Not so Espresso Chocolate Cake with Hot Kahlua Syrup

Have you ever noticed that the older you get, the faster time goes? I swear, when I was little time seemed to pass so slooooowly. Now, I'm shocked when I realize that, oh, it's the end of March already!

I had a friend message me recently and tell me that I needed to update my blog because she's been stalking it and needs a new recipe to drool over. Unfortunately, she had a baby on Monday and I don't think she will be able to get on my blog and see this cake any time soon. Either way, I made this cake on Monday so this one is dedicated to baby Jameson who was born healthy and is lucky to have such an incredible mommy!

This cake is the Cake Slice Bakers top voted cake for March. I made the cake a bit late so I was able to read the comments from other bakers in our Facebook group before I made it. The recipe calls for 3 Tablespoons of espresso powder. Some feedback from the group indicated that the espresso was the dominant flavor in the cake and was overwhelming. I decided that instead of espresso, I would just brew half a cup of strong coffee and call it good. I also increased the ONE Tablespoon of cocoa powder to two. Duh! One isn't enough! 

After baking, the hot cake is soaked in a hot kahlua syrup that is sweetened with honey. The syrup was a great flavor addition to the cake and made the crumb more moist. I made a chocolate ganache to go on top but for some reason it didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. I don't think I heated the cream enough. Oh well. It still tasted good! 

I'm quite happy with the way the cake turned out (besides the look). I took it with me to my internship for our weekly PACT meeting and no one complained so I guess it was pretty good. 

In other news, I'm still plugging away at school. I absolutely love the program I'm in. It feels so...right. Like I'm exactly where I'm meant to be. My internship in the homeless clinic at the VA hospital is so fulfilling. I love working with the Veterans. I have met some characters for sure! My supervisor is so knowledgeable and is teaching me so much. I also found out I get to shadow for a day next week in the Polytrauma Rehab clinic. I'm crazy excited about that since working with that population is my ultimate goal. 

The Hubble is scheduled for an evasive driving course. Needless to say, he will no longer be driving the kids and me anywhere when he gets back. He's giddy about the experience though. He has so much fun with these trainings. It's neat to witness and be a part of his career and journey. I'm glad I have the opportunity to be on my own journey and career path as well. 

My India trip is just 45 days away!!! To say that I'm excited is an understatement. I'm so grateful for the opportunities I've been awarded lately. I look around sometimes and am in awe that this is my life. If you are interested in donating and helping me fund this experience, you can do so at my Go Fund Me site. 

And finally, the Cake Slice Bakers has decided to open the group for new members for a mid-year opportunity. If you are interested in joining us, just let me know and I will link you up with the right person. Until then, make this cake and enjoy every bite!! And don't forget to check out all the other Cake Slice Bakers' cakes at the end of this post!

Not so Espresso Chocolate Cake with Hot Kahlua Syrup

Adapted from Great Cakes by Carole Walters

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
• 2 1/4 cup sifted cake flour
• 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 Tablespoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Hot Kahlua Syrup:

• 2/3 cup Kahlua
• 1/3 cup water
• 3 Tablespoons honey

Chocolate Ganache:

• 3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Position rack in lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Spray a bundt pan with baking spray (or butter and dust with flour, tapping out excess flour).
2. To make the cake: Brew the coffee and set aside to cool.
3. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt into a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to fully combine.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium high speed until smooth and light in color, about 6 to 8 minutes.
5. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, at 1-minute intervals, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
6. Blend in the vanilla and sour cream, mixture may look somewhat curdled at this point.
7. Reduce mixer to low speed. Add dry ingredients, alternating with the coffee, dividing the dry ingredients into 3 parts and the coffee in 2 parts, starting and ending with the flour. Mix until just incorporated after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix for 10 seconds longer.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
9. Center the pan on the rack and bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry and the cake begins to come away from the sides of the pan.
10. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 to 15 minutes while you make the syrup.
11. To make the syrup: In a small saucepan combine the Kahlua, water, and honey. Bring to a slow boil and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
12. Pierce cake with a wooden skewer and slowly pour the hot syrup over the top of the hot cake. Let stand in the pan for at least 1 hour to allow the cake to absorb all the syrup, then invert onto a rack and remove the pan.
13. To make the ganache: place the finely chopped chocolate and the butter into a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, over medium-low heat, bring the cream just to a boil. Immediately pour the hot cream over the chocolate and butter and allow to stand for 60 seconds. Whisk the mixture until smooth and well combined. Pour over the cake allowing the ganache to spill over the edges of the cake. Let stand to cool and set.
14. Slice and enjoy!

