Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

I could kiss whoever came up with this brilliant idea. The inspiration comes from one of my favorite drinks, the Irish Car Bomb. Wikipedia's definition is as follows:

A carbomb, also called an Irish carbomb or Belfast bomber or Flacco Bomb, is a boilermaker made with stout (e.g. Guinness), Irish Cream (e.g. Baileys) and Irish whiskey (e.g. Jameson). The name references the drink's Irish components and the car bombings used most notoriously by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) during The Troubles. The Jameson is floated on top of the Baileys in a shot glass, and the shot glass is then dropped into the stout. Once mixed the drink must be consumed quickly, because it will curdle.

I came across this recipe from a post on the WC board. When I saw their deliciousness, I thought they would be the perfect treat for the St. Patrick's Day bash. Everyone gobbled them up. It was my first time making ganache and now I know what all the hype is about. Oh man, I could have eaten it all, right out of the bag.

The Cupcake
1 C Guinness
1 C unsalted butter (2 sticks)
3/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
2 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2/3 C sour cream

The Ganache
8 oz bittersweet chocolate (or 1 C bittersweet chips)
2/3 C heavy cream
2 tsp Irish whiskey
2 Tbsp butter, room temperature

The Frosting
3 to 4 cups confections sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperatue
6 to 8 tablespoons Bailey's

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup Guiness and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Let it cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in large bowl to blend. Using stand or electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add Guinness-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, about 17 minutes.

Cool cupcakes completely.

To make the ganache, in a heatproof bowl, heat the cream in the microwave for 20-30 seconds, or until hot. Add the chopped (or chipped) bittersweet chocolate.Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can toss it in the microwave for about 20 seconds at a time, stirring each time.) Add the butter and whiskey, stir until combined. Let the ganache cool until thick, but still soft enough to be piped.


Using a paring knife, cut a small circle in the middle of each cupcake and pull out the middle. Put the thickened ganache in a Ziploc bag and snip one of the corners. Fill the cupcake holes with the ganache.


To make the frosting, whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. It needs to be very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time. When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Bailey's and whip until combined.

Frost the cupcakes, spooning any extra frosting right into your mouth. Trust me, you'll want to do this.