Guinness and Baileys Cupcakes

Dave likes Guinness, and I love Baileys. I knew immediately that we would both enjoy these cupcakes. I first saw these on Smitten Kitchen and I followed the recipe from Annie's Eats. I have had this recipe saved for a few months, knowing that Dave's 30th birthday would be a wonderful occasion/reason to make them. We had our closest friends celebrate with us at the Bleacher Bar that looks into Fenway Park. It was great to spend some time in January near our favorite part of the city! The rink was still up from the Winter Classic, and we were glad to be able to see it up close. These cupcakes were a huge hit! I am getting requests to make them for quite a few upcoming birthdays. They do have an alcohol taste to them, and the Baileys is not cooked so they do contain some alcohol in them. I look forward to making these again, and I am thinking about using a chocolate stout in the cake base next time. I doubled this recipe to get 48 cupcakes. Due to how we iced the cupcakes, we did not have enough frosting for all of them. I would have to make even more of that next time. Many thanks to Kim and Dawn for their help with these.

You will need...

For the Guinness chocolate cupcakes:
1 cup stout (Guinness)
16 tbsp. unsalted butter
3⁄4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
11⁄2 tsp. baking soda
3⁄4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Bailey's ganache filling:
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used Bakers pieces)
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. Bailey's Irish cream

For the Bailey's buttercream frosting:
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3-4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
4-8 tbsp. Bailey's Irish cream

Cupcakes
1) Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine the stout and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

2) In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the eggs and sour cream to blend. Add the stout-butter mixture and beat just to combine. Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed just until incorporated.

3) Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 to 3⁄4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Ganache Filling
1) Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until simmering, then pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for one minute and then whisk until smooth. If the chocolate is not completely melted, place the bowl over a double boiler (I make one using a sauce pan and a metal mixing bowl) Add the butter and Bailey's and stir until combined.

2) Set aside to let the ganache cool until it is thick enough to be piped. (I used the fridge to speed this up and did as Annie suggested-stir every 10 minutes.) Meanwhile, cut out a portion from the center of the cupcake. Once the ganache has reached the correct consistency, transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a wide tip and pipe it into the cupcakes.

Baileys Frosting
1) Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar until it is all incorporated. Mix in the Bailey's until smooth. Add more if necessary until the frosting has reached a good consistency for piping or spreading. Frost the cupcakes.

Here's a picture of the cupcakes out at the party.
Not the best lighting and photo, but you get the idea.