Irish Chocolate Cupcakes
🍀🍫💚 A tender chocolate cupcake made from scratch with batter that's spiked with Guinness, along with a hint of Jameson Irish whiskey in the chocolate ganache filling, and frosted with a silky smooth Baileys buttercream frosting!!
Servings: 12
Calories: 471cal
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup canola or vegetable oil
- ½ cup Guinness stout
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ganache
- *4 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped (such as Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Pound Plus, 72% or your favorite)
- ½ cup heavy cream*
- ½ tablespoon Jameson Irish Whiskey or similar
- ½ tablespoon salted butter or unsalted butter with 1/8 teaspoon actual salt
Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 2 ounces Baileys Irish Cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Sprinkles optional for decorating
Instructions
Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 12-count cupcake pan with cupcake liners; set aside.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and whisk to combine; set aside.
- To a separate, medium bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar until pale, and then beat in the oil, Guinness, and vanilla until fully combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined; don't overmix or your cupcakes will be tougher.
- Add a scant 1/4-cup of batter to each of the cupcake liners and bake for 17 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no batter.
- Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Ganache:
- While the cupcakes are baking, make the ganache by adding the chopped chocolate to a medium bowl and heat heavy cream and butter in a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl just until it begins to bubble around the edges of the pot or bowl.
- Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate and let it set for 5 minutes. Do not stir. Leave it be!
- After 5 minutes, whisk the cream and chocolate until a rich chocolate ganache forms.
- Then stir in the Jameson.
- Allow the ganache to cool at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes before coring the cupcakes and filling with ganache. I used and recommend this cupcake corer but you can also carefully use a paring knife to core about about 1 to 2 tablespoons worth of the cupcake, making sure not to go too deep.
Frosting:
- To a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together (a verb meaning beat together not actual cream) the butter and 1 cup of confectioners' sugar.
- Add in the remaining 1 cup along confectioners' sugar, the Baileys, salt, and beat on high speed until light and fluffy.
- Pipe* the frosting onto the filled cupcakes and optionally top with sprinkles before serving. Cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Optionally, cupcakes can be baked up to 1 day in advance, and then filled and frosted.
Notes
*Do not use another kind of cream other than heavy cream or the ganache will not set up properly, i.e. do not use half-and-half nor regular cream. Use heavy cream or what is sometimes called (double) whipping cream.
*I used Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Pound Plus Bar. The 72% also would be fine. I caution against using chocolate chips because they do not melt as easily and you could run into problems.
*I used this Ateco Extra Large Closed Star Piping Tip but you can use another piping tip of your choice.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 471cal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 184mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 37g
