Any cupcake that has 3 types of booze in it is pretty much guaranteed to be a hit. As expected, these turned out so well! I brought them to work and they were literally gone in 20 minutes. Success!

The recipe seems a bit daunting since you have the cake, the filling and the frosting, but I was able to make 30 cupcakes within 2 hours, start to finish. It’s worth 2 hours of your time, I promise! Logistically, I would making the ganache while your cupcakes are baking in the oven, and then let it chill it the fridge, stirring every 10 minutes until you are ready to use it. You can then make the frosting while your cupcakes are cooling, and cover it until the cupcakes are ready to be frosted. Make sure to give it a quick beat before you use it, as it does harden slightly. I piped the frosting with a big round tip and topped it with a few milk chocolate shavings.

Guinness, Jameson and Baileys Cupcakes (makes 24-30)
Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin wells with cupcake papers. In a medium saucepan, bring Guinness and butter to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk in cocoa powder until smooth and let cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in a separate large bowl until smooth and combined. Add cooled chocolate and Guinness mixture to the sour cream and eggs and beat until just combined. Slowly add dry ingredients and beat briefly on a slow speed, scraping down sides as needed. Fill each cupcake paper between 2/3 and 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 17-18 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely before filling.

For the ganache:
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, broken into pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
3 teaspoons Jameson whiskey

Place chocolate in a medium heat-resistant bowl. In a small saucepan, heat heavy cream until bubbling. Carefully pour it over chocolate and let sit untouched for 20 seconds. After that, stir until smooth and combined. Add in butter and whiskey. Let cool until it’s a pipe-able consistency, using the fridge if needed. If you use the fridge, make sure to stir every 10 minutes.

For the frosting:
7 to 8 cups powdered sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
6-8 tablespoons Baileys

In a large bowl, beat butter until smooth and creamy, at least 3 minutes. Slowly add powdered sugar until thick and smooth. Add Baileys and beat until incorporate. If the frosting is too thin (it shouldn’t be), add more powdered sugar as necessary.

To assemble cupcakes, place ganache in a small piping bag with a medium tip (any shape, I used a star). Place the tip into the cupcake and fill until cupcake swells slightly. Repeat with remaining cupcakes. Place the frosting in a large piping bag and frost as desired. I used a large round tip. Eat and be merry!

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen