The Dude's White Russian Cupcakes

I've been Lebowskiing the last couple of weeks.

You know. Just sort of sitting back. Going with the flow. Letting worries wash right over you. Like a ferret in a bathtub.


It was for a good reason, mind you. We had quite a lot going on. A bit too much. Lots of cupcakes and cookies and other assorted baked goods were popping out of our oven. I'm not sure how they got there, nor how they were created in the first place. I guess I became a little overwhelmed and retreated into that little happy place in the back of my head. It may have had to do with the amount of yoga I've been doing lately. Or the amount of boozy recipes I "tested". Not sure. Everything's a bit fuzzy.

We were very proud to be part of two major events this month. The first was the 3rd annual Cupcake Throwdown, benefiting HAVE Cafe. It took place on a Thursday night - way past my bedtime, mind you - and was incredibly successful. Twenty bakers (us included) created twenty different badass cupcakes and raised some real sweet cash for our charity.

The second event just happened on Sunday - an amazing little Japanese culture, anime, and cosplay convention, hosted by the lovely IRL Events. We got to reach deep down into our nerdy soul and create some pretty geeky baked goods. We sold out that day (thanks to the generosity of all those ladies and gents dressed in pokemon/naruto/sailor moon costumes) and raised just under $300 for BC Children's Hospital.

As I said before, both those events was a blur. A big ol' Lebowski blur. As people were stuffing our faces with our treats, I was in my head, dancing around in bowling land. I guess all this sugar and butter has really gotten to my head. Or I've just gotten really comfortable with baking up a storm and providing a charity event with a big ol' table full of baked goods. In fact, we've had so much fun with it, we're planning a few more in our future. You can follow our facebook and twitter to get the most up to date deets on our next nerdy bake sale.

Now, onto cupcakes. Lebowski cupcakes.


I would request that everyone make these cupcakes. With an extra white russian on the side. Hang loose. Have some fun. Stuff your face. Totally chill, man.

White Russian Cupcakes
adapted from I Heart Cuppycakes
Makes 12 cupcakes

1 1/4 cups AP flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon powdered milk
1 teaspoon espresso powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons butter (softened)
1 large egg + 1 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons Vodka (Use the cheap stuff - something that's not so smooth and has a bit of a kick at the end)
2 Tablespoons Kahlua

1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, salt, powdered milk and espresso powder. Set aside.

2) Using an electric mixer, whip up the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add your egg and egg white and continue mixing. Turn your mixer on slow and add your extract, cream, vodka, and kahlua. Stir in your dry ingredients with a wooden spoon, carefully folding it in until everything is evenly distributed.

3) Spoon batter into cupcake liners and bake for about 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool out of the tin before filling and frosting.

Vodka Cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
confectioner's sugar, to taste (we used about 6 teaspoons)
vodka, to taste (we used about 3 teaspoons)

1) With your electric mixer, whip up your heavy cream and confectioner's sugar until it's just begun to become firm. Add the vodka, one teaspoon at a time, with your mixer on high. Taste to make sure it's boozy enough for you and make adjustments if you'd like. Fill the cooled cupcake with about a tablespoon of cream.


Kahlua Swiss Buttercream
3/4 cup sugar
3 large egg white
18 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Kahlua (start with a couple tablespoons, but we used about a quarter of a mickey)

1)Over a double boiler, whisk together the egg whites and sugar until the granules have a disintegrated. Pour the whites into a mixing bowl, careful not to get any condensation or water into it.

2)With an electric mixer, whip the whites until it forms soft peaks. Continue mixing and slowly add the butter, about 4 Tablespoons at a time and mix until completely incorporated. Mix well - after adding your butter, your buttercream will reach the "curdled stage". Don't worry, just keep mixing and it'll smooth out.

3) After everything has smoothed, add the extract. Add the kahlua, a couple of tablespoons at a time, until it's to your taste. We like it boozey, so we added anywhere in between a quarter to a half cup. When everything is incorporated, use buttercream to pipe over your cooled cupcakes. Enjoy, man. And watch out for those Nihilists.