An InLinkz Link-up

Kentucky Bourbon Cake

Yesterday, I was sitting in my Policy class thinking about how much I would have loved to have a glass of wine or a beer in my hand. The topic of discussion yesterday was substance abuse. We talked a lot about different forms of substance abuse, but since we had taken a midterm the day before and had several large projects due this week all we could think about was Happy Hour. 

I had already made this Kentucky Bourbon cake and taken it in a couple weeks ago. But it sure would have gone with the topic of discussion quite well.

I made this cake for the Cake Slice Bakers group. Every October is bakers' choice since October marks the end of the baking year for that year's book.

As I was looking through the book and wondering if I should make one of the cakes that I've missed or try a new one, I ran across the Kentucky Bourbon cake and immediately closed the book. I had found my cake

I am so glad I chose this cake! It was simple to make and amazingly delicious! The glaze poured onto the bottom of the hot cake seeps into the crumb making it moist and flavorful. Then pouring the remaining glaze over the top of the cake creates a glaze doughnut type texture. This cake was definitely a winner! And I didn't hear any complaints from my fellow students or professors.

So this past week was midterm week. I can't believe that I'm already halfway through my first semester of Grad school. It's so crazy! Unfortunately, I had a mid-term breakdown on Thursday evening. I've heard that a number of us had the same kind of breakdown. Fortunately, I have a couple Godiva truffle flights so I ate my feelings that night. That's what a good foodie does right? But, I made it through that and now it's time to pick myself back up and keep going. Yes, it's stressful. Yes, it's hard. But the best things in life don't come easy.

My internship is also going really well. I'm sad that I'm only on the unit for 8 hours a week. I wish I was there every day. But I guess getting the education is kind of important. So I'll keep going to class and appreciate the time I have at my internship while I'm there. And make the most of it. 

How are things going in your life? Do you have anything new happening? Are you planning on making this cake? Because you absolutely should. You won't regret it! I really wish I had a piece of it right now. Yum! If you are feeling brave, take a few minutes to check out the other Cake Slice Bakers October cakes. You can find the links to their blogs at the bottom of this post! 

Kentucky Bourbon Cake

Adapted from Vintage Cakes

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 3 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperatures
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

Glaze:

• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup bourbon

Directions:

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl and whisk until well blended.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes.
4. Blend in eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
5. In a small bowl, combine bourbon and buttermilk.
6. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk mixture in two parts, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. After each addition, mix until just barely blended and stop to scrape down sides of bowl. Stop mixer before the last of the flour has been incorporated and blend it in by hand with a rubber spatula.
7. Spread the batter evenly into a prepared bundt or fluted metal tube pan.
8. Place pan in oven and bake until golden and the cake springs back when lightly touched, about 40 to 45 minutes.
9. To make the glaze: In a small saucepan, over low heat, combine the butter, sugar, and bourbon and heat just until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, whisking to combine.
10. Remove cake from oven and, while leaving it in the pan, immediately poke holes all over the cake with a wooden skewer or toothpick. Pour 3/4 of the glaze slowly over the cake, set aside remaining glaze.
11. Allow cake to cool in pan for 30 minutes then flip it out onto a serving plate so glazed side is on the bottom.
12. Brush or drizzle the remaining glaze over the top of the cake (if glaze has thickened, rewarm it over low heat.
13. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Bourbon Pecan Pound Cake with Bourbon Glaze

Okay everyone...

Sing it with me now...

I like big bundts and I cannot lie! You other bakers can't deny!

This is one big bundt cake. And I love it!

It's been a while since I've been able to bake with my Facebook Baking Group but I'm so happy to have gotten back into the swing of things with this cake.

One of the members of the group found this recipe in her local newspaper and she shared it with the group.

The cake can be made into a couple loaves and be shared with friends, but I chose to make mine in my bundt pan because...well...you know why. ;-)

This cake was super moist. The bourbon (I used Jim Beam) gave it that little something extra. I loved the texture of so many pieces of pecan throughout the cake. And hello! You can't have a big bundt without a glaze!

This cake would be a beautiful addition to your holiday table. Or shared with friends and neighbors.

