Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Pups, Cups & Enchiladas should be the theme for yesterday evening. I was feeling ambitious, and Bryan was on board so we decided to make homemade enchiladas and a try a new cupcake recipe. Since enchiladas take a lot of effort for just 2 people, and it's no fun to bake without taste-testers, we invited Duncan, Leah, and their puppy Waylon over for dinner, dessert, and football. I'm so glad they came!!

First, the cupcakes :) Please forgive me for the pictures ... I've never tried to stop and take pictures for the different steps. I managed to get a few, but missed many.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
*Note* As the name indicates, this recipe DOES have whiskey, Guinness, and Bailey's Irish Cream in it.... just in case you were thinking about making these for your toddler's 3rd birthday party.
Yield: 24 cupcakes
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Bake Time: 17 minutes
For the Cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
For the Whiskey Ganache Filling:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey
For the Baileys Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream
1. To Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring the Guinness and butter to a simmer in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to combine. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until combined. Add the Guinness-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined.

Divide the batter among the cupcake liners.



Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a rack.

3. To Make the Whiskey Ganache Filling: Finely chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then, using a rubber spatula, stir it from the center outward until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined. Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped.

4. To Fill the Cupcakes: Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter or the bottom of a large decorating tip [I actually just used a spoon and it worked fine], cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes, going about two-thirds of the way down. Transfer the ganache to a piping back with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top. [Again, I just used a spoon. I'm all about easy.]

5. To Make the Baileys Frosting:

Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar until all of it is incorporated. Add the Baileys, increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy.

6. Using your favorite decorating tip, or an offset spatula, frost the cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles, if desired. [I used a baggie with the corner cut off. I WISH I'd had green sprinkles :)]



Store the cupcakes in an airtight container.

Or devour. Yummmm.

I'm about 99.9% positive this will be my birthday "cake" this year! I'm a St. Paddy's Day baby, after all :)

Meanwhile, Bryan was making the enchiladas (following my instructions really well!) and did a fantastic job. They are super unhealthy and delicious. We all splurge sometimes ...

Waylon and Maverick were chasing, wrestling, chewing, and behaving like, well, the adorable puppies they are!

Thank you Duncan and Leah for coming over! (Waylon, too) And for being our taste-testers!