Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Summary
Prep time	45 min
Cook time	17 min
Source	Hell's Kitchen (or at least they found it)
Yield / serves	20-24 cupcakes
Rating	(unrated)

From Hell's Kitchen:

Nah, we didn't invent this recipe; we stole it from a few websites including rachellb.com who swiped it from a site called SmittenKitchen.com who probably borrowed it from someone else... you get the picture; as Elvis Costello said about songwriting, "We're all thieves and magpies." But this proves just how damn good these cupcakes are. They're the bomb. Ya know how you can't really taste the beer in "beer brats" and other alcohol-based recipes? Well the Irish have figured this one out, so fair warning: don't munch and drive. These are NOT for your 5-year old's birthday bash.

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1 c stout (such as Murphy's or Guinness)
• 1 c unsalted butter
• 3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 c all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 t baking soda
• 3/4 t salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 c sour cream

Ganach Filling

• 8 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 2/3 c heavy cream
• 2 T butter, room temperature
• 1-2 t Irish whiskey

Bailey's Frosting

• 6 c confectioners sugar
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 6 T Bailey's Irish Cream
• chocolate sprinkles for garnish (optional)

Preparation

Make the cupcakes

Preheat the 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 t 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, fill 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, 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 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 a 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.

When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Bailey's and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin (it shouldn't, but just in case) beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.

Ice and decorate the cupcakes, adding optional chocolate sprinklers if you want.