I'm not of Irish descent, but my husband is. We're also Pagan, which makes for an interesting St. Patrick's Day in our house. See, I'm all about the "everyone's Irish on March 17th" rule, but what many people don't acknowledge/ realize, is that in St. Patrick's time, Ireland quite likely didn't have snakes and what St. Patrick really drove out of Ireland was the Pagans (symbolized by a serpent). So, while I see it as a chance to celebrate and have a fun time with Irish heritage, my husband sees it as a drinkfest to honor religious intolerance.
What we do agree on, however, is that Guinness beer makes everything better, including chocolate cupcakes. To celebrate last year, I made Guinness chocolate cupcakes which met with rave reviews. This year, I decided to change it up a little and make Guinness chocolate cupcakes, with whiskey ganache filling and Bailey's Irish Cream frosting. They're actually modeled after the drink, the Irish Car Bomb (invented in CT, thank you very much), which is a shot of whiskey and a shot of Irish cream dropped into a pint of Guinness and chugged down before it curdles. These are way more delicious as they involve chocolate.
I found this recipe at Smitten Kitchen and it's fantastic. While you don't taste the Guinness in the cupcakes (it just gives them this deep chocolate flavor), and barely notice the whiskey in the ganache, you notice the Bailey's in the frosting. Smitten Kitchen suggests swapping out the Bailey's for milk if you're serving these to non-drinkers. I did have a little problem with the consistency of the frosting (I found 3 C. of confectioner's sugar to be plenty) and found it worked better to pipe on the frosting rather than try to spread it. Other than that, these went off without a hitch and make a fantastic treat.
Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Whiskey Ganache and Irish Cream Frosting
Ingredients:
for the cupcake:
1 C. Guinness beer
1 C. unsalted butter, softened
3/4 C. cocoa powder
2 C. flour
2 C. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
3/4 C. sour cream
for the ganache filling:
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 C. heavy cream
2 Tbs. butter, room temperature
2 tsp. whiskey (optional)
for the frosting:
3-4 C. confectioner's sugar
1/2 C. (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
3-4 Tbs. Bailey's Irish Cream
Directions:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners.
Pour the Guinness into a medium saucepan and add the butter. Heat over medium heat, stirring, until butter is melted.
Stir the cocoa powder into the butter mixture and whisk until smooth. Allow to cool slightly.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
Beat eggs and sour cream together in a stand mixer bowl, fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), until combined.
Add the Guinness mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine.
Add the flour mixture and beat just until combined. Use a rubber spatula to fold batter until completely combined.
Fill each cupcake cup 2/3 full with batter.
Bake for 17 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
Make the ganache filling by bringing the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan.
Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate and let sit for one minute.
Stir until smooth (you can use a microwave in 30 second increments if the cream did not melt the chocolate enough).
Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined.
Let the ganache cool until it has reached piping consistency (you can use the refrigerator, but stir it every 10 minutes so it cools evenly).
Using a paring knife, apple corer, or 1" round cookie cutter, cut the center out of each cupcake, stopping 2/3 of the way down.
Transfer cooled ganache to a piping bag (or plastic bag with the corner cut off) and pipe ganache into the cavity in each cupcake.
To make the frosting, beat the butter in a stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, for several minutes until light and fluffy.
Add the confectioner's sugar a few tablespoons at a time, beating after each addition, until it has reached a spreadable consistency.
Add the Bailey's Irish Cream and beat to combine. Spread or pipe onto cupcakes.
One Year Ago: Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes and Crockpot Corned Beef
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