Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Bailey's Buttercream

    Chocolate, stout, baileys and sprinkles. What's not to love? This recipe was the hit of our St. Patrick's Day celebration this year. Yes, the guys loved the idea of a booze cupcake but they were also delicious and devoured quickly. I adapted my cupcake recipe from here, one of the best sites I know of if you are a cake addict. She got the recipe from here. The recipes are all about a large community of baker's who have a passion for food and recipes that we have found to work and we share it with gusto! We have some of our own originals but we also know what works and give credit where it's due. Now onto this recipe!

I start with a good chocolate stout instead of Guinness, this one is outstanding for recipes and as an ice cold sippy.

The Cupcake

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa (plus more for dusting finished cupcakes if so desired)
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch fine salt
• 1 bottle stout beer (recommended: Guinness)
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• ¾ cup sour cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. In another medium mixing bowl, combine the stout, melted butter, and vanilla. Beat in eggs, 1 at time. Mix in sour cream until thoroughly combined and smooth. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.
4. Lightly grease 24 muffin tins. Divide the batter equally between muffin tins, filling each ¾ full. Bake for about 12 minutes and then rotate the pans. Bake another 12 to 13 minutes until risen, nicely domed, and set in the middle but still soft and tender. Cool before turning out.

The Buttercream

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

• 7 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 5 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream
• 3 tablespoon heavy cream      
  

Directions

1. Whip that butter into submission and light in color.
2. Add Half of the powdered sugar and whip until it's fully mixed in.
3. Add the Bailey's Irish Cream and half of the heavy cream. Mix a few seconds until it is mixed in.
4. Add the other half of the powdered sugar and the remaining cream. Whip it until it is mixed and fluffed into a beautiful buttercream.

Frost, decorate, devour!