Guinness, Whiskey & Irish Cream Cupcakes
The classic cocktail shot transformed into cupcakes – Guinness chocolate cake, Jameson whiskey ganache filling, and Baileys buttercream frosting.
Please tell me that you’ve had the good fortune of tasting chocolate cake that’s been spiked with Guinness. If you haven’t, stop what you’re doing right now, go buy a six-pack of Guinness, grab some chocolate, and head to the kitchen.
The chocolate flavor is so deep and intense, almost malty, and the cake is just so incredibly moist – you’ll definitely want to start making these Guinness cupcakes all year long!
These cupcakes are the #1 all-time most popular recipe on the site, and for good reason. They are utterly spectacular. They are fashioned after the popular cocktail that consists of a shot of Baileys Irish Cream and Irish whiskey dropped into a pint of Guinness. I have never had one myself, but I’ve heard that if you can get it down before it curdles, it’s smooth, delicious and almost tastes like a milkshake.
MY OTHER RECIPESI’ve never been into doing shots, so I’ll just eat a cupcake and call it a day. Cupcake trumps shots every day of the week for me!
To replicate the drink, I baked up Guinness chocolate cupcakes, filled them with a Jameson whiskey chocolate ganache, and topped them with a Baileys Irish Cream-spiked version of my favorite vanilla buttercream frosting.
While there are a few steps to these cupcakes, they really are simple to bake and assemble. Once the cupcakes are cool, I cut out the centers (and nibbled on the scraps, shhhh), scooped in ganache, and then topped them with lofty swirls of the Baileys buttercream frosting.
I waited for my ganache to thicken before scooping it into the cupcakes, but I think you could fill them when it’s still pretty soft, as it should then firm up inside of the cupcakes.
While you can’t taste the beer in the cupcakes (it serves as a flavor enhancer for the chocolate), you can definitely taste the alcohol in the filling and the frosting. Everyone that I’ve ever made these for absolutely adores them and can’t get over how fantastic they taste. They are truly the trifecta of boozy Irish cupcakes!
Whether you’re throwing a St. Patrick’s Day party, or just need an excuse for some really amazingly delicious boozy cupcakes, look no further! These are guaranteed to be a hit wherever you take them.
Six years ago: Traditional Mardi Gras King Cake
Seven years ago: Asiago Bagels
Eight years ago: Baked Oatmeal
Nine years ago: Royal Crown’s Tortano
Guinness, Whiskey & Irish Cream Cupcakes
Guinness cupcakes with a Jameson whiskey ganache center and topped with a Baileys Irish Cream frosting.
Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes:
- 1 cup (240 ml) Guinness stout
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup (64 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 2 cups (283 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (397 grams) granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ teaspoons salt
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup (151 grams) sour cream
For the Whiskey Ganache Filling:
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- ⅔ cup (160 ml) heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey
For the Baileys Frosting:
- 2 cups (454 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 5 cups (567 grams) powdered sugar
- 6 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream
Directions:
- Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two standard muffin tins with liners.
- Place the Guinness and butter in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until combined. Add the Guinness-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat just until it starts to come together, about 30 seconds. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the Whiskey Ganache Filling: Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Place the heavy cream in a small saucepan and bring to simmer over medium heat. Immediately pour it over the chocolate, then let it sit for two minutes. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir the mixture 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, about 30 minutes. (If it becomes too stiff, simply give it a good whisk and it will loosen up.)
- Fill the Cupcakes: Using a paring knife, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes, going about two-thirds of the way down. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, divide the prepared ganache between the centers of the cupcakes.
- 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.
- 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 at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Recipe Notes:
The cupcakes in the old photos were decorated using a Wilton 1M decorating tip, which I reference in a number of comments below. The cupcakes in the new photos (3/8/17) were decorated with an Ateco #827 tip. Both are open star tips, but the Ateco one is slightly larger.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
(Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
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Oh dear. I am giving up sugar for the next 40 days. Why does St. Patrick’s Day have to fall during lent!? These look so unique and amazing.
St. Patrick’s day is your cheat day during lent, so go for it! These seem wayyyy to delish to pass up!
I agree with you
my eyes fooled me in the first place when i saw the paper liners peeling out. then after having closer look…..well, BEB yours is a great blog. may i add your blog to my blog roll..
How fun! These look so festive. :)
I haven’t had an Irish car bomb since college! What a creative recipe! These cupcakes look delicious. Def have to try!
This is an amazing idea!! Great recipe :)
Wow, these look so good!! I love the drink, which (for me at least) is hard to get down but delicious if you can do it. I can only imagine the cupcake version is doubly delicious! Also, the thought of Baileys in frosting makes me drool a little. :o)
I don’t have to wait until Thursday to bake these, right? Good.
That whiskey ganache filling sounds incredible! The whole cupcake looks amazing.
I made these last year – (this year, i’m on the lent-bus with a few of the rest of you) – and they were AMAZING. Pro-tip: after they’ve cooled, stick them in the freezer. The booze keeps them from freezing solid, and you just have tasty pucks of delicious. Yum!
these look so amazing I am a sucker for anything filled
My bf LOVES Irish Car Bombs (the drink, obviously). Have to make these for him! Great recipe, these cupcakes are too cute.
I just used these same cupcake liners on the batch I made yesterday! Love your blog and can’t wait to try out some of the recipes you’ve been posting lately – the frosting on these cupcakes looks so moist and tasty!
What store did you buy those cupcake liners from? Or where can I buy them online?
Hi Janelle, I bought the cupcake liners from Michaels when they had all of their St. Patrick’s Day stuff out.
I was wondering that too!
These are gorgeous and all kinds of festive! Guinness is one of my favorite beers and I can’t imagine not loving these.
These cupcakes look amazing! I can’t wait to see more cocktail inspired cupcakes.
I agree! These cupcakes look amazing!
These look fantastic! I make an Irish Carbomb Cupcake too, but I do a whiskey glaze, followed by the Bailey’s frosting – works every time :)
Amazing cupcakes! What a fantastic idea!
yum! Love all the St. Patty’s recipes :)
Definitely my kind of cupcake! Cheers :)
Love the idea, I’ll be making these ASAP, even if i have to eat them all by myself( DARN)!!! Thanks!
looks delicious! beautiful photographs :)
OMG!!!!! I got so excited, I had to do a little dance. These sound….what is a better word than incredible? Great job. I love the name and idea.
I love the presentation of these cupcakes!
The only thing is…you left out the measurement for the baking soda.
Oops, sorry about that! It is 1.5 teaspoons, and I made sure to fix it above. Thanks for the catch!
I made these using the recipe on smitten kitchen last year
And they were the hit of the party. Your recipe
Is very similar
Wow! These look like a lot of work but very delicious! Mind sending some my way ;)?
These are my go-to cupcakes! everyone absolutely adores them! Yours look so much prettier than mine!
Let’s hear it for the booze!! I’ve been thinking along the same lines, combining 1iquor into baked goods. It’s a win-win. Look forward to your combos.
Love the cupcakes!
You take my breath away…
My boyfriend loves ICB’s and I can’t wait to make these for him, thanks for posting :)
Do you love the drink or the terrorist atrocity it celebrates?
It’s a delicious drink if you’ve never had one!
I agree Andrew. I will make this recipe but I’m *not* calling it “Irish Car Bomb Cake” because that’s disgusting.
Where did you get the cupcake liners?
Hi Kimberly, I got them at Michael’s.
Thank you!
And you thank you for your blog and sharing your talents with us!
Okay, this is serious business here. I need to get some Guinness pronto!
Oh, I need to get on this! I made some homemade Bailey’s last night ( and, um *cough* had a couple of shots), which I’m definitely using for these awesome looking cupcakes! Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
Holy hell yes please! I cannot tell you how much I am drooling right now over these! I love Irish Car Bombs and then to put it into a cupcake?! ::drools:: I am bowing down to you my Brown Eyed baker, you are a genius!
They look so delish! Can’t wait to try!!
