Thursday, March 22, 2012

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

I know St. Patrick's Day was almost a week ago.  However, I made several recipes that I wanted to share.....I'll repost them next year too, so maybe they'll be of more use!

My parents decided to have a little St. Patrick's Day family gathering at their
place.  I had seen lots of posts on various food blogs for special holiday treats so I volunteered to bring dessert. Now, my husband and I are not big drinkers at all.  I saw this recipe and had to make it....unfortunately, we owned neither of the three alcohols that needed to go into this recipe.  Luckily my parents owned two of them.  So I picked up a can of Guinness and the bottle of Irish Whiskey from them and bought a bottle of Irish Cream from the liquor store.  I'm going to be honest, I couldn't make myself buy the $24 bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream when I could buy the same size bottle of Merry's Irish Cream for $11.  I only planned on cooking with it, not drinking it, so I felt okay with  my decision!  I posted the original recipe here, but I ended up halving the recipe since there were only 6 adults eating these and I didn't want a ton leftover.  I have to say at first I wasn't that impressed.  I couldn't really taste the alcohol in them (and shh, even let my kids have a little taste!).  When I brought home the leftovers and let them sit in the fridge overnight, the ganache ended up hardening more and I ended up liking them more the next day....and the next!


Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
from Brown Eyed Baker

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

Directions:
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 thin knife 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), 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.

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. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container.

Mommy & Daddy Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.

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