St Patricks Day | Green + Grey Printable Flags

I love the combination of green & grey this time of year.  It reflects the mood outside... dreary and rainy with the dream of spring around the corner.  I've never been to Ireland, but somehow it feels just about right for an inspired Irish celebration.  So I made some flag toppers... obviously.  Now we can get our party on together. Happy St. Patricks Day!

photos + styling © cake. 2013

These printables and images are ©Merry Happy by CAKE. and are for personal use only. If sharing them on your site, please credit CAKE. events blog and link directly to this post.

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Bailey's Cream Cheese Frosting

Hello from Caroline of Coeur De La!  There is nothing that says St. Patrick’s Day to me more than a homemade chocolate stout cupcake with a Bailey’s cream cheese frosting. I’ve been making these cupcakes for the past two years and they are always a hit. These cupcakes are my spin on the good ole irish car bomb. These cupcakes are super moist, full of chocolate, and the Bailey’s adds a great twist to a typical cream cheese frosting. If you are a stout lover like me, you will love these cupcakes. It just seemed quite fitting to share the recipe with you being that St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner. If you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with corned beef and cabbage like I do, a stout cupcake for dessert might sound a bit heavy. But, I have a mini solution for you … make bite sized chocolate stout cupcakes. I am a firm believer that less is more and you will be surprised with how satisfying one mini chocolate stout cupcake will be. Every time I eat a mini stout cupcake with Bailey’s cream cheese frosting it feels as though I am in a pub and enjoying one or two irish car bombs. Even if you don’t celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day, I am sure you will love these cupcakes.

For the chocolate stout cupcakes I use this recipe because it is tried and true and yields a perfect cupcake. But, I top these cupcakes off with a Bailey’s cream cheese frosting (recipe follows).

Enjoy!

photos © coeur de la

Bailey's Irish Cream Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

2-3 tablespoons heavy cream

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3-5 tablespoons of Bailey's Irish Cream (for a less expensive version I used Carolan's from Trader Joe's)

1 8oz package of cream cheese (make sure it is soft)

Directions

1. In a medium sized bowl combine the powdered sugar, cream cheese and vanilla extract ... next, with an electric hand mixer ... mix till smooth

2. Add your heavy cream and Bailey's and mix again

3. Make sure to taste and add more of whatever ingredient you would like until you are happy with the taste ... I say this as you really can't go wrong with these ingredients. Taste as you go.

4. Enjoy!

Lucky You... Free Printables for St. Patricks Day

It's your lucky day... I got inspired to design a new little freebie for you.  This gift tag comes in two versions, with or without the St Patty's day mention... because you never know when you might want to share your luck with the ones you love, right?  I had some fun styling it on a green + gold ribbon trimmed balloon.  Unfortunately the wind didn't cooperate with my plans, so the photos are a bit dark due to shooting indoors.  C'est la vie... hope you enjoy!

photos + styling © cake. 2012