Pyrles -

by Pyrles

ES-Style Travel: Drinking with Mickey

I recently reached a milestone in my graduate school career, which I celebrated the best way I know how: with a vacation. Naturally, this means I have not been up to my usual baking tricks, so instead, I would like to share with you my enlightening experiences drinking in Disney World.

Considering I was eleven the last time I visited the land of the mouse, alcoholic beverages were not on my radar. And while not my primary focus (spending the trip intoxicated is not the best plan if you want to ride the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster eight times), sampling the options available did feature quite highly on my must-do list. I will admit I was actually impressed by the variety and quality throughout my trip.

What Gets Me Out of Bed on Weekends: Guinness Pancakes

I love pancakes. Partially because I love breakfast, but also because my great-grandfather’s pancake recipe was the first dish my parents let me cook without help. So at the age of eight, pancakes became my gateway recipe. Over the years, I have experimented with pancakes more than any other food. While I still use the old family recipe as a guideline, I have used it for everything from classics like blueberry, to more adventurous versions like cinnamon-applesauce and eggnog.

This recipe is one of my more recent pancake ventures, inspired by my love of all things Guinness. They smell incredible when cooking, and have a great flavor that is not too sweet. While they don’t taste too strongly of Guinness, these pancakes have the slightest bitter dark chocolate/coffee notes that really enhance the cinnamon. Overall, the beer jazzes up a traditional buttermilk pancake flavor without being overwhelming. They taste great with maple syrup, but I recommend serving them with a light caramel sauce.

Guinness Pancakes

Cinco de Baking: Loaded Corona Cupcakes

Editor’s Note: Snebbu will be bringing you more of his 100 ways to use beer in food and drinks shortly, but first: a brief holiday interruption. With Cinco de Mayo just around the corner, longtime ES reader Pyrles joins us with a holiday recipe that combines two of our favorite things: cupcakes…and beer!

When people think about beers to include in baked treats, I’m guessing Corona doesn’t often come to mind. In fact, I cannot myself explain why I thought this was a good idea in the first place. Even making the batter, I had my doubts. The first whiff of what a friend deemed “skunk beer” when I opened the bottle nearly made me scrap the idea entirely. But for whatever reason — in this case, love of a good challenge and desire to turn a favorite drink into a dessert — I made the cupcakes. And they are wonderful.

As I’ve come to expect from throwing beer into my cake batter, the cupcakes’ texture is fantastic: moist, but not dense. The Corona flavor comes through, but it is muted enough under the citrus. I may not have identified the beer if I didn’t bake these myself! The Bacardi Limon in the frosting compliments the cupcakes well and undercuts the sweetness of the buttercream.

This recipe is modified from Ellie Delancey’s Blue Moon Cupcakes. Enjoy!