Another rainy day activity: Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Yesterday was truly a disgusting day - deathly hot, and then a waterfall of rain unleashed from the sky, complete with thunder, lightning and all that fun stuff. I could only think of one thing to do and that was to make cupcake infused with alcohol. Where on earth did I get this idea? I read an article last week about a bakery in NYC that sells alcoholic cupcakes, Butch Bakery. Apparently their cupcakes contain enough alcohol to give you a real buzz, which is impressive.

My aspiration? To create a cupcake with the same effect. My roommate found this recipe for Guinness Chocolate cupcakes with an Irish whiskey ganache filling and Bailey's cream frosting:


Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes


For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes:
1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Ganache Filling (Updated to double it, based on many commenters suggestions — thanks!)
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 to 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey (optional)

Baileys Frosting (see Recipe Notes)
3 to 4 cups confections sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperatue
3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof)

Special equipment: 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer and a piping bag (though a plastic bag with the corner snipped off will also work)

Make the cupcakes: 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. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

Make the filling: 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 stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and whiskey (if you’re using it) and stir until combined.

Fill the cupcakes: Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes). Meanwhile, using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Those are your “tasters”. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

Make the frosting: Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.

http://www.chewonthatblog.com/2009/02/25/irish-car-bomb-cupcakes/


My thoughts:
Good lord. They were perhaps the most involved cupcakes I've ever made, requiring us to poke a hole in the cupcakes after they were baked so we could pour whiskey infused ganache into it. We may have gone a bit overboard with the ganache, as it actually burned my throat when I ate the cupcake. The frosting was the crowning jewel of the cupcake, and came out really well. We used just enough Bailey's to make it just strong enough.

As it rained torrentially outside, my roommate and I enjoyed making these cupcakes as alcoholic as possible without ruining the flavor. It worked out perfectly too, we finally got to use our leftover alcohol from St. Patrick's day!