Mini Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Mini Car Bomb Cupcakes - Guinness Irish Stout Cupcake, Jameson Whiskey Ganache, & Bailey's Irish Cream Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients - Mini Irish Stout Cupcakes (From My Baking Addiction's Guinness Cupcakes)

1 bottle Guinness or other dark stout beer

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 T vanilla

3 eggs

3/4 cup sour cream

3/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa

2 cups sugar

2.5 cups all-purpose flour

1.5 tsp baking soda

Preparation - Mini Irish Stout Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place paper cupcake liners in a mini cupcake baking pan.

2. Mix the Guinness, milk, oil, and vanilla together.  Beat in each egg and then the sour cream, mixing well after each addition.  

3. In a medium size bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, flour, and baking soda.

4. Add the cocoa mixture to the Guinness mixture by the cupful, mixing until just combined after each addition.

5. Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 of the way full with batter and bake for 12 minutes. 

6. Let cupcakes sit in the pan for several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Recipe makes about 80 mini cupcakes.

7. Once cool, place in the freezer for approximately 10 minutes.  This will help the ganache in the next step set without running all over the cupcakes!

Mini Irish Stout Cupcakes

Ingredients - Whiskey Ganache (Taken from Sugar and Snapshots)
1 (4 oz) Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar, chopped
0.5 cup heavy cream
1 T butter, softened
3 T whiskey

  

Preparation - Whiskey Ganache
1. Put chopped chocolate and butter in a small bowl, set aside.
2. Bring heavy cream to a boil in a small saucepan.
3. Pour cream over chocolate and stir until butter and chocolate are completely melted.
4. Add in whiskey, and stir until combined.
5. Refrigerate for 5-8 minutes, or until ganache is cool to the touch.
6. Remove cupcakes from freezer. Dip each cupcake in the ganache to the cupcake liner.  Twist your wrist and allow any extra ganache to run off before turning right side up and allowing to set.
7. Let the ganache covered cupcakes set for approximately an hour before adding the buttercream from the next step.

Whiskey Ganache

Ingredients - Irish Cream Vanilla Bean Buttercream (Taken from Sugar and Snapshots)

4 egg whites
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vanilla sugar
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into tablespoons
1/2 cup powdered sugar
6 T Bailey's Irish Cream

Preparation - Irish Cream Vanilla Bean Buttercream

1. Whisk the egg whites and salt in a metal bowl (the metal Kitchenaid mixer bowl works great!)
2. Add sugar and whisk until combined.
3. Suspend metal bowl over a simmer saucepan of water and whisk until sugar is melted, 2-5 minutes. (The sugar is melted when you can no longer feel the granules and the mixture is smooth.)
4. Whisk mixture for approximately 8-10 minutes on medium/high. The mixture will have stiff peaks.
5. Add in butter a tablespoon at a time.  Take your time!  Make sure each tablespoon is incorporated before adding the next. Once all butter is added, the mixture will look curdles.  Mix on high for 5-10 minutes until it has come back together.
6. Add powdered sugar and mix until combined.  If not sweet enough, add to taste.
7. Add Bailey's and mix.
8. Place buttercream in a piping bag and swirl onto cupcakes.

Irish Cream Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting