Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes
I’ve been eyeing these cupcakes for quite some time. They’re from Smitten Kitchen and they’ve been on my to-bake list since they popped up over a year ago. Since then, many other bloggers have made them and raved. I finally took the leap and made these for our Superbowl XLIV party.
Everyone enjoyed the cupcakes and I think my favorite part was the ganache filling. It was just perfect. Of course, all of the components of this cupcake were really good. The Guinness in the cupcakes keep them very moist. Even a couple days later, this cupcake was very tasty and moist. Each component has alcohol in it, so these were the perfect cupcakes for a Superbowl party. They’d also be perfect to celebrate St Patty’s Day!
I got 21 cupcakes out of the batter, but since they didn’t have nice pretty domes, if I make these again, I’ll portion the batter into 22-24 cupcakes. I don’t like when cupcakes don’t rise up and dome and just spread out and get a flat top that hangs over the edges. They still taste amazing but just don’t look as pretty, and they’re hard to get out of the cupcake pan.
One Year Ago: Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Two Years Ago: S’Mores Cupcakes
Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes
Yield: ~20
Ingredients:
Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes
1 c Guinness
1 c unsalted butter
3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
2 c flour
2 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2/3 c sour cream
Ganache Filling
8 oz bittersweet chocolate
2/3 c heavy cream
2 Tbsp butter, room temperature
1 to 2 tsp Irish whiskey (optional)
Baileys Frosting
3 to 4 c confections sugar
1/2 c unsalted butter, at room temperatue
3 to 4 Tbsp Baileys (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof)
Directions:
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. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined.
Fill the cupcakes
Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped. 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.
When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys (or milk) and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin (it shouldn’t, but just in case) beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.
Ice and decorate the cupcakes.
You can bake the cupcakes a week or two in advance and store them, well wrapped, in the freezer. You can also fill them before you freeze them. They also keep filled — or filled and frosted — in the fridge for a day.
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
Oh my word!!
Pass me a spoon! This sounds amazing, Jen!
I need this ice cream right now!
I absolutely love cookie dough ice cream and this looks like a fabulous one! I love your bowls, too 🙂
beantownbaker — June 24th, 2013 @ 3:47 pm
Thanks! They’re from Pier 1.
Wow… I’m not a cookie dough ice cream fan for the same reason, but this is amazing. How much do you think the coconut milk plays in the flavor?
beantownbaker — June 24th, 2013 @ 8:25 pm
I personally don’t find coconut milk very coconuty. I know some people do. I think you could use the cow’s milk varieties in the recipe and it would taste similar. I just have to use the coconut milk since i can’t eat cow’s milk.
I love this! Ice cream has to be my favorite dessert, this looks amazing 🙂
I made this recipe from Tracey a couple of weeks ago too (I haven’t post about it yet) – so good!!!
beantownbaker — June 27th, 2013 @ 9:11 pm
Isn’t it? It’s definitely one of my favorite ice cream recipes to date!
This sounds delicious! I’m with you–regular cookie dough ice cream is a snooze. (Unless I’m sharing a pint with someone who doesn’t mind if I go through and pick out all the goodies–but let’s be real–everyone minds!) I’ll have to try this variation–it sounds like the perfect solution!
beantownbaker — June 28th, 2013 @ 7:17 am
I agree completely – everyone does mind!
This looks amazing!!! We would love it if you would link up at our We Scream For Ice Cream linky party/giveaway:
http://www.lifewiththecrustcutoff.com/we-scream-for-ice-cream-linky-party/
Live the whole month of July.
Hosted by:
http://www.lifewiththecrustcutoff.com/ Parrish @ Life with the Crust Cut Off
http://thissillygirlslife.com/ Dana @ This Silly Girl’s Life
We hope to see you there!
beantownbaker — July 3rd, 2013 @ 5:05 pm
Thanks for the link!
Cookie dough ice cream is my favorite and this recipe makes me want to buy an ice cream maker immediately! Which kind do you recommend?
beantownbaker — July 6th, 2013 @ 11:09 am
I have the ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchenaid mixer. If you don’t have a Kitchenaid mixer, I’ve heard good things about the Cuisinart ice cream maker.
I’ve never made cookie dough ice cream but am wanting to try this one. Is there a way to substitute the egg yolks or leave it out?
Thanks!
beantownbaker — April 16th, 2014 @ 6:00 pm
I would assume you could find a Philadelphia style ice cream recipe to use as the base with some brown sugar in it to give it more of a cookie dough taste. I wouldn’t recommend just leaving them out of this specific recipe though.