I love trying new places, so this was a really fun project to cross off my list. I might just keep adding to the list for the rest of the year. I also love taking pictures of my food, so a recent obsession has been the Foodspotting iPhone app.

New restaurants & coffee shops (May-September, mainly Portland):

1. Pix Patisserie
2. Pizza Oasis
3. Whole Foods (for lunch, this so counts!)
4. Elephant’s Deli
5. Lapellah (Vancouver, Washington)
6. Chow (Bend, Oregon)
7. Bambuza Vietnam Bistro
8. Rilassi Coffee House & Tea
9. Acadia
10. Donuts Coffee Shop (Manzanita, Oregon)
11. The Daily Cafe OHSU
12. Laughing Planet – Belmont
13. Chez Machin
14. Le Hana
15. Ringside
16. Bean & Tree Cafe
17. Flying Elephants Delicatessen
18. Bar Avignon
19. Thirst Wine Bar
20. Deschutes Brewery
21. Cafe Yumm (does a new location count?)
22. Hot Lips Pizza – Hawthorne (does a new location count?)
23. Banh Mi food cart
24. Waffle Window (attached to Bread & Ink cafe)
25. Mio Gelato
26. Samurai Japanese food cart
27. Tugboat Brewing Co
28. Poompui food cart
29. Pacific House restaurant (Tillamook, Oregon)
30. Prasad Cuisine
31. Dove Vivi
32. Staccato Gelato
33. Left Coast Siesta (Manzanita, Oregon)
34. Pudding on the Rice
35. Kiko’s Taqueria Uruapan food cart
36. Oregon Ice Works food cart
37. The Whole Bowl food cart
38. Ping
39. Voodoo Doughnut
40. Potato Champion (Cartopia)
41. Perierra Crêperie
42. Cafe Velo (PSU Farmers market location)
43. Pine State Biscuits
44. Widmer Brothers Gasthaus Pub
45. Equinox
46. Cafe Mundo (Newport, Oregon)
47. 21st Avenue Bar & Grill
48. Savor Soup House (cart)
49. Pearl Bakery
50. Kiku Sushi (Seattle, Washington)
51. Seattle Grind (Seattle, Washington)
52. Barista
53. Cupcake Jones

Tasty.

I spotted a link to some Irish car bomb cupcakes last week that looked a little too similar to a Smitten Kitchen recipe that I’ve been meaning to try for ages! So I’m not going to copy her recipe, if you actually want to make these lovely cupcakes go check out Smitten Kitchen’s recipe. The only change I made was making a cream cheese frosting instead of a butter cream frosting. I thought it would have a smoother texture and go with the Baileys, whiskey, Guinness combo better.

Baileys Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

• 8 oz of cream cheese (room temperature)
• 3/4 cup – 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 3-4 TB of Baileys (usually you would add vanilla, but it isn’t needed with the Baileys)

1. Mix the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar together with an electric mixer

2. Add in the Baileys (you might need a little more sugar at this point).

3. Nom, nom, nom

This was my first time making a chocolate ganache filling, so it was fun to learn something new. I also improvised a little on the filling instructions. I don’t have a 1″ cutter or piping supplies, so I used one of my new insanely sharp knives and then a butter knife to pop the round out. And then to fill them, I just used a plastic bag with the corner cut.

So I love these cupcakes, although I think they’re quite possibly the most unhealthy cupcakes of all time. :)  They’re a brilliant concept though, and they go so nicely with Liberty of London trays. :P What next… maybe mojito cupcakes, or pastis cupcakes, or pink gin fizz cupcakes…

What would make an awesome drink cupcake?

The first time I made them, I made 24 mini cupcakes — which was good, but 6 massive cupcakes are way more fun. Plus, with only 6 you get to say “mmmm…. I just ate a third of a stick of butter! mmm…” every time you eat a cupcake!

What have you been cooking lately?

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream-Cheese Icing

Prep work:
I strongly believe that all recipes should come with a “Warning!” section containing what you need to do before you begin. 1. Take the cream cheese out of the fridge, unless you’re planning on making the frosting waaay later. 2. Grate the carrots and set aside.

Ingredients
Makes 12 regular cupcakes (or 6 monster cupcakes, or 24 mini cupcakes)

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups shredded organic baby carrots
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut, plus more for garnish
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the cupcakes: In a bowl, combine sugar, vegetable oil, orange juice, vanilla extract, and eggs.
2. Stir in baking powder, baking soda, allspice, and salt. Add flour; mix. Stir in carrots, walnuts, and coconut.
3. Oil a standard muffin tin or line with paper cups; distribute batter evenly.
4. Bake until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 25 minutes. Let cool before frosting. Garnish with toasted shredded coconut.
5. Make the icing: In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.

Yums! The signature cupcake is now in my belly. Everyday Food: Great Food Fast Cookbook