I just made this cake last night! How funny to see it on this morning on your blog. I made mine into a single layer cake (with 6 cupcakes left over), and frosted it with the peanut butter frosting recipe from her (which uses the natural stuff, just peanuts and salt!) http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Cake-with-Milk-Chocolate-Peanut-Butter-Frosting-and-Peanut-Butter-Brittle-351020
Just in case you’re ever interested in a new’do for the cake! So, so, tasty!
These are so wrong, they are right. What a great idea for a St. Patty’s day treat!
I made these last year from Smitten Kitchen! But I did a whiskey caramel center to mix it up a bit…
The Bailey’s Frosting is truly lifechanging. Seriously.
OH MY….
These look and sound delicious!! Love all the green. Can’t wait to make it! Bookmarked and stumbled :)
I must have these, they sound absolutely AH-mazing….(and the drink is delicious if you can get it down…its been a few years since I could!)
And the fact that these cupcakes are filled makes them that much more fabulous!! So fun :)
I made a different version of these last night, sans the filling. I used Young’s Double Chocolate Stout and the recipe for both cake and Irish Cream frosting differ but they were DELICIOUS! The Young’s brings an excellent flavor to the cupcakes. I posted them on my blog this morning because they were that good! Sent the rest with hubby to work though…I’d eat them all! :)
Guinness, Bailey’s and Jameson all in one recipe! YUM! And how perfectly iced these little darlin’s are! This is a perfect St. Patty’s recipe! Dessert tomorrow, then…
those are beautiful! and look so delicious! i agree that turning drinks into food is a wonderful thing!
Thank you so much for sharing these! I have wanted to make them for a year now and spotted them on your blog. I made these tonight and they turned out wonderfully! I’m super excited to share these with my friends over some green beer tomorrow…I linked you here http://damegoodeats.blogspot.com/2011/03/irish-car-bomb-cupcakes.html
thanks again! :)
I just made these and they are simply DELICIOUS! My roommates ate up half of them before I could even pack them up for work. I did sub greek yogurt for the sour cream (because that’s what I had in the fridge) and they were still amazing. Can’t wait to share them! Thank you for the recipe.
I made these tonight to take to the office tomorrow. They smell delicious! I can’t wait to see what people think tomorrow. Thanks for the recipe.
I made these to bring to work tomorrow — both my husband and I almost passed out from how delicious they were. Cannot wait to hear what everyone has to say tomorrow. I did leave out the ganache thinking that ALL the alcohol would make them NSFW. I will make them again for this weekend WITH the ganache :)
How far ahead of the festivities can these be made?
Hi Melissa, You can make them up to a day in advance. After that, they won’t be as fresh.
I’ve been wanting to try these for years – so glad to see a recipe for them just in time for St. Patty’s. Quick question – what tip did you use to pipe your frosting (or how)? It looks so pretty and much better than my slapping it on with a spatula!
Hi Michelle, I used a Wilton 1M tip and just sort of swirled it around. Enjoy the cupcakes!
I’m attempting to make these now! Do they need to be refrigerated once they are filled and frosted?
Nope! You can store them at room temperature.
Thank you! They turned out great. I can’t wait to enjoy them tomorrow!
I’ve made these a bunch of times from smitten kitchen and they are amazing. The only improvement I’ve found is using a Sweet/Milk Stout. The cupcakes are much more yummy without the dry bitterness of the Guinness. They are a hit every time I make them.
I made these cupcakes last night and they are AMAZING! They disappeared very quickly at work today :)
I linked to these in my blog: http://jaclynscookies.blogspot.com/
Thank you for sharing this fabulous recipe!
Great recipe! I did a post about St. Patty’s Day feasts and linked to this recipe in a shoutout. Thanks for posting it! Here’s my link.
http://reluctantwwfoodie.wordpress.com/2011/03/17/a-st-pattys-day-feast/
I made these for work today and everyone loved them! Thanks so much for sharing this great recipe!
This was wonderful! Family loved them… Thanks so much for the idea!
AMAZING! I brought them to a St. Patrick’s Party tonight and they were a HUGE HIT! Thanks!
OMG- These are insanely ridiculously delicious! We purchased, we created and we CONQUERED! Each cupcake weighs seemingly a pound (it’s the butter) and were the most decadent treats to eat and share. I work at a high school, shared them with my teachers and staff and felt like I was gifting precious little cups of St. Patrick’s Day “forbidden” goodness…fantastic all around!
So you are saying you took alcohol infused treats into a public high school?
You couldn’t get my two year old drunk with one of those cupcakes, I don’t think it’s a huge risk.
I made these last year and they were delicious. The frosting is amazing!
The cupcakes are FANTASTIC!
If you haven’t seen it already, you might like the cookbook “Booze Cakes” by Krystina Castella and Terry Lee Stone.
Oh my! Those look and sound awesome. I’m not a fan of beer, but the few times I had an Irish Car Bomb, I did like it! And I LOVE Bailey’s!
I was looking for something new and fun to make for this past St Patrics day and came across this recipe. These were, without a doubt, the most delicious cupcakes I ever made! They were absolutely awesome! A total hit and so pretty too! Thank you for sharing. I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes. Very nice website! I am an avid cook/baker and really appreciate having new places to go for recipes!
OK, I’m 90% sure I’m crazy here, but … that frosting’s butter-to-sugar ratio looks totally insane to me. But that’s what you meant? It’s not “2 sticks” or anything?
Cupcakes are cooling; ganache and frosting will come in the morning. Then, when I take them to work, all shall love me and despair. MWAH HA HA HA HA!
Hi Maggie, Nope, it’s 2 cups :) Love that frosting! :)
>Love that frosting!
WOW. Yeah, me too! I held my breath, made it as written, and I think it’s the first frosting I’ve ever really loved! (I find most to be too sweet, but this was perfect!)
They were a huge hit at work — everyone’s saying they’re the best cupcakes they’ve ever had. Thank you so much for another knock-out recipe!
Just made these awsome tasting cupcakes. My friends and family were blown away by the taste . Thank you so much for thr recipe.
I don’t know if someone posted this question but, what icing tip is the one you used to make these cupcakes? I simply love how they look!!!
Yaneri
Yaneri, she did…
Michelle March 16, 2011 at 11:39 pm
Hi Michelle, I used a Wilton 1M tip and just sort of swirled it around. Enjoy the cupcakes!
Happy baking!
These cupcakes were simply delicious!! I made mine without the ganache (I found the recipe the morning of St. Pat’s and didn’t have the time to make it, I wanted the cupcakes ASAP!), and they were very very tasty. I have mounds of frosting left, however. I MUST find another use for it, pronto! :) Thanks BEB, they were wonderful!
If my coworkers brought things like this to work, I’d take a LOT less vacation and sick time! :-) I will definitely be trying this recipe!
So how about a “puttanesca sauce recipe” next? lol
Oh my – now that’s the way to do St. Patrick’s Day. The filling looks too good to resist.
Hmmmm…wondering if there is a non-boozy adaptation of this. Don’t worry, I totally intend on making these for a party coming up very soon, but for the “underage” folk, and some of the HRs that don’t drink at all…I’m wondering. If you replace Guinness with coffee (atrocity!) and the Bailey’s with “Irish Cream Flavored” coffee creamer and nix the whiskey from the ganache…would it make a reasonable (if not somewhat boring) substitute?
I absolutely love Irish car bombs! I can’t believe how much they taste like chocolate milk but get you totally messed up! Hahah! I can’t wait to make these! They sound delicious! Thank you! :)
Made these for a girls night in and they were a HUGE hit. We each poured a pint of vanilla porter and had a cupcake or two and it was FABULOUS! Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Michelle, i love all of your recipes and appreciate all of the wonderful posts and pics. keep doing what you do. <3
btw, as soon as i have the money to buy all of the alcohol, i’m going to try this delicious looking recipe!
I just received these cupcakes as a gift for my recent birthday, the recipe found on this website. They were delicious.
These look amazing! Thank you for the great recipe, can’t wait to try them! Neither can my husband =)
I make a recipe similar to this one, but I make the ganache first and then make the batter. Just before baking, I pop a piece of frozen ganache into the center of the batter. The center stays all melty and gooey, even after these bad boys have cooled all the way. It takes a little extra effort, but it is well worth it!
