Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

I made Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes for St. Patty's Day.  They turned out AMAZING!  The beer really helped to make the cake very moist.  I mean how could they turn out bad? Irish whiskey, Bailey's, and Guinness? YES PLEASE!  Mind you, these cupcakes are not for kids.  The only alcohol that bakes out is in the cupcake.  The ganache and icing does not bake.  Since I brought these to a party, I made sure to bring a "kid friendly" cupcake as well so that everyone could partake in the deliciousness.  I'll do a post on my other cupcakes at a later time.

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 (I used Hershey's dark cocoa)
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 thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 17-25 minutes. (Mine took closer to 25 to cook, but everybody's oven is different so I recommend starting at 17 and going up from there.) 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. Adding Ganache to Cupcakess: Once the ganache is cool, spread about one teaspoon onto each cupcake.  You can use more or less depending on taste. You can also fill the cupcakes with the ganache by using an icing tip to dig out a hole in the cupcake.  I chose to spread it on top rather than fill it because I like flavors to be evenly distributed in my desserts.  Another easy way would be to just dip the cupcakes in the ganache.  This works if your cupcakes are filled enough to flow over the top just a little.

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.

I had a lot of fun making these cupcakes.  They were fairly easy, smelled amazing, and tasted great.  I am now motivated to try making cupcakes out of other famous shots.  Perhaps Vegas bomb cupcakes?  That might have to be my next endeavor.

Look how moist this is!