and youthful, Irish appeal, and . . .

WAIT. Stop the presses. Never mind.

Brigadoon takes place in Scotland.

Well, you know what? Ireland is green, too! And these cupcakes will remind you of the rolling hills of that gorgeous country like no other dessert will.

They’ll also remind you of Brigadoon!

Even though they probably shouldn’t.

 
 
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners. Combine the butter and the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle WHISK attachment . . .(sorry about my earlier typo)…

 
 
 
And cream them together until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl halfway through to ensure it’s thoroughly mixed.

 
 
 
Add the vanilla, then crack in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition . . .

 
 
 
And mix it until nice and smooth.

 
 
 
In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Then, with the mixer on low, add one-quarter of the dry ingredients.

 
 
 
Mix the buttermilk and milk together, then add one-quarter of that mixture to the bowl.

 
 
 
Continue mixing in the dry ingredients and milk mixture in alternating batches, scraping the sides of the bowl once to make sure it’s all mixed together.

 
 
 
Use a 1⁄4-cup measure or scoop to add the batter to the cup . . .

 
 
 
Then bake the cupcakes for about 18 minutes, until they’re poufy and light golden brown. (Psst. These got a little more brown than yours will get! I tried 375 at first, but decided 350 was ultimately better.)

 
 
 
While the cupcakes are cooling, make the icing! I just made an easy cream cheese version (no butter or anything), but any ol’ buttercream will do, too! Add the cream cheese and powdered sugar to the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.

 
 
 
Add a teeny splash of vanilla…

 
 
 
Mix it on high until the frosting is nice and smooth. It should be slightly gooey…where “gooey” means “divine.”

 
 
 
Add a small amount of green food coloring (how much you add depends on how green you want your frosting!)

 
 
 
Mix it well until the icing is evenly colored. Add a little more coloring if you like, to get the color nice and deep.

 
 
 
When you’re ready to ice the cupcakes, place some green sanding sugar in a small dish.

 
 
 
To frost each cupcake, take the easy road by placing it upside down in the frosting . . .

 
 
 
Then pull it out . . .

 
 
 
And gently press it into the sanding sugar.

 
 
 
Roll it around to coat it in the sugar.

 
 
 
Pretty! By pressing the cupcake into the sugar, you’ll create little “hills” in the surface of the icing.

 
 
 
Just like Brigadoon! Or not.

 
 
 
You can also pipe the other half of the cupcakes with a star tip and sprinkle on the sugar for a different look.

 
 
 
So Pretty! So green!

 
 
 
So…Irish!

You’ll love these. (And you can change the color to suit any holiday, of course!)

Here’s the handy dandy printable.

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup Softened Butter (2 Sticks)
• 2 cups Sugar
• 4 whole Eggs
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla
• 3 cups All-purpose Flour
• 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Whole Milk
• 1/2 cup Buttermilk
• 1 package (8 Ounce) Cream Cheese, Softened
• 3 cups Powdered Sugar, Sifted (more If Needed For Thickening)
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• Green Food Coloring
• Green Sanding Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 12-cup muffin pans with liners.

In a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.

Mix together the milk and buttermilk in a pitcher. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Alternate adding the wet and dry ingredients in four batches each, until the batter is thick and smooth.

Add 1/4 cup batter to each muffin cup, then bake for 18 minutes (approximately.) Remove and allow to cool completely.

Make the icing by mixing together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and green food coloring. Add a little more powdered sugar if it seems too thin.

Place the sanding sugar in a small dish. Dip the cupcakes, top side down, in the icing until coated, then dip them in the sanding sugar, gently rolling them to coat. Repeat with the rest of the cupcakes.

For a little variation, pipe icing on half the cupcakes, then sprinkle with sugar.

(Refrigerate if not serving immediately, as icing will be soft.)

Posted by Ree | The Pioneer Woman on March 15 2014

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