Husband and wife P.J. and Shannon Pickett own their own cupcake shop called “It’s 5 o’cupcake Somewhere” in Melbourne.

P.J. handles the business side of the shop, while Shannon does the baking.

He said Shannon has been baking for more than 20 years.

The beginnings of their cupcake shop came from an unexpected place back in 2012.

“What got us started in the cupcake business was kind of funny. I had actually taken some of my ribs to a Des Moines radio station to get judged in a tailgating food contest. I got beat by a lady who had done an Irish Car Bomb cupcake,” P.J. said.

When he tried the cupcake, he thought Shannon could make a better one.

“She whipped one up and I was beyond impressed. It was amazing!” P.J. said.

The Irish Car Bomb cupcake is named after the classic cocktail and features Guinness infused chocolate cake, Jameson whiskey ganache filling and Baileys frosting.

After trying Shannon’s cupcake, P.J. got the idea to share her baking with others.

“That night I created a Facebook page and named us ‘It’s 5 o’cupcake Somewhere,'” he said. “I named all the cupcakes, and next thing you know it we were selling cupcakes on the side of our full-time jobs.”

P.J. noted that their favorite thing to make is the Irish Car Bomb cupcakes because it was what started it all.

That and their margarita cupcakes are most popular.

They make other cocktail-inspired cupcakes, like the Vanilla White Russian, which is a vanilla cupcake infused with Kahlua and vodka and topped with Kahlua buttercream, and the Champagne, which has champagne in the cake, pastry cream and frosting.

Shannon loves to bake because it brings back memories.

P.J. said they have had a few kitchen disasters over the years.

“Well, we make our own caramel for our Apple Pie cupcakes and we had an incident once where we overcooked the caramel,” he said. “Wow did that stink. Stunk up the whole house. Caramel is very finicky when it comes to hitting the right temperature.”

The couple also owns a t-shirt business called Bear’s Cave Prints, which P.J. said keeps them busier than their cupcake business and their full-time jobs.

Mudslide cupcakes

Cake:

1box triple chocolate fudge cake mix

3 eggs

3/4 cup coffee-flavored liqueur

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup cold brewed coffee Save

Buttercream Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup milk chocolate chips, melted

1/4 cup coffee-flavored liqueur

4 cups powdered sugar

Whipped Cream:

1 cup whipping cream

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons Irish cream liqueur

Garnish, if desired:

1/4 cup chocolate shavings

Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. In large bowl, beat all cupcake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove cupcakes from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat butter, melted chocolate and 1/4 cup coffee-flavored liqueur with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Gradually add 4 cups powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating on low speed until frosting is smooth and creamy. Spoon frosting into decorating bag; refrigerate until ready to use. In medium bowl, beat whipping cream, 1 cup powdered sugar and the Irish cream liqueur with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Spoon whipped cream into second decorating bag; refrigerate until ready to use. Cut tips off decorating bags; place both bags in a larger decorating bag fitted with star tip. Squeeze bag to pipe frosting and whipped cream together on cupcakes. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings. Store in refrigerator.

Chocolate Kahlua cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup warm water

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For brushing the cupcakes:

Kahlua liqueur

For the frosting:

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

7-8 tablespoons Kahlua liqueur

2 tablespoons heavy cream

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line standard cupcake pans with paper liners. In a large mixing bowl combine the cocoa powder, espresso powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt; whisk well to blend. Add the eggs, warm water, buttermilk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix on medium-high speed until smooth, 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake until the tops spring back when pressed lightly, about 18-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Let cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Poke a few holes in the top of each cupcake with the tines of a fork and brush with Kahlua while still warm. Allow to cool completely. To make the frosting, beat the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the confectioners’ sugar until incorporated. Add in the Kahlua and beat on medium speed until well blended. Add in the heavy cream and beat on medium-high speed for about 4 minutes, until light and fluffy. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.

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Contact Anna Shearer at 641-753-6611 or ashearer@timesrepublican.com.