Amaretto Dark Secret

This passed Sunday my friend and I participated in a charity event called Cupcake Camp, where bakers, professional or amateur, donated bunches and bunches of cupcakes to raise money for a good cause.

3500 cupcakes were on site and the funds raised this year ($8000!!!!) is going to Kids Help Phone Canada.

Lots of people (about 700!!!) came to support by buying all kinds of amazingly cute cupcakes, and it was so great. There was a contest as well, for best pro design, taste, best amateur design, taste, etc. The room was hot and it was hard for me to stay focus most of the time, but it was all worth it.

I donated 48 cupcakes and they were called Amaretto Dark Secret: Amaretto cupcake, banana cream cheese frosting and an amaretto dark chocolate truffle in the middle of it all. I thought it was quite good! So I will go ahead and share the recipe with you, because I'm pretty sure some of you out there get weak in the knees when it comes to alcoholic dessert. Ya... you know who you are...

Amaretto cupcakes (makes 24)
adapted from a recipe I found here

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter or margarine
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 cup milk (I used skimmed milk)
• 1/2 cup amaretto cream liquor
• 1/4 cup amaretto liquor or a bit more ;)
  
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds (I didn't add this)

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl, set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Alternately add 1/3 of the flour, then the milk and the amaretto cream, then 1/3 of the flour and all of the amaretto, beating well after each addition. Add remaining flour; mix until smooth. Stir in almonds if using.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 375ºF for 14-16 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool in pans for a few minutes then remove and cool completely.

Cut a cone off of the top of a cupcake, slash a bit of the tip, put a little truffle inside and close it up.

Amaretto Dark chocolate truffles

• 2 oz. cream cheese, soften
• a handful of dark chocolate pellets, or chips, melted
• a shot of amaretto
• a shot of cream of amaretto

Mix cream cheese and melted chocolate together well, then add the alcohol. Roll into 24 truffles.

Banana cream cheese frosting

• 2 bananas, ripe, mashed
• 4 oz. cream cheese, soften
• 1 cup butter, soften
• 1/2 -1 cup of powdered sugar, depending on how sweet you like your frosting (the bananas will sweeten this a lot already)

Mix the bananas with the cream cheese well. Beat in the butter until creamy, then slowly add the sugar 1/4 cup at a time, according to your taste. Frost! Or... eat some with a little spoon...?

Now, here are some of my favorites from Cupcake Camp. Enjoy!!!!

My friend's entry for Best Amateur Design. Isn't it adorable????

This one won Best Montreal Theme: Youppi jumping out of a poutine


Poutine!!!!!! Awesome!!!


This one won Best Amateur Design. So cute!!!

Banana peanut butter pie

This pie might look small but it actually feeds 2 people

This is one of those what's-in-the-fridge creation. There's no actual recipe except for the crust which I always have a batch of, in the freezer. But you can use any home-made or ready to use store-bought crust.

I used the same crust that I made for my fruit tarts here. (And since I only made two, I actually used the toaster oven, baked them for 20 minutes at 400F)

For the filling, I really just eyeballed it, so this is approximately for two 4.5 inch pies:

• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 1/2 smooth peanut butter
• 1 cup mashed banana (2 bananas depending on the size)
• 1/2 tbsp of amaretto cream (optional)
  

In a bowl, soften cream cheese & peanut butter in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds on medium power. Stir well.

Mix in mashed banana. Make sure to stir everything til mixture is smooth. Add about 1/2 tbsp of amaretto cream if you want. I've never tasted banana liqueur but I'm pretty sure it could work too since... well... it's banana!?

Let cool about 10 minutes and spoon into baked shell.

If you like, you can drizzle some melted chocolate on the top, or whipped cream.