Monday, March 16, 2015

Boozy St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes

I might not be Irish, but on St. Patrick’s Day, everyone gets to be Irish for a few short hours.  It’s the one day a year when bagpipe music isn’t considered a nuisance and people aren’t repulsed by the idea of drinking green beer.  You can be sure that I’ll be going to our local Irish pub to take part in the revelry!

So, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I decided to do a bit of boozy baking.  I discovered two recipes for Guiness Cupcakes with Bailey’s Irish Cream Frosting last summer and have been impatiently waiting for March 17th.  I ended up creating a hybrid of the two recipes because I liked the simplicity of the cupcakes and frosting in one but couldn't resist the ganache from the other.

Slightly modified recipe from Family Fresh Meals & ganache recipe from The Stir.

Chocolate Guiness Cupcakes

You’ll Need…


2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cocoa powder
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 cup granulated sugar
½ dark brown sugar
½ cup unsalted softened butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
½ cup sour cream
1 (12 oz.) bottle of Guiness Extra Stout Beer

And the Steps…


Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare 2 (12 count) muffin tins with paper liners.  In a large bowl mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, butter, granulated sugar, and dark brown sugar until the ingredients are fully incorporated.  Add 2 eggs, vanilla extract, and sour cream and mix.  Slowly add Guiness Extra Stout and mix until ingredients are fully incorporated and the batter is smooth.  Fill each muffin cup to about halfway and bake for 20-25 minutes.  A toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake should come out clean. Set aside to cool before frosting.

I ended up having a bit of extra batter using this recipe, so I made a small Chocolate Guiness Cake. 

Jameson Ganache




You’ll Need…


4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 oz (1/2 cup) heavy cream
1 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tbsp Jameson Irish Whiskey

And the Steps…


Bring heavy cream to a boil.  Pour over a bowl of the finely chopped chocolate and butter, and let mixture sit for several minutes. Stir until mixture is glossy. Add whiskey slowly, stirring to incorporate.  Refrigerate for 5 minutes and stir.  Repeat this step 2-3 times until the ganache is thick and cooled. With a spatula, cover the top of each cooled cupcake with ganache. 

This step needs to be well-timed, which I learned the hard way.  You can’t leave the ganache for too long or it becomes too firm to spread.  I ended up putting the ganache over the stove to melt it slightly, and then mixing it again until it was a spreadable consistency. This step should be done once the cupcakes are cooled so that you can cover them as soon as the ganache is ready.

Bailey’s Cream Cheese Frosting

You’ll Need…


2 (8 oz) blocks of cream cheese, at room temperature
2 (4 oz) sticks of unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups confectioner’s sugar
8 tbsp of Bailey’s Irish Cream

And the Steps…


Mix cream cheese and butter until they are both fully incorporated.  Gradually mix in confectioner’s sugar (also known as powdered sugar) and beat until light and fluffy.  Slowly add the Bailey’s Irish Cream and beat until all ingredients are incorporated.  Put frosting in the refrigerator to set for 20-30 minutes.  Frost cupcakes using an icing bag.

I ended up doubling Family Fresh Meals’ frosting recipe.  I rather have more frosting than less since there’s nothing worse than running out or having to be stingy. Whatever frosting I have leftover, I just freeze.  I also added an extra cup of confectioner’s sugar because the frosting was too runny after I added the Bailey’s.  With the extra confectioner’s sugar and time in the refrigerator, the frosting was the perfect consistency for piping.

----------

These are some boozy cupcakes, just as a warning, but they taste amazing!  The cupcakes were nice and moist with a subtle taste of stout. No wonder chocolate stouts are so popular these days!  Both the frosting and the ganache have a stronger taste of the Bailey’s and Jameson, respectively.  Feel free to go a bit lighter on the alcohol.  As my mom said, you can get drunk off these babies.

Just as a warning though, the alcoholic ingredients are not the cheapest.  The smallest bottle of Bailey’s I could find was $26.99 and the small bottle of Jameson cost me $18.99.  To keep costs down, I’d suggest using another brand of whiskey.

The cupcakes have been a hit so far with my family, and I didn’t hate the way the house smelled after all the baking was done either!  

How do you plan to celebrate St. Patrick's Day this year?

4 comments:

  1. I'm not one usually for chocolate icing but I think baileys is worth making an exception to the rule. These sound delicious!

    -M
    www.violetroots.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Bailey's frosting was definitely my favorite part!

      Delete
  2. I love the idea of these! The icing sounds especially delicious x

    Josie’s Journal

    ReplyDelete