No matter why or how you enjoy this cake...just enjoy this cake. You won't be sorry!

Let's bake!

Cream together the butter and sugar.

Mix in the egg yolks.

Stir in the extracts, butter flavoring and bourbon. Yeah baby!

Mix in the flour a bit at a time.

Beat the egg whites until stiff and gently fold them into the batter.

Then stir in some nuts.

Sprinkle more nuts in the bottom of the bundt pan.

Then pour the batter over the nuts. Smooth it out and sprinkle with more pecans.

Bake that baby up until a tester comes out clean then let it cool.

Throw together your glaze, pour it over the cake and top with a bit more of the pecans for garnish.

Slice, serve, enjoy!!

Bourbon Pecan Pound Cake with Bourbon Glaze

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Ingredients:

For the cake

• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 9 large eggs, separated
• 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons pure almond extract
• 1 teaspoon butter flavoring
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 2 cups chopped pecans, divided, plus more for garnish 

For the glaze

• 2 cups powdered
• 2 Tablespoons bourbon
• 7 Tablespoons heavy cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 10-12 cup bundt pan with baking spray.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, on medium high speed, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the egg yolks and beat until well incorporated.
4. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts, the butter flavoring, and the bourbon.
5. Mix in the flour a half cup at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
6. In a separate, medium metal mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff.
7. Fold half a cup of egg whites into the batter to lighten. Then gently fold in the rest of the egg whites until well incorporated.
8. Stir in 1 cup of the pecans.
9. Sprinkle 1/2 a cup of the pecans in the bottom of the bundt pan. Pour the batter over the pecans and smooth out with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of pecans evenly over the batter.
10. Bake for 1 1/2-2 hours or until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
11. Allow cake to cool in pan for 10 minutes then invert onto a cooling rack. Cool completely.
12. Make the glaze: stir powdered sugar, bourbon, and cream together until well incorporated. 
13. Pour glaze over the top of the cake allowing it to fall down the sides. Sprinkle a bit more of the pecans on top of the glaze. Let stand 10 minutes or until set.
14. Slice, serve, and enjoy!!

Buttered Rum Meltaways

Is it just me or is anyone else still trying to get into the groove of things after the Thanksgiving holiday??

I feel like my body is still trying to catch up from all that traveling.

I've been pretty exhausted.

However.

I'm never too exhausted for cookies!!!

On this post, each month bring around a spouses coffee. It's basically a bunch of Army wives from the same Battalion/Brigade getting together to eat, chat and just hang out.

I haven't gone in a couple months. I think I may be protesting since they don't actually serve coffee at these things. And you all know how much I love my coffee right???

Anyway. This month's coffee was a cookie exchange theme.

I was so excited when I heard that. I ran out to the store to get some ingredients to make a couple dozen cookies for the cookie exchange.

I found this recipe in a book that I have called Cookie Swap. This book has so many recipes and ideas for cookie exchanges or parties. It covers different seasons and holidays. When I ran across this recipe I knew these needed to be made.

After I pulled them out of the oven and tasted my first one, I sent a text message to a friend of mine who was coming for dinner that night. The text message read:

"Oh. My. Gawd! The cookies. Oh Catherine...the cookies."

LOL! Yes. These were so good that they didn't make it to the cookie exchange. Instead, they pretty much made it to my belly.

They are called meltaways for a reason. They literally melt in your mouth. They dissolve and all you taste is butter, rum and powdered sugar.

These cookies are amazing!

My friend's husband knew exactly how to describe these cookies. The only thing you could decipher in between mouthfuls of these buttered rum meltaways was "they taste like Christmas."

So, if you are like me and need to get back into the groove of things. And if you need a little push into the realm of holiday spirit. I highly suggest you make these cookies as soon as humanly possible.

I dare you to give a dozen away!

Let's make some cookies!

Grab your ingredients: cake flour, RUM, vanilla extract, rum extract, whole nutmeg, salt, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, powdered sugar and buttah!

Whisk together the cake flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt in a medium bowl.

Why hello there kitchen helper. Thanks so much for whisking up those dry ingredients!

Cream together the butter and 3/4 cup of the powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Start on low until the danger of flying powdered sugar has passed. Then crank that baby to medium for 1 to 2 minutes...

Until the mixture is light and fluffy. Then slowly add the rum and extracts until well combined.