These are great! I made them for St. Patrick’s Day and brought one to a friend of mine who owns a bar next door to my office. He loved it so much, he asked me to bring a batch to his birthday party this weekend.
Ohmy! I am using these for my St Patrick’s Day wedding next year!!!
Hi! I am so excited to try these!! Just curious, does the recipe make 24 regular size or mini cupcakes? Thanks!
24 regular muffins. Enjoy!
I made some like these last St. Patrick’s Day. I’m a big fan of incorporating alcohol in my cupcakes as well as creating cupcakes that are modeled after drinks. I have made Margarita Cupcakes as well as Caramel Macchiatto. I’ve also made Chocolate Vodka Raspberry cupcakes (not an actual drink, I know). I’m thinking the next one is going to be a Mudslide or something like that.
I’ve been on such a cupcake streak and made some Irish Cream cupcakes just a bit ago. My friend practically live on guiness and Irish Car Bombs are one of his favorite drinks – he went crazy when he heard there could be a cupcake version! Totally making these today. I just hope it’ll be alright to leave out the whiskey because we’d never drink the rest of the bottle….
Its look really beautiful, very delicious and tasty.
These cupcakes look so wonderful! Thank you for sharing, as always. Your blog is great, and I love stealing recipes from it. :)
Best. Frosting. Ever!!! Absolutely delicious cupcake all around, but the frosting really seals the deal! I made these tonight for a cookout tomorrow and 4 of them have mysteriously disappeared already! I am a new follower and love all of your recipes I’ve read so far. After trying these yummy little cakes I am looking forward to trying more of your recipes!! Thank you for posting these! Happy baking!
these were AMAZING!!!
loved every bite.
great idea and great recipe, thanks for sharing!
That is too funny! I was just joking the other day with the kids about different ice creams … and we joked about putting beer in ice cream! And you actually did it! Awesome! THe cup cakes look FABULOUS!!!
Ro :)
Did anyone else have an issue with the ganache being too bitter? I feel like it needed some sweetness or something, because while the cake was balanced nicely by the sweet icing, the ganache ruined the taste for me. Any specific brand recommendations for the chocolate?
I’ve had these before and they were awesome, I don’t know where my friend got the recipe, but I am going to try these again until I get them right!!
Hi Laura, If you found the chocolate ganache too bitter, I would try using a semi-sweet chocolate instead of the bittersweet. That should do the trick!
Great that worked, thank you so much!! These pretty much rule.
hi i was just wondering why you use guinness stout? every irish car bomb i have had called for guinness draught.
Hi Allen, It was just the particular recipe I happened to use. I don’t think it makes too much of a difference.
okay, thank you. these look delicious!
Hello! I love your site! I was wondering, does this recipe call for 24 standard size cupcakes or 24 mini cupcakes? your pictures look like mini cupcakes and wanted to clarify before making it. Thanks so much! I cannot wait to try these. :)
Hi Rose, They are standard cupcakes. Mine in the pictures are full-size cupcakes.
Made them this weekend. Love is an understatement! Brought them to a bar for a going away party and there were so many we gave them to strangers and made some great friends!!
The batter was alittle thicker than I am used to but trust it! the ganache was WAY thinner than it should have been- put it in the freezer to cool it down faster. I made them with a hand mixer and they came out great!
Irish Car Bomb drinks are fantastic and so are the cupcakes. I made them tonight for my boyfriends friends who are coming into town tomorrow (trying to make a good first impression) They all, including myself, love whiskey, guinness, and baileys; what better reciepe to make! Tried one tonight and it was fantastic! Thank you for the reciepe. I have been really enjoying your blog since I found it about 3 weeks ago!!!
Hello Michelle! My friend Vania introduced me to your website, and together we made these cupcakes to bring to a barbeque last Saturday. I am now absolutely in love with them, the three types of alcohol blend beautifully and the taste is so sophisticated! The biggest modification we made to your recipe was the addition of a LOT more Jameson to the ganache :)
I blogged about it and included my pictures of our finished product, as well as a link back to your post, in case you’d like to see: http://mollyandaustin.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-fanciest-cupcake-yet.html
Thank you for sharing this recipe, I look forward to trying more!
wow, i came to the party late but these cupcakes look amazing! im going to have a go. im a notoriously rubbish baker but i did have a go this weekend, let me know what you think?
http://laughteriscatching.com/2011/08/27/to-your-posts-let-the-bake-off-begin/
Just Stumbled this post. They look awesome. Will have to try them out sometime.
They were delicious. I made some for my parents and my mother described them as “Decadence bordering on insanity.” I did substitute Jameson with The Knot, I’d also note, because I forgot to get some for this recipe. ;)
I’d definitely recommend making these. They’re awesome.
do you think this would taste good as a vanilla recipe? i have some friends that dont like chocolate. :/
I’m really not sure; the Guinness in the recipe pairs really well with the chocolate. I guess you could give it a try, but I’m not sure how the flavors would work out.
I love Irish Car Bombs (the DRINK) and I’m sure the cupcakes are great too!
Yummm!!! These look amazing! I can’t wait to give them a try!
I’m going to be sharing these cupcakes with my class in Autumn wrappers just because lol. The photos look gorgeous, and that buttercream is divine.
I tried these cupcakes out, and took them to my local Irish Pub, and they were a hit!!! Everyone loved them! I just added another favorite BEB recipe to my collection!! :)
i just want to say this recipe is so amazing. usually when i try a new cupcake recipe i usually have to have a test batch, but the first time i made them they were fantastic. i made two dozen for my boyfriend for this birthday and i think he loves these more than life itself. i’m going to try to make these into mini cupcakes for a group of my friends. can’t wait to try the rest of your recipes.
I think this recipe sounds AMAZINGGGGGGGGGG!!!
Q: Is the sour cream a must or will it change the taste if omitted?
Looks great – can’t wait to try them!
The sour cream is a definite must, but not for flavor – it keeps the cupcakes nice and moist!
I can’t wait for St. Patrick’s Day to make these!
best cupcakes i’ve made to date! made them for my husband’s birthday–he loves irish car bombs. i added A LOT more bailey’s in the frosting & they came out great. thanks for sharing the recipe!!
I replaced the Guinness with a strong cup of coffee (so made “Irish Coffee” cupcakes). Turned out amazing, a great recipe, its like a whiskey truffle in a cupcake!
FYI- This made like 2X more frosting than needed, did anyone else notice this?
Omg these are amazing, especially the baileys frosting! Everyone could not get enough of these. Definitely saving this recipe. Thank you!
I must say, these are by FAR the best cupcakes I have ever tasted. So good, in fact, that my wife and I served them to guests AT OUR WEDDING!!!!! Love my wife (who suggested serving, and made, these decadent treats), love the drink (also consumed at the wedding), and LOVE this recipe.
Cheers!
The verdict on these cupcakes is: *STELLAR*
I get very stressed when writing dissertations, and the only things that calm me down are baking and Guinness. I HAD NEVER THOUGHT TO COMBINE THE TWO BEFORE.
Unfortunately I didn’t have the things to make the filling nor the frosting, so I just made the cake, as I had everything needed for that on hand. I didn’t have an electric beater at the mo but mixing it by hand with a whisk and letting it rest for a bit in between mixings worked fine.
It was the best chocolate cake I have ever tasted (not just made–tasted). It was best, I thought, after sitting in the fridge over night. So moist and fudgy and delicious. I brought some to class and everyone that ventured to tried said they were exquisite.
GREAT recipe. I will be making it in its full frosting and filling splendor in a few days for a special occasion. I just tossed together some mascarpone and Nutella for something to put on top and am SUPER excited to try the cupcakes with the real deal. Thank you so much for sharing with us!!!
<3 Best
Hi there! I made these for a tailgating party I went to. Let me say that they were unbelievably fantastic….. especially your icing! Loved it. The ganache I wasn’t so sure about.
Let me preface by saying I LOVE ganache. Seriously. But I’ve never made it before this! It wasn’t very sweet (and I don’t know if that was baker-error on my part) and my finished product looked super thin. So, I thought if I added some 10X sugar to it, it’d be a) sweeter and b) thicker. Correct on A, WAAAAYYYY too accurate on B! I did not realize that it was going to get thicker as it cooled more. My mistake! Unfortunately there was a solid ball of rich chocolate in the center of my cupcake.
:( it didn’t taste bad, but it was a mistake I won’t repeat! Apparently this recipe has a lot of comments, so I hope someone (like me!) will see this in case you’re thinking of trying these out and know NOT to add anything to the ganache!
But really, a delicious cupcake. A little pricey for me since I hadn’t had any of that alcohol on hand, but VERY worth it! I loved the cake and the icing… I just need to work on my filling!
Thank you for a great treat.
Looks green and tasty.
Wonderful cupcakes.
Very rich and heavy, the flavors all work well together. I personally found the icing a bit sweet (everyone else loved it though), so I think I will make it with slightly less sugar next time.
Hi, BEB!
I’m making these cupcakes this weekend for a party and I’m soooo excited for it!!! I just have two, quick questions.
The first: when you say “heavy cream”, do you mean Half & Half, or whipping cream, ooor?
And the second: which brand of whiskey do you use? My brother said it was probably Jameson’s, but I wanted to double-check; I want these to as close to yours as possible!
Hi DanicaLee, Heavy cream can be used interchangeably with whipping cream for this recipe. And I did use Jameson whiskey. Enjoy the cupcakes! :)
Just stumbled across your fantastic blog, cannot wait to peruse the rest of it (study avoidance to the max…). Absolutely love EVERYTHING about these cupcakes; pure genius, don’t change a thing!
Irish myself, but can’t stand Guinness, so I’ll hold back a bit in the recipe I think. For those of you brave enough to try irish car bombs from a bar and not the baker; fair play, I tried and failed, I’ll just stick with a baby guinness I think. :)
I found your blog from stumble. Awesome recipe! No really its great. Only thing I did was add more whiskey to the ganache and used store bought icing and thinned it out with the Irish cream. I hope my coworkers like them as much as I do.
Love beer and whiskey and baileys. Could their be a better combination? Absolutely can not wait to try these cupcakes, actually went and got all of the ingredients today just so I could make them as soon as possible (aka tomorrow morning because I cannot wait any longer haha).A great book I found was called Intoxicated Cupcakes, over 40 recipes of alcoholic cupcakes. Minus their Designated Driver cupcake (shirley temple cupcake). Love all of the cake recipes!!
Hi! I just came across your recipe and wanted to make these for a friend’s birthday.
Is it okay to use natural cocoa powder instead of dutch-process? I was actually under the impression that dutch-process powder does not react with baking soda. I’ve read other recipes for car bomb cupcakes that call for natural unsweetened cocoa & baking soda, but specifically NOT dutch-process.
What do you think?
Thanks!
Hi Stefanie, You could use natural unsweetened in place of the Dutch-process. I have used them interchangeably in the past depending on what I have on hand, and have never had an issue. I always prefer the Dutch-processed just because of the depth of flavor.
Made these cupcakes for a NY Jets Tailgate. I used food coloring to turn half the icing green and left the other half white for the Jets colors. I figured what better to bring to a tailgate than alcohol infused cupcakes! Well, they were quite the hit! I didn’t get to bring a single one home with me, they were enjoyed by everyone! Thanks for such a wonderful recipe, I’ll be making these for years to come!
I just want to know if anyone else has tried this recipe?! I did, and it was delicious, but it made waaaay too much frosting. I’m going to try and cut the frosting ingredients in half and wanted to know if anyone else has tried that? I also wanted to add more booze! But I’m afraid it will screw up the cakes. Anyone have any HELPFUL advise??
I made 3 batches last night. I only used a double batch of buttercream and still have some left over. If you don’t go nuts with the frosting, a half batch should be enough. These were a big hir at mine and my husband’s workplaces today. I made them as a St. Paddy’s Day treat
It is simply delicious!!! My best friend loves the drink and we made the cupcakes together for her birthday. They were a total success. I don’t drink myself but I loved the cupcakes. Thanks for sharing the recipe!!
This is one of the greatest things I have ever seen!
Thank you for the recipe, I made these this past weekend for a Irish themed dinenr party, they were the bomb!
I made these today and they were AMAZING! As I tasted the mixes while making these I added a bit more of each alcohol because I was afraid it wasn’t going to be strong enough to detect after baking. I think this was a good strategy because especially after they chilled in the fridge for a bit the flavors become richer and more concentrated. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Omg I’ve had this recipe on my phone for months patiently waiting to have the time to make them. I’m super excited to make my favorite cocktail as a muffin.
I think this cupcake sounds good. I don’t personally drink but my many relatives do I may use them to test the cupcakes. Thanks for the great recipe idea ill be sure to try it.
Hello BEB and thanks for a wonderful recipe. I’m going to try making these for Thanksgiving. Hopefully they turn out well!!!
In the ganache, did you use salted or unsalted butter? Could I substitute nestle chocolate chips for the bittersweet chocolate in the ganache? Also, I am a novice baker and do not have any piping bags or tips. I’ve seen other websites that say putting icing in a plastic bag and cutting off the edge is a suitable substitute. Wondering if you or anyone else has tried this or if I should contact some friends/family and see if they have tips and bags.
Hi Anne, I used unsalted butter in the ganache. I don’t find that Nestle chips melt very well, so if you can get your hands on a higher-quality chocolate like Ghiradelli (found in most grocery stores), I would suggest that. Otherwise, you can go with the chips and see how they turn out. You could definitely use a plastic bag and cut off the tip – I did that myself for a long time before I bought bags and tips! Enjoy!
It’s now 4 1/2 years later and I’ve made these about a dozen times now. They are a hit every single time I make them and people always ask when I’m going to make them again. So thank-you for this awesome recipe!
Anne, thank you for the best comment ever (because they were the same questions I had, minus the choco chips). I found this recipe on another website (via Facebook) and was wondering about whether the butter in the ganache was salted or unsalted.
And I almost bought a little cheapo set of tips/bags, but remembered seeing a tip about using the plastic bags, so I was going to just do that. Very excited to try these out, if I survive the Saturn snowstorm! ;)
What is the “proof” of the filling and frosting? I know with cooking alcohol it becomes less ‘choholic when you cook or that its so diluted its fine and not boozy. Wondering if its safe to share with the toddler if he wants some is basically all I wanna know.
Hi Rae, I have no way of being able to calculate the “proof” of the filling and frosting. However, neither are cooked, so the alcohol isn’t diluted in any way. I would not feed the frosting or ganache to your toddler.
What about doubling the recipe? Can you absolutely double, or just make two batches and be safer then sorry?
I am planning to make these for my girlfriends wedding, 100 of them! Any suggestions on making them in mass amounts? The wedding is Sunday afternoon, if I make the cupcakes Saturday and allow them to cool then do the frosting Sunday should I put them in the fridge overnight? Any suggestions would be helpful!!
Hi Ashley, Wow, what a great friend you are! :) I haven’t not made mass quantities of this, so I don’t have any specific tips for you on that end. You could definitely do the cupcakes Saturday night, then frost on Sunday. Don’t refrigerate them – they will dry out. You should put them in airtight containers or cover tightly with plastic wrap.
Hi Michelle,
I did a trial of these yesterday to prepare for the wedding. I thought they turned out great, especially the frosting. The color was amazing and so perfect. The only question I had was I felt they were a bit dry. I only baked them 17 minutes and I thought that was perfect. Anything you can think of to make them more moist? Thanks!
I’ve been saving this recipe for over a year, waiting for the right party and finally made them this weekend for my husband’s birthday. They were a HIT! I would change a few things, though. The ganache got too solid and didn’t have enough whiskey flavor, so I would definitely increase the volume of whiskey next time to increase the flavor and keep it soft. There was also way too much frosting for 24 cupcakes, buti don’t think half would have been quite enough either.
