In case you hadn’t taken notice, St. Patrick’s Day is this weekend. I love all the glittery shamrocks, leprechauns, and Irish booze. What better way to mark the occasion than by baking cupcakes laced with two of the green isle’s two favorite spirits? Bailey’s and Guinness.
A quick Google led to several different variations. Many recipes called for a whiskey ganache filling for the cake, which sounded divine, but I was kind of pressed for time. So, I went with a basic recipe for a moist, chocolate Guinness cake topped with a Bailey’s buttercream frosting.
I made these for my ladies book club that I hosted last Friday night, and everyone really enjoyed them. There is just enough of a boozy bite from the frosting to give it a kick, and the Guinness cake was just perfect – light, airy, and moist. I was honestly a bit worried about the cupcakes before putting them in the oven. With a whole bottle of beer in the batter, it’s very thin. Next time I might try using a batter bowl to fill the cupcake liners, instead of a scoop. Whether you’re creating an Irish celebration at home this St. Patty’s Day, or going out for a wild night on the town…try to squeeze in some time to make these cupcakes!
Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey’s Buttercream
1 bottle Guinness
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened 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 buttercream:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 to 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Bring Guinness and butter to a simmer in large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs and sour cream. Add Guinness-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat until just combined. Add flour mixture and beat on medium-low speed until combined.
Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely before frosting.
For the frosting, place the butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until creamy.
Gradually add the sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes after each), until the icing is the consistency you desire. I like it relatively stiff for piping purposes. You may not need to add all of the sugar at this point.
After all sugar has been added, add Bailey’s and milk and blend until just combined. Add remaining sugar if the liqueur has made the frosting too soft.
Source: cupcakes from Dave Liberman, Bailey’s buttercream from Smitten Kitchen
