The best Chocolate Irish Car Bomb Cupcake Recipe

Celebrate St. Patricks Day with an Irish Carbomb Cupcake made with Guiness and Baileys, serve with a shot of Jameson

Last St. Patrick's Day, my 91-year old Grandmother proclaimed unexpectedly that we were Irish.  It was news to most of the family.  I didn't ask many questions, but I immediately dyed my hair an auburn red and brought out the Jameson to celebrate.  Being the only person in Green last year and one of the only people drinking in the Bay (or at least at the bar I was at in Berkeley -- they don't really celebrate St. Pat's the way I was used to in Chicago), it was kind of a let-down, especially because I am from the "South Side of Chicago", which is known for many things, including accents, Hot Dogs,  and St. Patricks Day Parades.

This year, I decided to give up on trying to channel my inner-Irishwoman and am instead going to bake the hell out of these amazing Chocolate Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes with Bailey's Frosting.  This Chocolate Irish Car Bomb Cupcake Recipe is perfect for St. Patrick's Day.  Honestly, these festive Guiness and Bailey's cupcakes are perfect anytime, even if you aren't Irish...just serve with a shot of Jameson.

Chocolate Guiness Cupcakes (adapted from David Leiberman)

• 12 ounces Guinness® stout
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup apple sauce or vegetable oil
• 1 vanilla bean or 1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for garnish
• 2 cups of sugar, one each of white and brown
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the Guinness®, milk, applesauce, and vanilla bean scrapings (scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean pod).
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time to combine.
4. Mix in the sour cream.
5. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all your dries;  the cocoa, sugar, flour, and baking soda.
6. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet Guinness® mixture just enough to blend, do not over-mix.
7. Butter or line 24 muffin tins and divide the batter among the muffin tins.
8. Bake 25 minutes until risen and set in the middle but still soft and tender. Cool before turning out of the tins.

Baileys Frosting (adapted from Smittenkitchen.com)

• 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)

1. Whip the butter in the bowl either by hand or with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
2. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.
3. When the butter and sugar gets thick, drizzle in the Baileys and whip it until combined.   If mixture has made the frosting too thin,  beat in powdered sugar 1tsp at a time until it reaches desired consistency. 
4. Ice and decorate the cupcakes with a spatula, knife or pastry tip
5. According to Smitten Kitchen:  "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. (Longer, they will start to get stale.)"

More yummy dessert recipes:

• Crock Pot Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Cake
• Crock Pot Milk Chocolate Creme Brulee
• Crock Pot Flan
• Crock Pot Cheesecake
• Ubantu's, Deanie Fox Cheese Pie Recipe
• Vanilla Hot Chocolate
  
• Best Apple Crisp Recipe
• Chocolate Marshmallows
• Easy, No-bake Creme Brulee Recipe
• Vanilla- Mincemeat Ice Cream
• How to Make Homemade Pie Crust