St Patrick’s Day Cupcakes with a Tall Crown

St Patrick’s Day Cupcakes with a Tall Crown is filed under Cupcakes and built around Dutch-processed cocoa powder, bittersweet chocolate chopped fine, and espresso powder. Plan on 24 cupcakes.

Count on 20 minutes of prep, 14 minutes of cooking, about 34 minutes from the first measurement to the plate.

Ingredients Method

What goes in the bowl

For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

• 3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped fine
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• 3/4 cup Guinness beer
• 1 cup sour cream at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 5 eggs at room temperature

For the Bailey’s Irish Cream Buttercream

• 1 cup butter room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 6 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream

How the cooking goes

Make the cupcakes

1. Warm the oven to 325°F and line 24 cupcake tins with liners.
2. Blend the cocoa powder, chocolate, and espresso powder in a mixing bowl.
3. Bring the Guinness to barely boiling in a small saucepan. Pour the hot Guinness over the chocolate mixture and whisk until completely melted and smooth. Keep it to one side to cool to ambient temperature.
4. While the chocolate mixture is cooling, combine flour, salt, and baking soda together in a medium mixing bowl and whisk.
5. Beat the sour cream into the chocolate mixture when it is cool.
6. In a bowl of a electric mixer or with an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla together at medium speed until pale and fluffy.
7. Whip in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Wiping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
8. Reduce the mixer speed to low then add the flour mixture in three additions. Alternate between the flour and chocolate mixture, beginning and ending with flour.
9. Portion the batter into the cupcake liners. Bake until a cake tester or cake tester comes out with some crumbs still attached, about 20-30 minutes. Cool in the cupcake pan for 5 minutes before cooling on a wire rack.

Make the buttercream

1. Allow the cupcakes cool until it is no longer warm. Beat the butter until light and fluffy on high speed with an electric mixer or in the electric mixer.
2. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Continue to beat until well combined.
3. Add the Baileys a tablespoon at a time, beating and scraping the bowl down between each addition. Whip until light and fluffy. If your butter was not completely softened, this will take longer.
4. Use a flexible spatula to put the frosting in a piping bag fitted with a piping tip of your choice. Press the buttercream all the way to the bottom of the bag, making sure there are no air bubbles. Twist the top opening of the pastry bag to ensure you don’t lose any of the deliciousness.

Assemble the cupcakes

1. Remove the center of the cupcakes using a knife, a cupcake corer, or any other small, round object of your imagination.
2. Fill the center with the salted caramel sauce. It should be thick, like cooling lava. If it is too warm and runny, then it will just soak into your cake.
3. Pipe (or spread) the frosting onto each cupcake. You use a Wilton 2D piping tip. Sprinkle with green sanding sugar if desired! Store at ambient temperature for up to 3 days.

After it comes off the heat

Let the pan settle before you slice, so the crumb stays together. Cover leftovers once they are cool.

If you want another plate from Cupcakes, open Coconut Cupcakes with a Tall Crown and Peach Crisp Cupcakes with Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream for a Smooth Finish.