Boozing & Baking

So this is what it is like to blog... not so bad.  It seems like everyone and their mother keeps a blog these days.  Blogging about food, children, hobbies, fashion, you name it... I assure you there is somebody out there blogging about it.  I love the idea...  I love that I get a little glimpse into someone's life who is passionate about a certain topic, but I never thought that somebody would be me.  I guess we'll wait and see how this goes.  Check back in a week or two and see if I'm still here. (I like to start with low standards it keeps everybody happy)

I figured it was only appropriate to begin my blog with what really brought me into the food/baking world. CUPCAKES!! Well... that's not the entire truth, it was really a team effort between cakes, brownies, cookies, and cheesecake that sparked my interest.  I don't discriminate, I love them all.  I also love risotto, paella, seafood, steak... I could continue for days listing my love affairs with all things food.  But I'll try to stay focused today.  Cupcakes are on the menu and the cupcakes, my friend, are amazing.  As for the title of this post 'Boozing & Baking', I just want to clarify that I was not drunk when making these lovelies, nor do I usually operate large heated machinery while in an intoxicated state.  Safety First! My mother would be so proud. (Love you mom!) The Booze rather refers to what has been baked IN these beauties.  Three kinds of alcohol did you say? Impressive huh?  My thoughts exactly when I saw these on Smitten Kitten... three years ago.  But whatever, cupcakes I wanted and cupcakes I got, albeit slightly delayed. 

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Makes 20 to 24 cupcakes
For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes
1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Ganache Filling
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 to 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey (optional)

Baileys Frosting (see Recipe Notes)
3 to 4 cups confections sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperatue
3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof)
Special equipment: 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer and a piping bag (though a plastic bag with the corner snipped off will also work)

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

Make the filling: Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and whiskey (if you’re using it) and stir until combined.

Fill the cupcakes: Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes). Meanwhile, using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Those are your “tasters”. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

Make the frosting: Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.