So I was killing some time on Pinterest the other day, and came across this amazing blog called Miss Make! Beer + cupcakes caught my eye immediately. The second I saw the post I knew I had to try it!!

But since baking for fun has gotten a little expensive these days, I try to wait for the perfect occasion to bust out new recipes I’ve been wanting to try! Two of my guy friends had birthdays the same weekend, the perfect opportunity!! I love when that happens.


Check out an awesome blog and her how-to + recipe for these cupcakes right here, Blue Moon Cupcakes by Miss Make.

Thank you so much for a great recipe and inspiration!


Good thing I had the perfect liners just laying around!




I used zest from oranges fresh picked from my grandma’s orange tree, so yummy!




Baked and beautiful!




One thing I did change in this recipe; once the cupcakes came out of the oven and cooled for about 5 minutes, I poked holes in the tops of the cupcakes and brushed them with the leftover beer =]

To be honest, I couldn’t really taste the beer too much, but that was okay with me because these cupcakes were moist and delicious! You could probably add a 2nd or 3rd coat of beer for a stronger taste! Careful, too much liquid will make them soggy though!




Meringue frosting with fresh squeezed orange juice. So heavenly. Seriously, this is what I imagine the clouds in heaven will be like. =]




I added a couple orange sprinkles to each, you could always use an orange slice to garnish as well! If you do, make sure you serve them immediately, or wait until the last minute to put the orange on. They might get funky and make the frosting watery if not eaten right away!




Happy Birthday Andrew!!




Thank you to my love Dylan for some of the pictures, including this awesome one =]




I’m sorry, I HAD to share this picture. I love my grandma so much, she is amazing and my most dedicated taste-tester!! So silly.





Have a wonderful day!! Drink a Blue Moon and eat a cupcake. Or both =]


<3hollicakes

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Happy Valentine’s Day from hollicakes!

One of the most popular desserts on this romantic day are chocolate cover strawberries. Two of my favorite things. So I combined them into one fabulous cupcake!

First we’ll start with the easiest, almost-foolproof chocolate cupcakes ever!

Easy Chocolate Cupcakes

1 package chocolate cake mix
1 package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin trays with paper liners. (I made 1 dozen regular cupcakes & 2 dozen minis with this recipe)
2. Mix all ingredients together using a stand mixer, or just simply by hand.
3. Distribute evenly into liners, filling about 2/3 full (they rise quite a bit). Bake for 20-24 minutes, or when tops spring back when touched.
4. Cool cupcakes, then frost!

The main ingredients.




All mixed up. I gave my mixer the day off and mixed this by hand!!




Cooling by the window. I always wonder if people walking by outside can smell them =]




Beautiful strawberries!





I used half of them for the frosting and the other half for decoration!

So I didn’t love this Strawberry Buttercream recipe as much as I thought I would. But it was still pretty good! Thick almost like ice cream. I think next time I’ll try for a Strawberry Swiss Meringue variation.

Strawberry Buttercream

4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
6 ounces strawberries, pureed
2-5 tablespoons heavy cream or milk

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium speed until fluffy. Turn down speed and slowly add in powdered sugar, and continue mixing until well blended.
2. Add vanilla, pureed strawberries and cream/milk. Once combined, beat on high speed until frosting is fluffy. Frost away! Garnish with a chocolate-dipped-strawberry.





I also made red velvet cake balls, and dipped some cute little strawberry heart marshmallows in chocolate as well. Anything sweet dipped in chocolate is always better. =] Then combined all the elements in my hollicakes Valentine’s boxes!

See!





Find the recipe for these yummy cake balls at one of my favorite sites, Bakerella!




Hope everyone has a lovely Valentine’s Day!

<3hollicakes


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Wanted to share this really quick...


So it was a friend’s birthday and we made some cupcakes! He’s a Laker fan and turning 33, Happy Birthday Sean!




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