Great cupcakes!!! I added a bit more whiskey just for a stronger taste, but absolutely delish! Thank goodness for Pinterest that brought me to you :-)
I made these this past St. Patty’s day and everyone loved them! Then for Labor day weekend I made your Peanut butter cup cheesecake. It too was a huge hit. Got me to thinking about turning these into a cheesecake! So I’m gonna give it a shot for Christmas Eve. I’ll let you know how it turns out!
I have made this recipe 3 times now, and these cupcakes are OFF THE CHAIN good!! It actually takes longer than the recipe says it takes to make them, but the time is oooohhh so worth it, every time I make them, they get eaten in two days time!!!
I wanna try this one now. But i like to replace the Whisky with Rhum, and since i’m A Fan of BaiLeyS therefore i’m soooo excited to start this. I only use Yolk and Olive oil. Also 4 table spoon of Margarine for my cake batter. The result is SOFT & No Cracks. Thanks again for sharing your inspiration ;)
ICBs are one of my best selling cupcakes, I make them at least once a month. I use a mellon baller to remove the centers, works well for me.
These were delicious.
I made these for my friend’s birthday yesterday. They were a HUGE hit! The only changes I made were the cocoa and the whiskey. I can’t find dutch process anywhere around here, but I had a little bit of Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa – not quite enough for the recipe, though, so I topped it off with regular Hershey’s cocoa. It was probably about 2/3 dark, 1/3 regular and the cake turned out to be delicious. I also doubled the amount of whiskey because I couldn’t taste much with the amount given. It still wasn’t strong, but it was a little more noticeable. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. It was really easy to core the cupcakes with a 1M tip – great idea! I will absolutely make these again! Thank you!
Hi! Quick question for you about the amazing Bailey’s Buttercream here. I’ve made these cupcakes over and over, but I just can’t remember how much frosting the recipe makes — how do you think it would be for a layer cake? I’m planning to make a rainbow cake, so SIX whole layers to frost plus a good thick outer layer to make it totally opaque … do you think one recipe of your Bailey’s frosting would be enough?
Thanks so much for all your amazing recipes!
Hi Maggie, I think you would need to at least double this frosting recipe to have enough for your cake. Enjoy!
Hi, Michelle,
Just wanted to report back! I got all the necessaries for two batches of buttercream (and even mentally readied myself for a cake frosted with 4 cups of butter and 10 cups of sugar!) and lo and behold — one recipe was plenty! I am not one to skimp on frosting, and I had plenty to hide all the bright-colored cake, plus a little extra for tomorrow when I know I’m going to have to fix some uglies (my cake dome is too small for my cake, but I didn’t realize it until I’d already smashed the frosting a little. Oops!).
Thank you so much for your recipes and your good advice!
I just wanted to drop by and tell you that I absolutely love your blog and this recipe! I stop by regularly to see what you’re baking because it always looks delicious! I liked this recipe so much that I shared it on my blog and it’s probably the only thing on there that is not dairy-free.
A friend made these in mini cupcake size for a get together on the weekend. Very Yummy!
So I didn’t have all of the ingredients to make the cupcake as a whole, BUT I did use the Bailey’s frosting on top of coffee enhanced chocolate cupcakes HOLY POOP THEY ARE SO GOOD. Definitely going to be a staple in my cupcake repertoire.
MY hubby’s birthday is on st patrick’s day, and i made these last year for his party. they were a HUGE hit. so delicious.
Just finished making the cupcakes and they are the BOMB!!!
Absolutely amazing recipe….hit the nail on the head per say with the perfect marriage of flavors!
I love These cupcakes! I’ve made them twice and everyone raves about them. Thank you for such a wonderful treat! :)
One of the best, if not the best chocolate cupcake I have made/eaten. I made these for my husband’s birthday to take into his work full of guys. THEY LOVED THEM! Every part of this cupcake was delicious! Well worth the effort it took to put them together. Plus, the instructions were flawless and very helpful! Thank you for the delicious recipe that made me look like a rockstar!
Hi! Can I substitute the bittersweet chocolate (that comes in a bar) for bittersweet chocolate chips??
If I make them a day ahead do they need to be refrigerated ?? When they get frosted if put on the refrigerator, to keep frosting from “melting down” and to keep the pretty shape, will the ganache inside harden???
Thanks! love your recipes!!!
Hi Maria, Yes, you can substitute bittersweet chocolate chips. I would not refrigerate them if you will be serving them the next day. Enjoy!
I made these cupcakes last year and they were a huge hit (thank you so much for sharing!). Question … have you tried making this as a cake instead of cupcakes? I’ve converted a couple other cupcake recipes (some successful, some not so much) and wanted to ask you before attempting it myself.
I apologize in advance if you’ve already answered this question somewhere else in the comments :-)
Hi Sara, Not a problem! I haven’t made it into a cake, but others who have commented have, and they’ve reported good results. Enjoy!
Looks wonderful!! Have to try these for this St. Party’s day!!
Made these today, AMAZING!!!!!! My husband says thank you as well..
These are probably the best cupcakes I’ve ever made. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe.
I wanted to know what tip you used to get the ruffle looking frosting? Is it the tip you have pictured that you used to cut out the centers? Thanks!
Hi Toshia, I used a Wilton 1M tip for frosting the cupcakes. Enjoy!
Really? huh mine always look different. Must be in the angle, I will be sure to experiment. Thanks, can’t wait to try these!
LOVED this recipe the only thing I had issue with is I added a little extra flour (the batter was a bit runny) and I would use semi-sweet chocolate, the middle was a little too bitter for my crowd :) Oh and it was probably the old oven but I baked them for 20 mins!
I am wondering how much of these can be made ahead of time?
Can I make the cupcakes and cut out the holes, and them freeze them?
Can I freeze both the ganache and the frosting, also, then just thaw everything overnight and assemble?
OR would it be better to fill the cupcakes with the ganache and freeze them, and then on the day I want to serve them, thaw the cupcakes, make the frosting, and frost them?
Thanks much for any suggestions! Can’t wait to try them.
Hi Jen, You could bake and fill the cupcakes ahead of time, then freeze them. I would allow them to thaw overnight and then frost them the day you plan to serve them. Enjoy!!
Thank you very much!
Brown Eyed Baker, I think I love you.
I made these last year for my friends and they were a HUGE hit! So much of one that they’ve requested them again this year. My only question is, my ganache seemed to get quite hard (slightly softer than having an intact Hershey Kiss on the inside of a cupcake) and I was wondering if I’d just filled them too early (the day before, although I’m not positive if I stored them airtightly overnight or just left them out to cool), if there is a trick to keeping it softer, or if this is just how ganache behaves? No one else seemed to mind, but I can’t help but wonder if I can make these amazing cupcakes even tastier! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Whitney, For a softer ganache, try increasing the cream to 1 cup and omit the butter. Let me know how that works for you!
Thanks for the suggestion, it came out exactly how I wanted. Nice and soft and AMAZING! I even had one friend come find me across the room after he’d had one and just exclaim “That FILLING!” They were a hit, once again! Everyone is just as obsessed with these as last year, I have a feeling they’ll be a repeat request throughout the year! I also only used 1 stick of butter in the frosting, like a traditional buttercream, and didn’t miss the rest. Thank you!!
Some angel left these in our office kitchen
awesomeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Thanks for the recipe. I have been looking for a way to incorporate my three favorite beverages into a dessert. While in Dublin, Ireland I was introduced to the drink of the same. I had never heard of it until that visit. Personally, I prefer to enjoy them separately as drinks, but as a cupcake, they work beautifully together. I was trying to think how I might make this into a cake. I have two ideas; using the Grenache as the inside frosting and cover the cake with the Irish Cream frosting, or, vice versa. I think the ganache being richer would probably work best in a smaller amount. any thoughts? Thanks for the inspiration!
Hi Chris, I would do it exactly the way you described, using the ganache as the filling and the frosting to cover the cake. Enjoy!