Turn the mixer to low and gradually add in the dry mixture.

Until well combined.

Then roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Stick them in the fridge for about 10 minutes. This helps them hold their shape during baking.

Bake 9-11 minutes. The cookie should puff up and the bottom should be a light brown color. Using an offset spatula, immediately transfer the cookies onto a cooling rack.

While the cookies are still warm, sift the remaining powdered sugar over the cookies.

Ummmm...hello there kitchen helper. Whaaatcha doooin???

Right before serving, give the cookies another sifting of powdered sugar and sprinkle on some nutmeg to taste.

Serve and enjoy!!!

Buttered Rum Meltaways
Slightly adapted from Cookie Swap by Julia M. Usher

Printer Friendly Version

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups cake flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, divided; plus extra as needed for re-coating
• 1 tablespoon spiced rum
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 teaspoons rum extract

Directions:

1. Position a rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a medium mixing bowl until well combined. Set aside.
3. Cream together the butter and 3/4 cup powdered sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. About 2 to 3 minutes on medium speed.
4. Slowly add in rum and both extracts.
5. Turn mixer to low and slowly add in dry ingredients. Mix until well combined.
6. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and position on parchment paper lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. 
7. Chill dough balls about 10 minutes.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 9-11 minutes or until cookies puff and bottoms lightly brown.
9. Remove from oven and immediately transfer cookies to a cooling rack using an offset spatula. 
10. Sift the remaining powdered sugar over the tops of the still warm cookies. 
11. Prior to serving, re-coat the cookies with powdered sugar (as needed) and sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg to taste. 
12. Serve and enjoy!!

Black Forest Cupcakes

Last month, my facebook baking group chose a black forest cake as the group recipe.

The girl who hosted the month said that black forest cake was traditionally served at Okterberfest celebrations. She thought this recipe would make a great October selection for the group.

I was very excited about the recipe...except for the fact that I don't really care for chocolate...or cherries. Other than that? This recipe was awesome! LOL!

As the group began baking this cake some members were having difficulties with the frosting. Other's had issues with the cake itself.

So I decided to make the cake into little cupcakes.

Seeing as how I don't like cherries or chocolate and was none too thrilled about the combination of flavors in this dessert, I took these to a dinner party. 2 out of 3 people thought they were delicious.

One woman who tried the cupcake mentioned that the German idea of 'sweets' was not the same as the American idea. The Germans tend to favor desserts with less sugar than the Americans.

That being said, these are a great treat for those of you out there who do not care for body twitching sugary desserts.

Either way, the recipe was fun to make and I liked how they turned out looks wise. I enjoyed making the recipe into cupcakes instead of a 3 layer cake.

Here's how I made these cupcakes:

Grab your ingredients: eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, bread flour, cocoa powder, pastry flour, vegetable oil, cream of tartar, cornstarch, butter, whipping cream, cherry brandy and cherries (I could not find fresh so used canned. You can also use jarred if you wish).

We are going to start by making the cake. Place 5 eggs in a mixer and whip on high speed for 5 minutes.

Once the eggs are whipped up, add the sugar, salt and vanilla and mix well to combine.

Take the bowl off the mixing stand and place it atop a pot of simmering water. Heat the mixture to between 110 and 115 degrees F.

Once the mixture is heated, place it back on the mixing stand and whip for another 15 minutes to stabilize the mixture.

While the mixer is mixing for 15 minutes, go ahead and sift together the bread flour, pastry flour and cocoa powder.

Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. While folding, slowly add in the oil.

Continue folding until all the ingredients are well combined.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured muffin pan. Immediately place in the oven and bake until the cake springs back to the touch, about 18-20 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

While the cake is baking, make the syrup. Combine the sugar, water, cherry brandy and cream of tartar in a small saucepan. Cook on low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Cover and let simmer about 2 minutes then remove from heat to let cool.

Next up, the cherry filling. Place the cherries and cherry brandy in a small saucepan and stir to coat the cherries.

Cook over medium low heat until most of the brandy evaporates, about 20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool.

Now we can work on the pastry cream. Reserve 2 Tablespoons of the milk. Then combine the rest of the milk with half the sugar in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil.

In a small bowl, combine the reserved milk with the cornstarch and whisk to make a slurry, or thin paste.

Then whisk in the rest of the sugar and the eggs.

