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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes

 
Would you like to know how to make new friends? It's actually quite easy, first thing you have to be invited to a party. Secondly you need to make some very tasty "adult only" cupcakes and bring them along to said party. Lastly, sit back and enjoy watching everyone moan while eating those cupcakes. Follow all of these steps and I guarantee you will be an instant hit at any party. 

These cupcakes are made up of three distinct components. A chocolate Guinness cupcake filled with a white chocolate Bailey's truffle center and topped with Bailey's buttercream. Oh yeah, these little babies are laced with liquor and are somewhat reminiscent of a drink called an "Irish Car Bomb". It consists of a glass of Guinness along with Irish Whiskey and Bailey's Irish Cream. The whiskey is floated on top of the Irish Cream in a shot glass, and the shot glass is then dropped into the stout. Talk about potent!

Guinness and chocolate are a match made in heaven and I'm now officially in love with with this combination. You can't tell that the batter is made with beer, but it rather enhances the chocolate flavor and adds a rich undertone, almost reminding me of espresso. I also chose to go with an extra dark cocoa powder which along with the beer makes for a not too sweet cupcake which happens to be the perfect vessel for the truffle center and frosting. The truffle center is chopped white chocolate (I used Lindt) mixed with hot heavy cream, butter and Bailey's.  After the cupcake is baked I used an apple corer to remove part of my cupcakes so I could fill them with the truffle mixture. Putting the truffle mixture into a disposable pastry bag made filling the cakes a cinch.  I didn't even bother replacing the tops since I knew the holes would be covered by frosting anyway, and this way they ended up being my afternoon snack. The buttercream is simply butter with powdered sugar, and for additional flavor more Bailey's Irish Cream is incorporated.

These cupcakes were really a hot commodity at the party. People were pleasantly surprised, especially by the Guinness in the cupcake batter and every single person that tried them was in agreement that these cupcakes were pretty much one of the best ones they had ever eaten. So, if you are still looking for a little something to bring along to a St. Patrick's day celebration or just looking for a great dessert after that corned beef and cabbage, then this is your recipe. On Thursday make sure to wear something green, drink a green beer, but most of all have a happy St. Patrick's Day. Éirinn go Brách - Ireland Forever!


Also, make sure to check out some of my posts from the previous year when my blog was still in its infancy if you are looking for more St. Patrick's Day inspired recipes:

Glazed Corned Beef
Irish Colcannon Potatoes
Fried Cabbage
Irish Soda Bread
Shepherd's Pie
Irish Cream Cupcakes with Bailey's Frosting



Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Bailey's Truffle Centers and Bailey's Buttercream
 ~makes 24 cupcakes~ 
(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:
For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness beer
16 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Bailey's Truffle Centers:
8 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tablespoons Bailey's Irish cream

For the Bailey's Buttercream:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
5-8 tablespoons Bailey's Irish cream

Directions:
For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine the Guinness and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together the eggs and sour cream to blend. Add the Guinness/butter mixture and beat just to combine. Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed just until incorporated. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Bailey's Truffle Centers: Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until simmering, the pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for one minute and then whisk until smooth. If the chocolate is not completely melted, place the bowl over a double boiler or give it a very short burst in the microwave (15-20 seconds). Add the butter and Bailey's and stir until combined.

Set aside to let the ganache cool until it is thick enough to be piped. (You can use the refrigerator to speed the cooling process, but be sure to stir every 10 minutes or so to ensure even cooling).

Meanwhile , cut out a portion from the center of each cooled cupcake with an apple corer or using the cone method (a small paring knife words best for this). Once the truffle mixture has reached the correct consistency, transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a wide tip and pipe it into the cupcakes.

For the Bailey's Buttercream: Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar until it is all incorporated. Mix in the vanilla and Bailey's until smooth. Add more Bailey's if necessary until the frosting has reached a good consistency for piping or spreading. Frost the cupcakes as desired.

Slightly adapted from: Annie's Eats

44 comments:

  1. I'd definitely be your friend if you brought these to my party:-)

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  2. My friend Robyn made those for our last cupcake contest. They are to die for. It was one of my favorite recipes in the contest.
    Prima, jetzt hab ich auch das Rezept dazu. Danke, Susi! Super Bilder und Dein Icing, wie immer, perfekt.

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  3. These look amazing!!! I'm not surprised you made lots of new friends when you made these! Yum!

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  4. I could see how you would make friends with these. Love all the items you put together for your St. Patty's Day meal. I don't usually go all out on that day, but I want to now. Hope you have a great week.
    -Gina-

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  5. I loved that you used the cored parts of the cupcake as afternoon snacks. I would have too!
    These look amazing (but I'm really in love with your cake stand. So cute!)

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  6. Annie has the best cupcake recipes, doesn't she? These are gorgeous, I can just imagine how good they taste. Especially love the truffle centers! YUM!!

