Carbomb Cupcakes

Before anyone comments, I realize that the name is not politically correct. However, my husband, my IRISH husband, has no problem with their name. They are named after the drink (the very tasty drink), not the actual car-bombs.

Now that we are beyond the name, we can discuss the cupcakes. These are amazing. I first made them last Memorial Day. The word of these cupcakes spread quickly - as soon as a new guest arrived, the were instructed to eat a cupcake. If they insisted on eating their meal first, they were told to at least take a cupcake and carry it with them until they were ready to eat it. People were eating 2 or 3 cupcakes, even before they grilled their meat. Thankfully, I tried one before sharing, or I wouldn't have had one to eat that night.

Of course, I had to make them for Saint Patrick's Day. We had our good friends from Minneapolis in town to celebrate the holiday with us in Boston, and I knew they would appreciate the treat. These are some of the most moist cupcakes I've ever made - it may become my standard chocolate cake recipe.



CARBOMB CUPCAKES (From Smitten Kitchen)
Makes approximately 24 cupcakes

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes
1 cup Guinness (or any stout)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon chocolate flavoring/extract

Make the cupcakes:
Preheat 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 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs, flavoring 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, filling 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.

Ganache Filling
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate

2/3 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1 to 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey or 1 to 2 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream(optional)

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. Add the butter and whiskey/Baileys (if you’re using it) and stir until combined.

Fill the cupcakes:
Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped or spooned into the cupcakes. Meanwhile, cut cones out of the 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. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.





Baileys Frosting
3 to 4 cups confections sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

4-8 tablespoons Baileys

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.

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

Enjoy!