Wow, these look amazing. Definitely a great treat for St. Patrick’s Day.
These were instant hits in my family… we do them as Jumbo cupcakes: just double the recipe and add 3-5 minutes to the cooking time.
OMG this recipe is AMAZING! I think this is the first time that I made a recipe where the timing for the cake was *exactly* what was needed, the amount of filling and frosting was SPOT ON, there is nothing I would change with this recipe!!! (and that’s saying something!) Thank you so much for your thorough instructions and appropriate portions! :D You have no idea how many times I would have 3 times the filling for the amount of cupcakes made, and have no idea what to do with the stuff XP
Thanks for posting this recipe. I’m making it now and it’s tasting fabulous! I modified it slightly to make the cake part boozier by using 1 1/2 cup Guiness instead of a cup, adding 1/4 cup Jameson and my extra touch, 1/2 tsp instant coffee to bring out the chocolate flavors. It is so moist and delicious!
I made these cupcakes last year and they are soooooo amazing! I was thinking about making the cupcakes ahead of time and freezing them. Then thawing them out the day that I need them, and filling and icing them. Has anyone tried this? Think it would work ok? Thanks!
I made these for my office and they were beside themselves. It worked out really, really well. I was worried about the consistency of the cake as it was not holding together, making it a bit messy with the ganache. Not a problem in the end!
I subbed in Canadian whiskey with Irish… didn’t seem to lessen the tastiness. I also subbed in a Phillips Longboat Chocolate Porter beer instead of Guiness as I am not much a Guiness drinker and the porter came in a big bottle. I drank the rest :) All in all – great recipe!!
these were delicious!
here are my comments on how i made them:
i used guiness extra stout and my actual cupcakes (not the filling or icing) were not super sweet and you could still taste a little beer in with the chocolate but i think this perfectly counteracted the super sweetness/chocolatyness of the filling and icing. you couldn’t taste the whiskey in the filling, which i really liked but you could definitely taste the baileys in the icing (i added ~10 spoons, not 6 ). the recipe made 24 cupcakes, but i ended up with a lot of extra icing, which i ended up freezing and saving for later.
overall, a fantastic recipe for cupcakes!! will definitely make again!
I used Pillsbury Dark Chocolate cupcake mix instead and just substituted the water with Guinness. Then followed the recipe for the filling and frosting. It tasted heavenly! I don’t want any other cupcake ever again in my life!
I sure would have loved to have read more detailed comments on this cupcake RECIPE. I’m making it this evening for a work event, and I really like reading comments regarding the recipe from anyone who tried it… Thanks for posting it anyway, I’m looking forward to trying it out myself. I’ll post how it turns out:)
These are fabulous! Made them for a cupcake fundraiser. Huge hit!
Help! I made the cupcakes, and tried to make the filling… I can’t get it thick enough to use as filling… I want to use a little extra whiskey. It’s more like the consistency of syrup than a ganache. What can I do to thicken it?
Hi Sydney, I’m not sure by your comment if you already added extra whiskey – if you did, that would cause it to be thin. Otherwise, try refrigerating it to get it to thicken up.
Thank you for this amazing recipe..it turned out absolutely perfect.
I make these every year for the St. Paddy’s day parade (I’m in Pittsburgh too! w00t!) and they are always a huge hit! Thank you for such an amazing recipe!
Going to make these tonight to take to our St.Patrick’s Day party tomorrow. They sound wonderful! :) Think this would work well as a cake though? If so, how long should I bake it for? Love cupcakes, but they always seem like way more work than a cake lol. Thanks!
You could make this as a cake, however I have not. It depends on the size of the cake pan, but it could take anywhere from 22 to 30 or so minutes.
This is probably the best cupcake I’ve ever had. I do not like Guiness, Bailey’s or car bomb shots, but this cupcake was out of this world. The cake was light, ganace was rich and gooy and the icing was so creamy. I brought some into the office and they were gobbled up so quickly with everyone asking for the recipe. Delicious!
your welcome!! I AM MAKING THEM AS WE SPEAK MY DEAR XO!! 11 DOZEN ACTUALLY!!
Can someone just tell me if the recipe is easy, difficult, or what…and does it taste good? Thanks!
These Irish car bomb cupcakes are delicious!!
Any suggestions for high altitude? I made these as is with 2 extra TBLS of flour and they are all sunken :(
Hi Jamie, I am not sure what to tell you about high altitude since I don’t bake there, but I would Google for suggestions.
Sounds AWESOME, but we hate Guinness here…Can you taste the Guinness? I would love to try these…
Cannot wait to make these! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Outstanding recipe! No overwhelming alcohol flavor at all. Rich and tasty & won’t wait for next St Pats day to make the next batch!
OMG!! These are so good! I took them to a St. Patrick’s Day party tonight and they were a big hit. A few people even had 2. I ‘accidentally’ poured a bit more than 2 tsp of whiskey into the ganache and it was delicious. I think the next time I’ll try the suggestion of using more cream to make the ganache a bit softer. I had some leftover frosting and it killed me to throw it away, but I was afraid I’d eat the whole bowl of it if I didn’t!
Just made these for my boyfriend to bring to work! They are amazing! Especially the frosting – although, I do have to say, it could’ve been cut in half. I have no idea what to do with the leftover frosting.
Hi-
I made these last night and they taste awesome. Needless to say, my presentation did not look like yours after eloping pastry bag, but the tasted delicious. I tasted the components individually and wasn’t sure, but when combined there is some boozy magic there!
Hi!!! I love this recipe and just wanted to let you know that I made them last year and they were fantastic!!! I posted this on my blog with my own photos, but I did post a link to your recipe. I hope that’s ok? Anyway, thanks for the awesome recipe!
just made these for St. Pat’s day… they are wonderful.
When I added the cocoa to the guiness and butter, the butter separated and never got smooth. What did I do wrong?
I made these cupcakes this weekend for my boyfriend’s family St. Patrick’s Day Party and MANY people told me it was the best cupcake they’d ever had. :) The ganache came out perfect in taste and texture. (i followed the cake and ganache recipe exactly from your site). I did reduce the sugar/butter on the Baileys frosting but it was still very good. I also had trouble obtaining Dutch processed cocoa in my area, so I used Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa powder, and it still came out great, if anyone else also is having a problem finding it.
I definitely recommend this recipe and will be making it again. Thanks for sharing it!
Thank you for the recipe. I made it for my st. paddys day party and it was a big hit!
Just made these last night and served them today for St-Patricks, what a hit!!
Was out of whisky so did tehm without the ganache and it was still excellent! Can’t wait to try them with the full recipe!!
Thank you!
I made these cupcakes for a friend for her birthday and I can sum it up in two words…..ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! Thank you for sharing such a great recipe.
I just made these today – they were AMAZING! Thanks for the lovely tastiness!
I made these today, and I think they turned out fabulously. I halved the frosting recipe, because I like to keep the frosting at the “accent” level, not at the “half the cupcake” level. But hey, if you like a ton of frosting, totally go for it.
I used salted butter, which could be why the Guiness-and-butter mixture didn’t smooth out as well as I might have hoped. Also, I don’t know if the Hershey’s brand of cocoa powder is Dutch process or not, but that could have affected it. Nevertheless, they turned out just beautifully, so…whatever. Will make again, or face horrible death at the hands of my friends who loved them. :)
It was my first attempt at ganache, and I was scared of it at first. DO NOT BE SCARED! Ganache is EASY. I tossed the chocolate chunks in the food processor, because I am LAZY, and I tell you, that was the CORRECT choice. Super fast, chopped up nicely. Very fine and even and the hot cream just went through it so beautifully. I want to make more ganache now, because that was just too lovely for words.
In summary, MAKE THEM!
Thanks so much for this comment! I was afraid the ganache would be my undoing! Definitely making these for my friend’s half-birthday! ( We believe birthdays are so nice you have to do them twice!)
These were delicious! Just made them for St. Patty’s day party! There were a hit! Thanks for the recipe!! I baked them according to your directions, but when I took them out they had already dropped in the middle. Did I do something wrong? How can I prevent that in the future?