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  7. Oh, Susi these sound so delicious. I'm gaining weight just thinking about making these. I just made a chocolate cake recipe from Pegasuslegend and it was terrific, but these cupcakes sound heavenly and decadent. I'm going to have to try this recipe this weekend.

    Thanks for sharing,
    Joanne

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  8. Yummm.. Susi.. Love these.. We have to try them

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  9. Wow, these cupcakes look delicious, perfect for St. Patrick's Day...love the bailey's fillinf and topping...love it! Have a great day :-)

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  10. these cupcakes look adorable and they sound fantastic! very festive:) thank you for sharing this.

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  11. I love them! I must try these, probably be a post celebration though.

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  12. Hi Susi, I loved your description of these cupcakes, definitely a labor of love and they are just beautiful. I can only imagine the taste and these wold be so much fun to share;-)

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  13. Adult cupcakes are my favorites :) I made a similar Guinness cupcake a couple years ago, but without a truffle center. And that sounds like a necessity!!!

    Sues

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  14. Bailey's is my favorite liqueur, so these cupcakes are calling my name. They look delicious, and the Bailey's filling is incredible.

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  15. Beautiful photos. The frosting looks delicious. I made a guiness chocolate cake last year and it was amazing. Love this!

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  16. wowww Susi those are beautiful! I can just look at them how pretty you have made those cupcakes!

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  17. I heart Bailey's. :) These look yummy!

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  18. Can I come to your house for St. Patty's day? Sheesh! My mouth is literally watering and I just ate dinner. Girl, this sound amazing. And I think that your cupcakes would be the only way to get Guinness down my throat...and what a delight it would be! After a couple of those I'd most certainly be using a really bad Irish accent and asking everyone to kiss me. xoxo!

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  19. I can see why these were such a tremendous hit Susi! They look and sound positively delectable! They are the perfect treat for St. Patrick's Day.

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  20. I've really been wanting to try a Guinness inspired cupcake/baked good and would love to give these a try. The truffle centers and Bailey's buttercream sounds so creamy and addictive. I bet it would be hard to eat only one:)

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  21. Definitely a great way to make friends with these AMAZING cupcakes! Wow! Can you bring some to me for the big day?:)

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  22. Okay...I'm inspired! I wish I was eating one of these right now...I need to make a batch tomorrow night. This would be a great way to make friends! Thanks for sharing with me tonight. Visiting your blog brings a smile to my face, week after week. I hope you have a fabulous Wednesday!

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  23. Wow, your cupcakes look great but you had me as soon as I saw Bailey's Buttercream.

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  24. Those cupcakes look lovely! great photos!

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  25. Susi, I would be so proud to serve these gorgeous cupcakes to my friends, on St. Patrick's Day, or any day. What a superb decoration, a pure yumminess you presented!
    Also the rest of the amazing menu suggestions for that special day, especially your Shepherd's pie, which I adore...alone, would be more than enough for that special day!:DDD

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  26. How did I miss these until now? Blame my cranky baby, that's what I will do, wouldn't let me put her down all day yesterday. These are so lovely and the truffle center, wow. That's about all I can say!

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  27. These cupcakes are gorgeous, Susi...and I'm sure they taste awesome too! I love Bailey's in coffee, so I'm sure it's even better in a cupcake. The truffle filling really sounds like the perfect addition!!

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  28. These look almost unbearably good. The color and manner in which you've decorated them make them the perfect holiday dessert. I know I'd love to have one. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  29. Susi, these are beautiful St. Patty's Day cupcakes. Absolutely delightful.

    Velva

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  30. You got me at "white chocolate Bailey's truffle center". There I started to salivate and to envy your friends. I bet you have many with these cupcakes!

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  31. i'll throw a party anytime if you bring along these cupcakes. And definitely i want to be your friend. These look amazing. thanks for sharing Susi

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  32. Great minds think alike. I've got Guinness and chocolate on my site. Your cupcakes are too cute!

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  33. I made very similar cupcakes myself! Though, not nearly as pretty of course! http://leftoversforlunch.com/2011/03/16/irish-car-bomb-cupcakes/

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  34. oooh - now these look good. Your photos are awesome yet again Susi. Well done :-)

    I could eat these right off the screen !

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  35. Oh, Susi!!! Wow!! Yep...I'll be your friend!! ;)
    These are just beautiful to look at, I can only imagine how good they are. Nicely done!!

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  36. What inch/size is the one you used to pipe the frosting on your cupcakes?

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  37. Jaqui, thanks for stopping by! I used a Giant Round Pastry Tip which I purchased from Bake It Pretty. Here is the link:
    http://www.bakeitpretty.com/products/Giant-Round-Pastry-Tip.html

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  38. Wow! Thanks for sharing this recipe - I will be trying this on my website when St. Patrick's Day comes around!! Thank you :)

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