Temper (or warm up) the egg mixture by slowly whisking in some of the heated milk to the mixture.

Now pour the warmed egg mixture into into the pot of boiling milk. Bring back to a boil, whisking constantly, and cook for 1 minute.

Remove the mixture from the heat. Then whisk in the butter and vanilla until the butter is melted and everything is combined.

Pour the cream into a large pan, cover with plastic wrap and allow to cool.

Now that everything is cooked and cooled it is time to start assembling the cupcakes! Take your cooled cupcakes and cut them in half horizontally.

Grab your cooled syrup and a pastry brush. Brush generous amounts of the syrup onto each cupcake half (or you can try to drizzle/pour the syrup over the cupcakes but I was too scared to do that).

Spoon some of the cherries onto the bottom of each syrup covered cupcake. Then spread some of the pastry cream onto the tops of each cupcake. Place the tops onto the cherry covered bottoms.

Whip the heavy cream and sugar on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Using whatever method you enjoy, top the cupcakes with the whipped cream. I placed my whipped cream into a pastry bag with a 1M decorating tip and swirled it. You can get a similar effect by putting the whipped cream in a large ziplock bag and cutting off the corner. Or you can spread or spoon it on.

Decorate with cherries or sprinkle cocoa powder on top.

Serve to your friends. And enjoy!!

Oh! And if this recipe interests you, come on over to our group and join us!

Black Forest Cupcakes
Slightly adapted from Food Network

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Ingredients

For the cake:

• 5 eggs
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon bread flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon pastry flour
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon oil

For the syrup:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 4 teaspoons cherry brandy
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

For the cherry filling:

• 1 quart fresh cherries, pitted and halved
• 1 cup cherry brandy

For the Pastry Cream:

• 1 1/3 cups milk, divided
• 1/3 cup sugar, divided
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the whipped cream topping:

• 1 pint heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

For the Cupcakes:

1. Heat a skillet full of water to a bare simmer. 
2. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, whip eggs on high speed for 5 minutes. 
3. To the eggs add sugar, salt and vanilla and combine. 
4. Set the bowl into the hot water bath to heat the mixture to between 110 and 120 degrees F.
5. Stabilize the mixture by whipping on medium speed for 15 more minutes.
6. Meanwhile sift together the bread flour, the cocoa powder, and the pastry flour. Prepare the baking pans by greasing 2 cupcake pans and dusting with flour.
7. Gradually fold the sifted dry ingredients into the egg mixture by hand. Slowly pour in the oil while folding.
8. Fill the muffin pans approximately 2/3 full with the batter and place immediately in the oven. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes. (The surface of the cake should spring back when touched.) 
9. Cool 10 minutes in the pans, then remove to wire racks to let cool completely.

For the syrup:

1. Combine the sugar, water, cherry brandy, and cream of tartar in a small saucepan. 
2. Cook over low heat stirring only until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup is hot. 
3. Cover and simmer gently for 2 minutes. 
4. Remove from heat, uncover and let cool.

For the cherry filling:

1. Place cherries in a small saucepot and add brandy, stirring to coat cherries. 
2. Heat over medium low heat until most of liquid evaporates, then remove from heat and let cool.

For the pastry cream:

1. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the milk then combine the rest of the milk with half the sugar and bring to a gentle boil. 
2. In a small bowl whisk the 2 tablespoons of reserved milk into the cornstarch to create a slurry. 
3. Add the other half of the sugar and then the eggs to the slurry and whisk to completely combine. 
4. Temper the egg mixture with the boiling milk. (This is done by spooning some of the milk into the egg mixture to equalize temperatures without cooking the eggs.) 
5. Return all liquids to the pot and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Cook for 1 minute. 
6. Remove the milk mixture from the heat and whisk in butter and vanilla extract. 
7. Pour into a large pan, put plastic wrap directly on the surface, and allow to cool.
8. Slice each of the cupcakes (horizontally). 
9. Place the cupcake halves onto baking sheets (which have a rim) and pour or brush cherry syrup over the layers, allowing them to soak.

For the cream topping:

1. Whip the heavy cream and sugar with an electric mixer on high to a stiff peak.
2. Assemble the cakes by spreading a layer of the pastry cream on the top half, then placing brandied cherries on the bottom half. Place cupcake halves together. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.
3. Frost top layer of cake with whipped cream topping and garnish with cherries or sifted cocoa powder.