Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Irish Cream Filling

In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, I just had to bake something. My inspiration? The Irish Car Bomb. I'm totally crazy for a cupcake and It's just not St. Patty's day without a drink. This is the total package. Chocolate Cupcakes, filled with a Chocolate & Bailey's Ganache, and Topped with Bailey's frosting. Yum!


Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Irish Cream Filling
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:
1 cup stout (such as Young's Double Chocolate Stout)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch Process)
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream (full fat is best)

Filling:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 to 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey

Frosting:
6 to 7 cups confections' sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 to 7 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream


Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners.

Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Note: Mixture may start to separate after cocoa is incorporated, this is okay.

In a separate large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt.

Using a stand mixer, beat eggs and sour cream until blended. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just until combined.

Add the dry flour mixture gradually at slow speed. Do not over mix.

Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 17-20 minutes, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly. Cool cupcakes on a rack.

***

While cupcakes cool, make the filling. Chop the chocolate into coarse but roughly even pieces, and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until it is simmering (but not boiling) and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for about a minute and then stir until smooth. Add the butter, Irish Cream, and whiskey and stir until combined.

Make space for the filling. Be sure cupcakes are completely cooled before proceeding. Gently cut a small circle in the top of the cupcake using a small knife. Cut approximately 2/3 of the way down and remove the center making room for the filling.

Fill the cupcakes. You can pipe in the filling, or if it is still pretty smooth and fluid, you can just spoon it in.

***

Make the frosting. In a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium speed until it is very fluffy. Slowly add the confectioners' sugar, starting with a few tablespoons at a time of your sugar until the frosting looks thick enough to spread (approx 5 cups). At this point, add in the Irish Cream and whip it until combined. Beat in as much or as little of the remaining confectioners' sugar until the frosting has reached your desired consistency.

Frost your cupcakes. Pipe the frosting with a large round tip.