Pumpkin Spice Latte

A couple of weeks ago, just as fall was beginning, we went to the beach with a few friends for the weekend.  Both mornings we were there, Jason made a run to a local café for what he referred to as his addiction; Pumpkin Spice Lattes.  That was the start of my own pumpkin obsession for the season.  In the weeks since, I’ve had two types of pumpkin ice cream, five varieties of pumpkin ale, and about a dozen pumpkin nut cookies.

For the glass, I used a pumpkin cake.  I had intended to use “real” pumpkin out of a can, but apparently there have been some issues with the pumpkin crop this season, and there was a run on pumpkin at the stores.  I was able to buy “easy” pumpkin pie in a can however, so I improvised.  I used the pumpkin, a yellow cake mix, eggs and pumpkin pie spice. 

For the filling, I made a cream cheese and coffee liqueur frosting.  The combination of the pumpkin cake and coffee frosting made for terrific homage to the Pumpkin Spice Latte.  I am quite certain this will not be the last pumpkin themed Shotible of the season.

Caramel Apple Shot

As a kid, I loved going to the Apple Harvest Festival every autumn.  The fair is the ultimate tribute to apples.  Everywhere you look, there is another treat made from the fruit.  Vendors sell hot apple cider, apple cookies, apple fritters, apple sausage, and even apple pizza.  And of course, a trip to the festival isn’t complete without a Caramel Apple. 

For the glass, I used a Caramel Apple box cake mix.  Okay, I get it wasn’t the most inspired choice, but it worked well. 

For the filling, I decided not to cook the apples.  I left them raw because I wanted them to remain crisp and fresh, just like a real Caramel Apple.  I diced up granny smith apples and infused them with Apple Ginger flavored vodka.    

I melted caramel candies and drizzled them on top of the apple chunks.  I then topped off the Shotibles with chopped peanuts.  The result was a fun little treat that successfully jump started the autumn season.

Piña Colada Shot

I knew for the end of the summer I wanted to make a couple of summery cocktails, including a Piña Colada Shotible. What I wasn't sure of was if I should use a pineapple cake glass or coconut cake. I decided to put it to the people for you to vote on the website. Your clear choice was coconut cake.

I definitly agree that you guys made the right choice witht he coconut cake.  A lot of people aren't big fans of the texture of coconut.  Putting it into the filling may have been a bit much for them, but having just a little in the cake batter allowed it to provide flavor without being offensive.

I used a box french vanilla cake, but instead of following the normal directions, I added some coconut milk and a little shredded coconut.  I baked them up and scooped out the inside. 

I made the filling with vanilla pudding mix, pineapple coconut rum, milk, heavy cream and crushed pineapple.  And, of course, what would a summer cocktail be without a little umbrella on top. 

The Piña Colada Shotible turned out to be a great poolside treat.

Boston Cream Shot

We’re in the midst of planning a trip to Boston for a late summer vacation.  We love city vacations because, as Jeff says, “we like staying in hotels and eating at restaurants.”  Planning this trip has inspired me to try making Boston Cream Shotibles.

I have to admit, this time around; Jeff did nearly all of the work.  He bought all of the ingredients, baked the cups and made the fillings.  I say “fillings” because we made both a spiked version and a virgin version.  My only role was to core the cups and put the components together.

It just so happened that we needed to make a last minute trip up to Buffalo to see my extended family.  Several of them had been asking about Shotibles, so this was our opportunity to share them with nearly everyone.  Jeff baked the cups and made the filling in advance.  He used a store bought vanilla box mix.  I cored the cups the night before we left and packed them up in plastic containers.

By the time we got to Buffalo, there were a few casualties from the travel, but most had made it intact.  To our surprise, the hotel room had a microwave and a refrigerator, so we were able to prep the Shotibles there.  I used a store bought fudge frosting that I microwaved for a minute.  I dipped the rim of each cup in the frosting and put them in the fridge to cool.

At the family event, I filled each with the vanilla pudding/whipped topping mix Jeff had made.  The spiked version was made with Irish Cream.  The Shotibles disappeared in no time. 

Lemon Bar Shot

It’s HOT in the northeast again.  I know I shouldn’t complain because I’d much rather deal with extreme heat than the hazards of winter weather.  So, rather than complain about the heat, I chose to combat it with a refreshing Lemon Bar Shotible. 

The combination of sweet and sour in a gelatin shot was a great fit for a poolside afternoon.   Instead of just using straight gelatin, I mixed in some instant pudding again to add creaminess to better match a lemon bar.

 For the inside, I wanted to do something that would emulate the cake base of the treat.  I remembered that my friend Melanie had introduced me to cake flavored vodka.  It’s more than a little bizarre just how close it tastes to birthday cake.  So, I mixed plain gelatin, the cake vodka and a little sweetened condensed milk to add some creaminess to the filling.

The texture still wasn’t quite right, but Jeff suggested a topping of crushed vanilla cookies.  The addition of a little powdered sugar finished it off.

Pineapple Upside Down Shots

I think Jeff is ready for the summer to be over because I keep making Shotibles that are appropriate for the season, and summer desserts almost universally include fruit.  Jeff hates fruit in his desserts.  He’s been known to pick cherries off or eat around the filling.  The fruit I decided to go with this round is pineapple.

More specifically, I decided to make my version of Pineapple Upside Down Cake.  I baked a pineapple flavored box cake mix.  In honor of the “upside down” aspect of the cake, I cut off the tops of the glasses just to make them stand on the wider end.  I then cored the “bottom” of the glasses.  It's a little avant-garde, but I think it works.

I made a filling with brown sugar, crushed pineapple, butter, flour and pineapple rum, and then topped each with a little brown sugar and a piece of maraschino cherry. 

Birthday Shots

Today is our friend Derek’s birthday, and yesterday was his cousin Brad’s.  We, along with some other friends, spent the holiday weekend at Derek’s family’s place at the beach.  In honor of Derek and Brad, I decided to try out making Birthday Shots. 

In my mind, the quintessential birthday cake is yellow cake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles on top.  I went ahead and baked up a yellow cupcake mix from a box.  But instead of using a canned chocolate frosting, I decided to do something a little special.  I made dark chocolate ganache with a little crème de cacao.  With Jeff’s help, I topped off each with rainbow sprinkles and a candle in each.

I decided to torture the group a little.  Jeff and I had shown up to the beach house early and prepped everything before everyone else arrived, but the air conditioning hadn’t caught up, so the ganache hadn’t set as much as I’d hoped.  I made the group all wait until the next night to serve the shots (though birthday boy Brad snuck a few throughout the day.) 

We lit the candles, sung the song, and the guys blew them out.   The Birthday Shots were a resounding success.