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Sunday, February 13, 2011

Guinness Cupcakes with Whiskey Ganache and Baileys Frosting

Yes my friend, you read that correctly.

This little gem came to me by way of Miss Maggie Stumpf. She found it on SmittenKitchen.com.

I decided to make them as an early Valentines Day gift for Brian. He cleaned the bathroom for my Valentines Day gift. I think thats a pretty good deal for both of us.

These are a little more labor intensive than regular cupcakes, but they are so worth the extra effort.


First, chocolate and Guinness cupcakes are baked.  The Guinness makes the cupcakes so light and fluffy, I was amazed. MMmmm foamy beer goodness.

While the cupcakes are baking you can make and cool the Whiskey ganache. This was actually my first time making ganache, and now its my favorite word. I didn't have an apple corer or a round cookie cutter, so I used a liquid injector. Not as easy as it sounds since ganache is not actually a liquid. But thats what I have a big, strong husband for.

And yes, he did help make his own cupcakes. Shush.



Once the cupcakes are filled its time to make the frosting!

Butter. Powdered Sugar. Baileys.

Heaven.


 

I tried to get a little fancy with a plastic baggy (next on my "to buy" list is a piping kit, by the way), but I'm not sure it came out as sophisticated as I hoped...tastes just as good though!


Go ahead - try them for yourself!
Adopted from Smitten Kitchen


Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

1 cup Guinness (or other stout beer)
1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
2/3 cup sour cream

Ganache Filling
8 ounces dark chocolate (I used a mix of milk and dark chocolate)
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey

Baileys Frosting
3-4 cups confections sugar (I used 3 cups)
4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperatue
3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys

Extras 
1-inch round cookie cutter, an apple corer or liquid injector (not recommended, but it gets the job done)

To make the cupcakes:
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
  2. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. 
  3. Bring 1 cup Guinness and 1 cup butter to a simmer in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. 
  4. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth, cool slightly.
  5. Stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl. 
  6. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend.
  7. Add Guinness-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. 
  8. Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat briefly on a slow speed. 
  9. Using a rubber spatula, fold in batter until completely combined. 
  10. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. 
  11. Bake cupcakes until a tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. 
  12. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

Make the ganache 
  1. Chop up the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. 
  2. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. 
  3. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth (you can melt it further in the microwave for 15-20 seconds at a time if the chocolate isn't completely melted). 
  4. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined.

Fill the cupcakes:
  1. Let the ganache cool until it is thick but still soft enough to be piped 
  2. Meanwhile, cut out the centers of the cooled cupcakes with your 1-inch round cookie cutter or apple corer.  Make sure you don't cut all the way down to the bottom of the cupcake. 
  3. Put the cooled ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.
  4. If you are using a liquid injector, fill the cupcakes until you can see the top pop up a bit, trying not to burst open the cupcake.

Make the frosting:
  1. Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want it to be very light and fluffy.
  2. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a quarter cup at a time.
  3. When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys and whip it until combined.
  4. Frost and decorate the cupcakes until your little heart is content




Happy Valentine's Day!
Posted by tracy lynn at 20:35 Labels: , , , , ,

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