Thank You!
Can’t wait to try these out!
Dear Brown Eyed Baker,
I’ve never baked cupcakes before in my life but decided to make these for St. Patrick’s Day, and they were truly the best things I’ve tasted! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe – my friends and I are incredibly happy today. ;)
Sincerely,
Lynn (another brown-eyed baker)
I made these yesterday and they are fantastic! My husband couldn’t stop eating them. I also did the homemade baily’s irish cream too for the frosting. I ddn’t have the cookie cutter or frosting tip so i used a melon baller and that worked our really well. Thanks BEB!
Has actually tried these cupcakes and how they are?
AMAZING cupcakes! They were the hit of St. Patrick’s day. I have one question. My family isn’t fond of the buttercream frosting. Could I use a cream cheese frosting instead? I am not sure if the Bailey’s would come out like it should. Otherwise, A+!!!!
Yes, definitely!
I made this over the weekend and they were amazing! They tasted even better the second day after the liquor had set in more. They looked super impressive to my guests as well!
These cupcakes were bomb!!!! Everyone enjoyed them. Only suggestion I have, is I added 2 tablespoons of Jameson (or maybe more lol) and almost a whole Guiness. And I really don’t think it required 5 CUPS of powdered sugar or butter!!! Had WAY too much left over. Plus I added more Bailey’s too.
Besides all my comments, these were the best cupcakes I ever ate in my LIFE! Thank you so much for the recipe. Really appreciated it! :)
I made these last weekend and they were a hit! Thanks for the recipe!!!
Made these for St Pat’s this year…..so, so yummy!!!!
OK….Is this a good cupcake?
I would like to make this recipe but as a cake, does anyone know if this can be done?
I just made it into a cake yesterday! I used the whiskey ganache as the filling between the layers, and frosted as normal. I refrigerated the frosting for about a half hour before whipping it again to make it a little stiffer, and let the ganache sit until it was about room temperature so it was stiff enough to hold the layers together. The frosting gets soft pretty quick, so I would work quickly and put the cake back in the fridge for a short while before serving. Other than that it turned out really well!
Wonderful cupcake recipe!! I made these over the weekend and received rave reviews from everyone!!
Made these in cake form for a whiskey/Bailey’s loving boyfriend, it turned out amazing! The frosting is ridiculously good! Thank you so much for the recipe :)
These cupcakes were THE BOMB! Made them for my son to take to a party. Posted a picture on FB and everyone begged for one! They were a lot of work but they were absolutely fabulous! Better than any i’ve tasted from a bake shop! Thank you.
We are making these, along with your margarita cupcakes, for our Cinco de Paddy party next week (which is really just an excuse to drink whiskey and tequila, but hey? we like to have fun!). Thanks for the recipies!
Brilliant idea!!
I normally hate cupcakes, but I tried this recipe and it was AMAZING!!! My parents are super picky but they both loved them as well! I kept some of the ganache filling on the side for myself because it’s so yummy :)
These were amazing! My family and friends loved them =]
Thanks again for the recipe!
These are THE most amazing, delicious, awesome, to-die-for, cupcakes that I have EVER eaten, and let me tell you, I LOVE cupcakes!! A friend made them for St. Patty’s day and even though I was on a diet preparing for a race, I had to have it as my “cheat treat”, it was THE most worth it cheat I have EVER had. You are a genius :D
Just made these and they are delicious! I only needed half of the icing called for here, and even that was too much (and believe me, they are generously iced! :-) )
Absolutely love this recipe! Use it for any party/event that I go to! making another batch right now! Thanks so much!!
hello, in my country do not sell sour cream, substitute this ingredient might yogurt or buttermilk
greetings :)
how Do You Make the Frosting If You Don’t Have A Stand Mixer?
I would recommend a hand mixer if you have one.
Love me some Bailey’s, so I was happy to find this recipe. I’ll be trying it out ASAP. :-)
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe, I created them for fathers day, and everyone in the family absolutely adored them! I used really really dark chocolate for the ganache, which made it sort of bitter, but it was a nice contrast to the sweet icing. If you were doing these, I would highly recommend doing them in mini cupcake portions, its the perfect treat. For the ganache filling, I used an apple corer, to hollow out the cupcake, it worked extremely well. These were so delicious, and honestly so easy to make. Must try, and must have! Oh and a final word, for a delicious desert, pop one in the microwave for a few seconds for the ganache to melt and its just like a molten cake!
I love your blog so keep up the incredible work!
I decided to make them without knowing how they tasted or how easy they were, because they seemed like a fun thing to bring in to work for St. Paddy’s day. I’m so glad I did! They were amazing! I don’t normally like chocolate cake, but the sour cream made them so moist that you can’t help but love them. The Bailey’s butter cream frosting was so delicious – but very rich, I might try less sugar next time. And the Jameson ganache! I used Ghiradelli chocolate, so yes, it was sinful. I’m not experienced at making filled cupcakes, so I was nervous about these, but they were very easy to make! Not only were they easy, but they were not too time consuming, either. Everyone at work loved them and I have sent multiple people to this site for the recipe.
Side note – I had a lot of leftover Bailey’s frosting and gave it to a friend. They used it in their coffee instead of creamer. Good tip if you don’t want to waste anything.
I highly recommend these cupcakes!
So about the recipe: is there away to do this using boxed chocolate cake mix? Thanks!!!
Hi Challyn, Yes, you could. One boxed chocolate cake mix should yield 24 cupcakes, then you can proceed with the rest of the recipe as written. Obviously, you won’t have the Guinness, though.
Somehow I missed this question and reply before posting my own question a few minutes ago.
Can you add the Guinness to the chocolate cake mix or will it ruin the taste?
These are the BOMB….I’ve made them several times from this recipe and they are a HIT! Everything about this cupcake is wonderful! Thanks for sharing!!
Not sure if this question will be answer to since it’s been a couple years since it was published…
I’m not very good at making things from scratch with a lot of ingredients. Can I use a chocolate cake recipe for the cupcake and add in the Guinness Stout or will that mess up the taste?
I’m okay with the few ingredients for the filling and frosting.
Can’t wait to try!!
Thanks!!
Hi Missy, I’m not sure that would work. I would recommend either making a box mix and omitting the Guinness, or following the recipe above for the cupcakes.
Hi Missy!
I was thinking in doing them with a boxed chocolate cake mix (I’m way too lazy!) and maybe instead of using water, as it says in the box, use the guinness. Anyway bear in mind that I haven’t tried it, I’m just thiniking how to make more lazy friendly this awesome recipe. When I try it I’ll post about the result :)
What an awesome idea for a cupcake!
Love these cupcakes turned out amazing. What can I do to the cupcake part to sub the beer for chocolate cupcakes for children. my sisters and I are doing minion cupcakes I love this chocolate cupcake recipe
Hi Andrea, You might try using milk, but I can’t guarantee how that would turn out, as I’ve only made these with Guinness.
Hi There,
Love your site! For this recipe it says 24 cupcakes. May I ask if this is based on a 24-cupcake pan or 2x 12-cupcake pan.
If anyone had made this already, please kindly advise.
Thanks
KC :)
Hi KC, I made two 12-cupcakes pans.
Thank you!
How long will the cupcakes keep? I’d like to bake them Thursday evening for an out of town party on Sunday. Would it be best to assemble Sunday or will they keep for about 3 days once assembled?
These are delicious by the way! I made them for St. Patrick’s day and people who didn’t get one were very upset. Delicious!
Hi Carolyn, They do keep for awhile. Ideally, I would bake them Thursday, let them cool and fill them with the ganache, then place in an airtight container and frost them on Sunday.
These were a delicious hit! Thanks for sharing-can’t go wrong with baking and drinking.
Fantastic recipe. And making it is great! While making it, of course, I had the rest of a bottle of Guinness, and a freshly opened bottle of Jameson (my second favorite drink), and a freshly opened bottle of Bailey’s (my number three). It’s a wonder that by the time the cupcakes came out of the oven I had the dexterity to apply the frosting. I gave them to a couple of friends who loved them, and I’m taking a dozen in to work tomorrow.
