Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

My dream come true, Guinness, whiskey, and Bailey's all in one, Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes!  Guinness chocolate cake, whiskey ganache, and Bailey's frosting.  Although not politically correct, that is the name of the cocktail these cupcakes are based on, so for reference purposes I am calling them Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes.  My surname is Irish, I'm nearly half Irish, and I've been drunk in Dublin, so hopefully I can get away with it. If not, póg mo thóin. ;]

The only whiskey we had in the house was Jack Daniels, (surprising, I know) so that is what I used.  I also stuck with the Bailey's Buttercream recipe I have used in the past because it has worked well for me, but no changes were made otherwise.

I was conservative while coring the cupcakes, so I had a good amount of chocolate ganache left over.  Rather than wasting it, I decided to pipe a mini swirl of chocolate ganache over the filling before topping with the Bailey's frosting.  This gave my swirls a little extra volume.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Adapted from smittenkitchen.com

http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/car-bomb-cupcakes/

Makes 20-24 cupcakes

• 1 cup Guinness (or any stout)
• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch process if possible)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream

~Preheat the oven to 350 °F.  Prepare muffin tins with cupcake liners.

~Using a medium sauce pan, bring the Guinness and butter to a simmer over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder, and whisk until it is completely dissolved and smooth. Cool slightly before proceeding.  

~In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and sour cream.  Slowly add the cooled Guinness mixture, while whisking, and mix just until blended. (You want your Guinness mixture to be cooled so you do not curdle your eggs.)

~In another bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt to blend.

~Add the flour mixture gradually to the Guinness/egg mixture, mixing just until incorporated.  

~Fill cupcake liners three-fourths full and bake for 17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

~Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack and cool completely. Whiskey ganache and Bailey's frosting recipes follow below!

Whiskey Ganache Filling

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter, room temp.
• 1 to 2 teaspoons whiskey, Irish if possible (optional, but not really...haha)

~Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl.

~Bring the cream to a simmer, stirring constantly.  Once simmering, carefully pour the cream over your chocolate.  Let sit for one minute, then stir until smooth. (Not melted? You can microwave the mixture in small, 5-10 second intervals.  As long as you avoid direct heat to the chocolate, you will be fine.) 

~Add the butter and whiskey to your chocolate mixture, and once again stir until smooth.

~Let ganache cool slightly.  You want it to thicken enough that you will be able to pipe it.  (Feel free to place ganache in the fridge to speed up the process, but be warned, it thickens up quickly!)

Bailey's Buttercream Frosting

Adapted from Cupcake Rehab

http://cupcakerehab.com/2010/03/luck-o-the-irish-baileys-cupcakes/

(Double to be safe if you're piping the frosting!)

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temp.
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons (maybe more) Bailey’s
• 1/8th teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

~Cream/whisk the butter on high speed for approximately 3 minutes. 

~Add the Bailey’s, and mix thoroughly. Slowly add the powdered sugar until well blended.

~If necessary, add more Bailey’s to thin or more sugar to thicken your frosting to your desired texture. (This is the point I tasted the frosting and decided to add a little salt and the vanilla extract, but feel free to omit!)

Cupcake Assembly

~Take your cooled Guinness cupcakes, and core/cut out a small bit of the center. (See below.  I used a small paring knife, cutting at an angle in a circle. Great time to taste test the cupcakes! ;])

~Pipe your Whiskey Ganache into your newly cored cupcakes.  Do as much or as little as you like. (This is the point where I piped small swirls of ganache up and over the holes in the cupcakes.)

~Pipe/frost your filled cupcakes with the Bailey's Buttercream Frosting, add your sprinkles/decorations of choice, and enjoy!