King Post Kitsch. Just saying the name makes me smile.

‘The Party’s Over’ is the new album out by King Post Kitsch. From the minute you put on the disk you know you’re in for something good. And very good, it is.

It’s like having next door neighbors you really like playing live in their garage. It’s loud, stripped down, fun. They want you to come over and dance. Sure!

I’ve written about how much I love KPK here and played another song here. There is just something so addictive to Charlie Ward’s style of music. It’s different, but it’s not. It feels fresh and alive. Whenever I’m playing King Post Kitsch (which is A LOT) I want to be dancing. Specifically the Batusi.

I wanted to make some Scottish themed cupcakes so I used the recipe for the Guinness Cupcakes here and swapped out the Irish ingredients for Scottish.

When visiting family in Edinburgh last summer, I tried my first whisky mac. It’s a cocktail of blended Scotch whisky and ginger wine. I like a ratio of 1 1/2 parts Scotch to one part wine.

My son was 6 when we were in Scotland. He developed a serious Irn Bru addiction. By the end of our stay he had a permanent orange upper lip.

Crabbie’s green ginger wine is not easy to get in the States, but Stone’s is widely available.

Irn Bru is the ingredient that you might have difficulty getting outside of Scotland. Luckily for us Scotland By The Yard, located in nearby Woodstock, VT, keeps Irn Bru in stock. That way I can give my son a fix every now and again.

Put on ‘The Party’s Over’ and grab a cupcake. It doesn’t get better than that. Blast. Eat. Repeat.

Belhaven Cupcakes With Whisky Mac Ganache And Irn Bru Icing

Ingredients for the Belhaven Chocolate Cupcakes:

1 cup Belhaven Scottish stout
1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Directions for cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners.

2. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

3. Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend.

4. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined.

5. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way (a two cup measuring cup makes this easy). Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

Ingredients For Whisky Mac Ganache Filling:

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 cup cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1.5 tsp Scottish whisky
1 tsp ginger wine

Directions for Whisky Mac Ganache:

1. Microwave heavy cream for 1.5 minutes. Pour over chopped bittersweet chocolate. Stir until smooth. Add whisky and ginger wine.

2. Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes).

3. Meanwhile, you can see how to fill the cupcakes here.

em>Ingredients for the Irn Bru Icing:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz unsalted butter, softened
5 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/8 cup Irn Bru

Directions for the icing:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, add the cream cheese and butter, combine.

2. Slowly add confectioners’ sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

3. Drizzle in the Irn Bru and beat until completely incorporated.

Irn Bru Syrup

Irn Bru syrup ingredients:

1/4 cup Irn Bru

Irn Bru Syrup directions:

1. Cook Irn Bru over high heat until reduced to a thick syrup, about 5 minutes.

Cupcake Assembly:

1. Ice cupcake with Irn Bru Icing. Drizzle with Irn Bru syrup.

Makes 24 cupcakes

The Party is just starting now.

The hard part was choosing which songs to play from ‘The Party’s Over’. As I mentioned, the whole album is very good and the songs so varied.

I almost went with opening track Portland St. Pt. 2. It is the perfect start to the album. The song begins quietly before exploding into Piccolo-rock, as Charlie describes it.

I decided to share The Werewolf Hop. This is completely the kind of song I love. Again, a slow beginning before you get to full rock out mode. Fantastic.

I might add that I also have a thing for songs with spoken words in them. And the lyrics in The Werewolf Hop are terrific. I always want what I cannot have, too.

“And then I looked at the sky
Wondering why I heard
I don’t need a reason to say goodbye

While I get my head around the thoughts that change
They turn to remorse while the blood pumps through my veins
I’m circling the stairs
There’s shuffling in my head
Up against the cold moonlight”

King Post Kitsch-The Werewolf Hop

Here’s a King Post Kitsch video. This is another lovely song.

I’m still in awe that this is a one man band. Incredible how some people hog all of the talent.

Definitely one of my favorite albums this year. You really should get yourself a copy. I’ll come over and dance with you. I’ll bring cupcakes, too.

You can buy ‘The Party’s Over’ at Song, By Toad Records. Check out the KPK website, too.

Cheers!