how are we all feeling about it being autumn?! good? great?! are you wearing a sweater yet? i am. in fact i haven't really taken mine off since last fall because i am a fall/winter human with a large air conditioning bill and a fierce loyalty to soup weather.

i am still in tuscany this week, but when i return home i plan on becoming the most fall-centric version of myself. my truest self. and i will light "harvest" scented candles and make pumpkin risotto and bake even more treats than i do now. i am so excited about it.

to celebrate the changing of the seasons, i've got cake! chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting that gets a little something *extra* by way of baileys irish cream. baileys always screams fall and winter to me because it's so tasty in hot drinks (although come to think of it, my first foray into the world of baileys was when jaclyn and i would splash some over ice cream while watching the o.c. during our breaks from college)... so i guess that proves that it's good both hot and cold, but here it is at a temperature in the middle, on cake:

chocolate cupcakes with bailey's cream cheese frosting

makes 24 cupcakes

ingredients

cupcakes:

2 c sugar

1 1/2 c flour

1 c unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

2 large eggs

1 c whole milk

1 tb vanilla extract

1/2 c oil

3/4 c boiling water

Frosting:

1 c unsalted butter, softened

1 c cream cheese, softened

4 c powdered sugar

a pinch of kosher salt

2 tsp vanilla

1/4 c baileys irish cream

clues

make the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350. Line 24 cupcake tins and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients. In a separate, medium bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients except for the boiling water. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Whisk in the boiling water.

Pour the batter into the cupcake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Begin checking for doneness at 18 minutes.

Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the frosting:

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar, and then add the salt and add the vanilla. Beat to combine and then beat in the baileys.

Assembly:

pipe blobs of frosting onto the tops of the cupcakes and decorate as desired. here, i've used small round cutouts of marzipan that i've kneaded with gel food coloring.

enjoy!

-yeh!

thank you baileys for sponsoring this post. all opinions are mine!