It's Christmas once again and in our house, I am required to cook cookies and goodies for my children's classmates. So, like it or not, I HAVE to cook.
I have been wanting to try a liqueur enhanced (adult) cupcake. So here it is. This is a chocolate cupcake filled with a chocolate whiskey ganache and topped with a bailey's irish cream buttercream frosting.
3 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped fine
1/3 cup dutch processed cocoa
3/4 cup coffee
3/4 cup bread flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
6 tbsp oil
2 large eggs
2 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
For the Whiskey Ganache Filling:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoons Irish whiskey
For the Baileys Frosting:
1 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
1.5 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream
1. To make cupcakes: preheat oven 180C (350F). line muffin tin with liner. place chcolate and cocoa in bowl and pour hot coffee over the mixture and whisk till smooth. let cool.
2. Whisk flour sugar, salt and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
3. Whisk oil eggs, vinegar and vanilla into cooled chocolate cocoa mixture and whisk till smooth. divide batter among muffin tins and bake till set - about 17- 19 minutes. cool in wire rack 1 hour before frosting.
4. To Make the Whiskey Ganache Filling: Finely 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, using a rubber spatula, stir it from the center outward until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined. Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped.
5. To Fill the Cupcakes: Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter (or the bottom of a large decorating tip), cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes, going about two-thirds of the way down. Transfer the ganache to a piping back with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.
6. To Make the Baileys Frosting: Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar until all of it is incorporated. Add the Baileys, increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy.
7. Using your favorite decorating tip, or an offset spatula, frost the cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container.
I reduced the sugar in the frosting and added a bit more bailey's (this from comments on the sweetness of the frosting).
The whiskey added a twist to the chocolate filling and created a different dimension to it.
Pls forgive me if I lack the "how to" pics. I promise to post more pictures on the next posts.
I hope you get to try this one. It s a bit labor intensive but gets you some "wow" factor.
adapted from cooks illustrated and brown eyed baker
