My husband came home from work this past week raving about some cupcakes that one of his co-workers had brought in to share, and of course got the recipe. Our daughter, whom he lovingly calls Coco, has a dream of opening her own cupcake shop one day and for Christmas, received a ton of baking stuff that she has been excited to use. So, today was cupcake day and they spent the better part of the afternoon making these amazing cupcakes. These are not for the faint at heart, as they require 6 sticks of butter, Guinness stout, Bailey's Irish Crème, and Jameson whiskey. These cupcakes mean business.
Rachel is getting ready to pipe the icing....
These cupcakes have a chocolate ganache filling...
The finished product! Can't wait to have one tonight for dessert. Here's the recipe below:
Guinness, Whiskey & Irish Cream Cupcakes
Yield: 24 cupcakes
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 17 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Guinness cupcakes with a Jameson whiskey ganache center and topped with a
Baileys Irish Cream frosting.
Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature ¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
For the Whiskey Ganache Filling:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey
For the Baileys Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream
Directions:
1. To Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups
with liners. Bring the Guinness and butter to a simmer in a heavy, medium
saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture
is smooth. Cool slightly.
2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to combine.
Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until
combined. Add the Guinness-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat
just to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat
briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined.
Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a thin knife inserted
into the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a
rack.
3. To Make the Whiskey Ganache Filling: Finely chop the chocolate and
transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it
over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then, using a rubber
spatula, stir it from the center outward until smooth. Add the butter and
whiskey and stir until combined. Let the ganache cool until thick but still
soft enough to be piped.
4. To Fill the Cupcakes: Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter (or the bottom
of a large decorating tip), cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes,
going about two-thirds of the way down. Transfer the ganache to a piping
back with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.
5. To Make the Baileys Frosting: Using the whisk attachment of a stand
mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the
sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually
add the powdered sugar until all of it is incorporated. Add the Baileys,
increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes, until
it is light and fluffy.
6. Using your favorite decorating tip, or an offset spatula, frost the
cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Store the cupcakes in an
airtight container.
(Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen
<http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/car-bomb-cupcakes/> )
Yield: 24 cupcakes
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 17 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Guinness cupcakes with a Jameson whiskey ganache center and topped with a
Baileys Irish Cream frosting.
Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature ¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
For the Whiskey Ganache Filling:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey
For the Baileys Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream
Directions:
1. To Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups
with liners. Bring the Guinness and butter to a simmer in a heavy, medium
saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture
is smooth. Cool slightly.
2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to combine.
Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until
combined. Add the Guinness-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat
just to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat
briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined.
Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a thin knife inserted
into the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a
rack.
3. To Make the Whiskey Ganache Filling: Finely chop the chocolate and
transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it
over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then, using a rubber
spatula, stir it from the center outward until smooth. Add the butter and
whiskey and stir until combined. Let the ganache cool until thick but still
soft enough to be piped.
4. To Fill the Cupcakes: Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter (or the bottom
of a large decorating tip), cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes,
going about two-thirds of the way down. Transfer the ganache to a piping
back with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.
5. To Make the Baileys Frosting: Using the whisk attachment of a stand
mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the
sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually
add the powdered sugar until all of it is incorporated. Add the Baileys,
increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes, until
it is light and fluffy.
6. Using your favorite decorating tip, or an offset spatula, frost the
cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Store the cupcakes in an
airtight container.
(Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen
<http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/car-bomb-cupcakes/> )
Now, you might ask what I was doing while all this was going on...I was changing out my closet from fall/winter clothes to spring/summer clothes!! I love the seasonal change of a closet! It's like going on a huge shopping trip pulling out my tubs of clothes from storage and changing them all out. I tend to use this time to get rid of things that no longer fit or aren't stylish, or that I haven't worn in a while. I did a pretty good clean out last year, as I had recently lost weight and went down a few sizes and didn't want the opportunity or excuse to let myself get back in those clothes! So when I switched out today, I didn't have too much to get rid of, and really just took an inventory of what I have and what I would like to build on. Things on my must buy list:
1) a fitted denim shirt
2) some great wedge sandals
3) some fitted colored chinos (I want navy, coral, and yellow)
4) a neutral colored blazer
What's on your must buy list for the spring? What are you looking forward to repurposing for the new season?
~Melissa~
