You guys, I did it! I made a cupcake with 3 different kinds of alcohol in it. And excuse me if I gloat for a minute and say it might be the best cupcake I’ve made yet. Really. Then again, how could a cupcake with 3 different kinds of alcohol in it be a bad thing? When I first set out to make these, I wasn’t even going to post them because I already posted about Guinness cupcakes in the past. Plus, St. Patrick’s Day was weeks ago and I was making these for my family’s post-St. Patrick’s Day celebration. But then, then… they were too awesome not to post. And it’s not like you only drink Guinness at St. Patrick’s Day, right? And Baileys? And whiskey? These cupcakes are totally appropriate year-round!
My dad had originally sent me a recipe from Chef Chloe. But I don’t like baking with shortening and didn’t feel like searching for ingredients like vegan margarine, so I found a sort of similar recipe on Serious Eats by CakeSpy (originally from my fave Smitten Kitchen) and decided they were a go, slightly adapted of course. Oh, and Chelsee just happened to swoop in with the perfect gifts for me at the exact perfect time… You’ll see 
There are 3 steps to these cupcakes: the cupcake, the filling, and the frosting. Don’t skip any of them! I’m begging you. I really think your friends and family will love you forever if you make them these cupcakes. Not that they wouldn’t anyway, but it still can’t hurt. Solidify your relationships forever!
Chocolate Stout Cupcakes (12 cupcakes):
• 1/2 C Guinness (or other stout)
• 1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 C cocoa powder
• 1 C flour
• 1 C sugar
• 3/4 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 C sour cream (full fat)
(pre-heat oven to 350 degrees)
I know my sour cream pictured says “light” but I did use full fat… it’s only 1/3 C and I believe it was a very good idea.
Bring 1/2 cup of stout and 1/2 C of butter to a simmer in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat.
Add cocoa powder to the saucepan and whisk the mixture until it’s smooth. Remove saucepan from heat.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
Then, in another large bowl (I know, you will dirty A LOT of bowls up with this recipe… But it’s worth it), beat together the egg and sour cream using a handheld mixer (or a whole lot of arm strength).
Add the chocolate stout mixture to the egg mixture and beat until just combined.
Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and beat until just combined. Be careful not to over-mix! In fact, you can use a spatula to combine ingredients together to be sure you won’t over-mix.
Line your cupcake tray. Check out the totally adorable William Sonoma cupcake papers Chels got me! She actually just gave them to me the day I was planning to make these, though she had no idea. LOVE.
And, of course, I used them. Divide the batter among cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 of the way.
Bake for about 17-20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for a few minutes and then take them out to cool completely on a rack. I was psyched by how my cupcakes rose. You can never be sure what they’ll look like when they’re done baking (and I often over-fill causing them to get huge and oddly-shaped), but these were perfect.
While your cupcakes are cooling, you can make the filling.
Irish Whiskey Filling:
• 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
• 1/4 C heavy cream
• 1/4 C Baileys Irish Cream
• 1 T unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 t Irish whiskey
Whoops we could only find large bottles of Baileys and Irish whiskey.. Too bad, huh? Send me your favorite Baileys drinks, please!
Chop the chocolate into coarse pieces.
And place it in a heatproof bowl.
Heat the cream on the stove until it’s simmering, but not boiling.
Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute. Then stir until smooth.
My chocolate still wasn’t fully melted, so I made a quick makeshift double boiler. I didn’t feel like dirtying another pan, so I just filled the one I simmered the cream in with boiling water.
Much better. Now, add the butter, Baileys, and Irish whiskey, and stir to combine. P.S. this smelled amazing!
If your cupcakes are cooled, you’re ready to start filling them. This is another part where Chels came to the rescue big-time. Along with the cupcake papers, she got me this absolutely amazing Cuisipro cupcake corer. You have NO idea how awesome this little tool is.
See, I happen to be kind of messy in the kitchen. And while you can definitely use a knife to cut out the core of the cupcake, I knew this would lead to messiness and lots of crumbs for me. This tool? Easiest, neatest thing ever.
Here’s what you do: Put the corer on top of the cupcake and twist the top back and forth so it pierces the cake and moves downward.
Then pull up. Voila!
A job that may have taken me 15 minutes, only took me 3. And the cupcakes didn’t look like I took a chainsaw to them after I cored them. Perfect!!
Once the cupcakes are all cored, take a spoon and carefully fill with the whiskey filling.
Almost done! You just have to make the fabulous frosting!
Baileys Frosting:
• 2-3 C confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 T Baileys Irish Cream
In an electric mixer, mix butter on medium speed until it’s nice and fluffy. Then add the confectioners’ sugar, starting with a few tablespoons at a time until you’re liking the consistency. I only ended up using 2 cups.
Add in the Baileys and whip it until combined. If you need more sugar, add more. Make sure your frosting is nice and spreadable.
Pipe frosting on to cupcakes. Or just spread it. It’s my goal in life to be a better “frosting piper,” but I have a long way to go. Still, any experience is good!
Add sprinkles if you want. Just as an FYI, if you happen to live near a Meat House, you MUST check out their sprinkle selection (unless it’s just my local Brookline shop that has an awesome buyer). They get an amazing sprinkle selection for every holiday. And they’re all only $2.99!
I may or may not have bought their entire Easter stock. Oops. Guess I have to do some Easter baking.
Oh, so we had a really amazing dinner at my parents’ house, including the traditional corned beef (which everyone was OBSESSED with, some even calling it “the best meal ever”):
Cabbage and potatoes.
And some totally adorable carrots.
And, of course, we all wore our green:
I love this plaque in my parents’ kitchen
And we saved the cupcakes for last. Really, these were delicious. The cake was super moist and flavorful. The Guinness didn’t overpower, but it was definitely there, perfectly mixed with the chocolate.
And check out the middle! The filling was seriously amazing. And the Baileys frosting? You could most definitely taste the Baileys and that was a good thing. Everything about these was perfect and I do not say that about very many cupcakes (especially cupcakes I make).
So, now that I’ve successfully created a dessert with 3 kinds of alcohol, I don’t know where to turn next. I probably need a boozy dessert break before my liquor shelf breaks from buying more… Unless anyone has a fabulous idea for what to make with cotton candy vodka… Because that could be awesome.
What is the best cupcake you’ve ever had?
Cooking for a Cause:
If you’re in the Boston-area and looking for something super fun to do tomorrow evening, purchase a ticket to Cooking for a Cause. Not only will you get to indulge in lots of delicious food from some of Boston’s best chefs, but you’ll also be helping out the fabulous East End House. Plus, attending an event like this will help you forget about the snow that’s coming our way April 1 in Boston Hope to see you there!
And I’m off to watch American Idol. Who are you cheering for this season? I’m a big fan of Casey Abrams and Lauren Alaina. But I’m also cheering for Jacob Lusk and after last night, Haley Reinhart. As much as this season was boring me, I’m finally super into it!!
[Sues]
