Cupcakes and St. Patrick's Day

So this post is mostly about a yummy St. Patrick's Day cupcake recipe! I'll be teaching Emma about the history of St. Patrick and how it relates to paganism but I do have some research to do myself. As it's the very beginning of March that gives me some time thankfully. For now here's a great cupcake recipe that my husband got from someone at work! It's divine. I'll post some pictures when the girls and I make them this weekend. I'll be making two batches. One without the alcohol in the frosting because I don't need my kids boozed up and one for my husband to take to work that has the alcohol in it!

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

1 cup Guinness Stout
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
2 cups all purpose flower
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
2/3 cups sour cream

Ganache Filling

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature 
1 to 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey (optional)
Baileys Frosting (see Recipe Notes)
3 to 4 cups confectioners sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 oz) unsalted butter at room temperature
3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys (or milk, or heavy cream or combination thereof)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcakes with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium head. Add cocoa power 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 mixture beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout chocolate mixture to egg minture 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 cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean. Roasted them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly. Bake for about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

Ganache: Make the filling. Chop the chocolate and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until it simmers and pour over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. If this does not sufficiently melt the chocolate you can return it to the double-boiler to gently melt what remains. Alternatively use the microwave in 10 second intervals stirring in between being careful not to scorch the chocolate. Add the butter and whiskey (if using) and stir until combined.

Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped. Meanwhile, using your one inch young cookie cutter or apple corer cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but do not cut through to the bottom. Aim for 2/3 of the way. Put ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

Frosting: Whip the butter in a mixing bowl for several minutes until light and fluffy. slowly add the powered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.

When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys (or milk) and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thing bet in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.