Guinness & Bailey's Cupcakes

Hi all! Before I dive in today's recipe, I wanted to share some really exciting news with you! The popular local media website BostInno.com has asked me to write a weekly recipe column for their site, and my first post will go up today. My series will be called 'Sweet Treat Tuesdays' and I'll be sharing a recipe with their readers, Twitter followers and Facebook fans every week. I am so honored and thrilled to be writing these weekly posts, and I hope you'll all stop by BostInno.com today (and every Tuesday) to check out my column which should go live around 2pm ET!  Thank you all for your support! :)

This past Saturday, my friend Jen hosted a mustache themed party. She decorated her entire apartment with mustache decor, cut out mustache-shaped grilled cheese sandwiches and PB&J sandwiches and even gave out plastic mustache rings to everyone! She asked me to bring a baked treat, so I figured that Guinness cupcakes filled with chocolate ganache and topped with a Bailey's buttercream would be the perfect dessert. I also made cute mustache toppers using Mod Podge, card stock, glitter, toothpicks and tape. Don't they just make the cupcakes?

Guinness & Bailey's cupcakes

makes about 21 cupcakes

adapted from SF Food Wars

For the cupcakes...

• 1 cup Guinness
• 2 sticks 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 eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F and line 2 cupcake tins with paper liners.
2. Cut the butter into large chunks before putting them in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the Guinness. Bring them to a simmer.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt and set aside.
4. Remove the simmering butter/Guinness mixture from the heat and add the cocoa powder. Whisk until nice and smooth and set aside to cool.
5. In the bowl of your standing mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream until smooth.
6. Pour in the butter/Guinness/chocolate mixture and mix until just combined.
7. Reduce speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients in the large bowl to the bowl of your standing mixer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl while adding and only mix until just combined.
8. Fill each cupcake tin until it's almost full and bake for 15-18 minutes.
9. Transfer cupcakes to wire racks to cool completely.

For the filling...

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1. Put the bittersweet chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and set aside.
2. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the heavy cream to a simmer.
3. Pour the cream over the chocolate in the bowl and add the butter. Stir until smooth and combined.
4. Stick in the fridge, stirring every 5 minutes until your cupcakes have cooled down.
5. Using a cupcake corer, remove the center of each cupcake and spoon a bit of ganache until it starts to reach the top. It's okay if you get a little messy...they'll still taste great!

For the frosting...

• 3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 10-12 cups confectioners sugar
• 9 tablespoons of Bailey's Irish Cream

1. I like to put a lot of frosting on my cupcakes, so this recipe will make enough so you can pile it on high!
2. In the bowl of your standing mixer, beat the butter until it's light and fluffy.
3. Slowly add the Bailey's and mix until combine.
4. Add the confectioner's sugar, one cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl until the frosting reaches the right consistency.
5. Fill up a piping bag fitted with a star tip and frost away!

And to finish off the post, here are photos of my friend Jen and I sporting our mustaches. :)