St. Germain Cupcakes

Ummm, YUM!  I first had St. Germain when my friend Stephanie (check out Pop! Goes My Culture) got me out of the kitchen and onto Governor’s Island in NYC for the Jazz Age Lawn Party.  It was magical.  I had a cup of the St. Germain Cocktail, and after the first sip, I fell in love.  Lucky for me (and for you), I entered a photo of the event in their Instagram photo contest and won a free bottle of St. Germain!  Fortunately, it lasted me about a year.  I had enough St. Germain left to create these delicious little cupcakes.  And just enough left for the bundt cake I’m making later this month…

Knowing I love to bake, Ashley posted a link on my wall leading me to a recipe for an Old-Fashioned St. Germain and Lemon Bundt Cake.  It looked delicious!  I am planning to make the bundt cake for the next Jazz Age Lawn Party.  I thought I might be able to take this recipe and turn a bundt cake into cupcakes, topped with lemon frosting.  I’ve been dying to whip out the frosting kit I got from my sister for a while now, and this was the perfect excuse.  The recipe below was crafted by Kylie (The Baking Bird). I tweaked a few things based on what we had in the cabinets, so for the original recipe, be sure to check out her Bundt Cake.

When I tasted the batter – and you know what I say about batter (how you know you have something delicious when your batter is delicious) – I knew Kylie had nailed this recipe.  The St. Germain added a refreshing, fruity and delicious flavor to the cupcakes.  Once topped with lemon frosting – YUM!  When you read this and get scared that you’re adding alcohol to cupcakes, don’t – this was the perfect amount of St. Germain.

Kylie topped her bundt cake with (what looked like) a delicious lemon glaze.  Instead of the lemon and St. Germain glaze, we opted in for a sweet and citrusy, lemon frosting – really easy to make!  These cupcakes were delicious and the people that were able to have one, loved them!

[recipe]

St. Germain Cupcakes

• 1/2 cup milk (we used 2%)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup St. Germain liqueur
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 1 (up to 2) tbsp of lemon juice – add a little at a time to taste

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Line your cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
2. Pour milk and apple cider vinegar into a small bowl, whisk together with a fork, and set aside to curdle for several minutes (about 5-10 minutes).
3. Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until fluffy (1-2 minutes).
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
5. Mix in the St. Germain to the milk and vinegar mixture.
6. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.
7. In 3 separate additions, alternating between the liqueur/milk mixture and the flour mixture, combine into the creamed mixture beginning and ending with the flour.
8. Fold the batter until well blended. Add and fold in lemon juice.
9. Dollop batter into prepared cupcake pan, not filling more than half way up the cup.
10. Bake the cake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.
11. Remove and let cool. Repeat with remaining batter.
12. For the frosting: Combine 1/4 cup of softened butter and 2 cups of confectioners sugar in a bowl.
13. Add in 1 tbsp of lemon juice for a refreshing hint of citrus. Add in additional amounts for taste preference.
14. Frost the cupcakes once they’re cooled.

[/recipe]

Which frosting design do you prefer?