Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Needless to say, these were a St. Patrick's Day order from some of my favorite peeps, Todd and Lacy. They always ask for flavors I haven't tried yet and I love getting to add to repertoire! These babies are made by assembling together chocolate Guinness cake, Irish whiskey ganache, and Bailey's buttercream frosting. Peeps are freaking over these cupcakes! I made a half batch to test the recipe and the many people that taste tested them all were in love. One person even put in their own order for them! Check these out:

Recipe
Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes (from Smitten Kitchen)

cake:
1c stout beer (I used Guinness)
2 sticks butter
3/4c cocoa
2c flour
2c sugar
1 1/2t baking soda
3/4t salt
2 eggs
2/3c sour cream

ganache:
8oz chocolate (I used 4oz bittersweet and 4oz semi-sweet)
2/3c heavy cream
2T butter, softened
2T Irish whiskey (I used Bushmills on borrow from my whiskey drinking friends at Club Haven)

frosting:
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
4c powdered sugar
1/4c Bailey's
heavy cream

cake:
Preheat to 350F. In a medium saucepan, bring beer and butter to simmer until butter is melted. Stir in cocoa powder. Whisk until smooth. Cool somewhat. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat together eggs and sour cream until smooth. Add beer mixture to eggs. Beat until just combined. Add flour mixture and beat until combined. Bake for 16 minutes. Cool completely. Using a corer or knife, remove a small amount of the center of the cupcake, creating a crater for the ganache.

ganache:
Chop chocolate into small pieces and place in a heat-proof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer over low heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate. Allow to sit for 3 minutes. Stir until smooth. Stir in butter until fully melted. Stir in whiskey until smooth. Cool overnight. Scoop into small balls and place in the craters of the cupcakes.

frosting:
In a large bowl, beat butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar slowly while stirring. Add Bailey's and beat until smooth. If the frosting is too stiff, add heavy cream. If it's too runny, add powdered sugar. Beat for a few minutes until fluffy. Pipe onto ganache-filled cupcakes.

Enjoy!