“I swear, I only had one.” Looking for an adult treat to bring to a party? St. Patrick’s Day is a well celebrated day in the Thome home. Even though we are not 100% Irish, we have definitely grown to act like it come this time of year. When I was little, I tried Irish dancing. Key word here, TRIED. My best friend in grade school was a phenomenal Irish dancer (Katie-Rose, hope you don’t mind I mentioned ya!) I longed to be able to dance even a step or two like her. So I tried, and I remember nearly crying at all my classes with my teacher. I thought she was so mean. Now, looking back she was probably really frustrated with me because I was terrible at it. She used to gather the girls in a line, and we would practice a certain step. Those that got it, were dismissed to stand against the wall. I was always the last girl dancing (it scarred me for life, haha). So, I quit, and just continued to admire Irish dancers from there on out. I let go of my curly hair – embellished dress dream. HAHA. Hand me ten of these cupcakes and I might get loose enough to show you a few steps, though. I have made these cupcakes before, but they needed some tweaking. I adapted the cake recipe, and made the ganache and frosting my own. If you do not enjoy alcohol, more than likely these will not be on your to make list. If you do, you will love this tipsy treat.
INGREDIENTS:
CUPCAKE:
- 1 3/4 Cup Flour
- 2 Cups Sugar
- 3/4 Cup Cocoa Powder (I used Trader Joes brand- Hershey’s will do)
- 2 tsp. Baking Soda
- 1 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1 Cup Whole Milk
- 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Cup Guinness
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
GANACHE FILLING:
- 10 oz Bittersweet Chocolate Chips (I used Ghirardelli)
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- 2 Tbsp Whiskey (I used Jameson)
- 2/3 Cup Cream
FROSTING:
- 2 Sticks Unsalted Butter
- 4 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 Cup Bailey’s
The Whiskey Ganache Filling...
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350*
The ganache and frosting I made ahead of time, so they both had time to sit and set. For the ganache, melt chocolate over a double boiler. Heat your cream in a heat proof glass in your microwave just until warm. Once chocolate has melted, turn off your double boiler and add the butter, cream, and whiskey. Stir until mixture is smooth and has thickened. Place in another bowl, and cover with clear wrap.
To make the frosting (so simple) use a handheld mixer. Beat the butter until light and fluffy (2 minutes or so) Add the vanilla and baileys and mix on low until incorporated. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time until the frosting is smooth. Cover bowl with clear wrap, and set aside as well.
For the cupcake portion, you will need 2 medium size bowls. Take all the dry ingredients, flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt, and whisk together to beat out any small lumps. In another bowl, stir together the milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Add your wet ingredients to dry, mix on low until batter comes together. DO NOT OVER MIX. Add the cup of guinness beer last, the batter will look runny in comparison to most. This is just what you want. Fill your lined cupcake pan, each 3/4 of the way full. Bake at 350* for 15-18 minutes. Once toothpick comes out clean, your cupcakes are done. Let them cool completely!
Using a cupcake corer, or simply a paring knife and a spoon, cut out a small section in the middle of your cooled cupcake (only go 2/3 of the way down) Take a zip lock bag, and fill it with the ganache, cut a small hole in the corner and pipe the ganache into the hole just to fill it. Once all the cupcakes are filled, frost them as you please. Store in an airtight container, and in all seriousness these are ADULT ONLY cupcakes!
Cupcake recipe barely adapted from the one and only Ina Garten :Beatty’s Chocolate Cake Which is my go to chocolate cake recipe as is, its fabulous.