On top of the fact that these are delicious and a treat to make, the recipe really wasn’t all that difficult. Toss things in a bowl, mix it up, mete out appropriate portions into cupcake holes, bake!
Has anyone tried substituting the butter in the cake batter for a healthier alternative? I really want to make these but would like to try to nip the unhealthy corners if possible.
Love these! Thanks for the redcipe!
It’s because of this wonderful recipe that i found your awesome baking blog! Last year one of my friends sent me a link and told me i HAD to make these for her St Patty’s Day party. So i did, and they turned out amazing! They were a bit more work than i was used to with cupcakes (i had never done a ganache filling before) but SO worth it! Everyone at the party LOVED them, and apparently they went quite well with their Irish Car Bomb drinks (i stayed away from the ICB drinks tho lol) and i have made them many times since then. But that will defniitely be a St Patty’s Day tradition from now on :)
I’m Irish I want one of these cupcakes.
I make a lot of cupcakes for a lot of community occasions and these are the most requested! I’ve also modified it into cake form, piping concentric circles of the ganache and the butter cream in between the layers. The Guiness Chocolate cake is so good that I use it for pretty much every chocolate cupcake and cake that I make!
Hi Michelle, I wanted to use this cupcake recipe but omit the alcohol. What can i use in place of the guiness stout in the cupcake… can i use water or some brewed coffee maybe? Help please! as i wanna try them today. Thanks alot! Im a huge fan of your web page :)
Hi Krystal, I think brewed coffee would be a good option.
I love the idea. You feel special making them for the special day.
I’m currently making these cupcakes. I followed the directions to the letter, yet my batter is really runny. Is this common or did I do something wrong?
Absolutely amazing cupcakes! This is my new go-to when I’m in a pinch for a good chocolatey dessert!
I’m making 100 these for the first time. So happy to have found this recipe. Actually for Thanksgiving job pot luck.
I just wanted to make sure there wasn’t a typo in the recipe. I see that it calls for dutch-process cocoa and baking soda, but isn’t dutch-process cocoa usually used in recipes that call for baking powder because it doesn’t react with baking soda?
I questioned this as well – I used regular cocoa powder as this is what I had on hand (the same amount the recipe calls for) and added another 0.5 tsp of baking soda (for a total of 2tsp) and it worked out, they were delicious. :)
Hi girls!
I don’t think this will be a problem. There is already sour cream to go with the baking soda, so… But I don’t know if it would be a typo though, I mixed things up in my head and added a bit of baking powder by mistake. Turned out to be perfect cupcakes!
Oh my gosh these are SO delicious!!! I tripled the whiskey in the ganache and almost doubled the Bailey’s in the icing as I wanted to really taste them in each component. These were a HUGE hit. The Guinness enhanced the flavour of the cupcake and I will use this recipe for chocolate cakes in the future. With the 3 components I was expecting these cupcakes to be quite sweet but surprisingly they weren’t, just packed full of delicious flavour. These were a bit of work to make because of the 3 components but it really truly is worth it and now will be my go-to cupcake. Great fresh the first day but not bad the next day either so make sure to keep a few for yourself. ;)
I’ve been looking at this recipe since you posted it and decided to finally try it for Thanksgiving. The cupcakes were a big hit! They are delicious! The overall preparation was easy and the directions are accurate. I did get more cupcakes than you indicated though. How full was I supposed to fill each cup? Also, did you use a standard size cupcake paper? I will continue to make these for special occasions as I am sure my kids will be begging for more. Thank you.
Hi Shirley, I usually recommend filling the cupcake molds ⅔ of the way full, which keeps them from overflowing. Yes, I used standard size paper liners.
I have made these every St. Patrick’s day for the past 3 years or so. They are a big hit. I mix it up a little and use Caramel Bailey’s in the frosting and instead of Guinness, I use Boatswain Chocolate Stout from Trader Joe’s. You can pick up just one bottle for like $1.99 and it is awesome.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe. I made these along with Rumchata cupcakes and brought them both to work. The Irish cupcakes stole the show. I did feel compelled to spend some additional time with my treadmill.
I made these hoping they would turn out and they were absolutely fabulous. Just a tip: if you put the in the freezer then zap them in the microwave for 20 seconds the ganache will melt and suddenly you have Irish Car Bomb Volcanos!
These are so delicious!!! I have made them the past two years for our family’s big St. Patrick’s Day party. Of course they are requested again for this year. Some suggest the recipe makes too much frosting. What we don’t use on the cupcakes we put in a bowl surrounded by vanilla wafers and graham crackers to make a sweet dip. So yummy! Thanks for another great recipe!
Screwed up the recipe slightly on the cupcakes (added too much cocoa) but these came out delicious! Wish I had more time/energy to make the ganache to go with it but quite amazing without it. Frosting is to die for!!!
made a few times now and always get rave reviews. Today though I simmered the guinness and butter but when I added the butter it clumped….any idea what I did wrong?
Hi Alie, I would not recommend heating the Guinness, I would make the recipe as written. When you have something hot and you introduce another ingredient at a different temperature, depending on what it is, the properties, etc., it can cause one or the other to seize or curdle.
This recipes looks amazing I just have one question I’m not a big chocolate person would the recipe still work if I were to use a vanilla cake instead.
Hi Rheanna, I’m honestly not sure how it would turn out; Guinness is a good pair with chocolate since it’s so thick and dark. If you try it, definitely let me know how you liked it!
Michelle- This is one of my most favorite chocolate cupcake recipes! I want to adapt it for my daughter’s birthday party, which means leaving out the alcohol in the ganache and the frosting (the Guiness in the batter will bake off so I am not worried about that). Do you think it will work if I replace the Whiskey with vanilla and the Bailey’s with heavy cream?
Hi Lisa, Yes, you could definitely substitute vanilla extract and heavy cream for the whiskey and Irish cream. Enjoy the cupcakes!
i do not have irish wisky at home :/ what shall i replace it with ? :(
Hi Issabelle, Any other type of whiskey would work, or if you’d prefer another type of liquor to go with the chocolate cupcakes and Irish cream frosting, you can use whatever you’d like.
These cupcakes look absolutely dangerous!
made these last night and they are amazinggggg
Thanks for the fantastic recipe – have made these twice already!
I was in a time crunch last time I made them and to save time I replaced the ganache step with a box of instant chocolate pudding with plenty of whiskey whipped in at the end. It worked great and didn’t get quite as hard in the middle as the ganache did after chilling them. Thanks again!
Is the sour cream cups?
Either never mind or thanks! I see cups now!
Thank you for another scrumptious recipe!
I made them for my husbands birthday party (a few guys came over for PS3 and drinking. Their wives and I were chatting, perfect evening!) – and everybody loved these! Even the ones that usually doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth. But, for my taste, this frosting is a wee bit too sweet. Would it work to add less sugar, but substitute it with some heavy/whipping cream?
Hi Tonje, So glad everyone enjoyed these! If you reduce the sugar, you’ll have to play around with the other ingredients, as it would create a less-stiff frosting that might be difficult to pipe.
planning on making the cupcakes. do not like buttercream, would like to use the cream cheese from your icb cake. the cream cheese frosting from the cake and the filling for the cupcakes do not specify salted or unsalted butter — do you prefer one? Cannot find dutch process cocoa – is Hersheys ok? thanks
Hi Sue, You can use either; if you use unsalted, I would add a pinch of salt to the frosting. For this recipe, you can substitute regular unsweetened cocoa powder (i.e. Hershey’s).
Is there anyway to make the cupcake Vegan? I have a chocolate cupcake recipe but I’m not sure if I add the Guinness it will make it too soupy. Do you have any suggestions for the dairy substitutes by chance?
Hi Erin, Unfortunately, I haven’t tried adapting for vegan, so I couldn’t say :(
Has anyone use Guinness Extra Stout in these? Better or worse?
I just made these. They are deliciously fantastic! Thanks for the recipe. I had lots of fun making them :).
@ hula popper, I used Guinness Extra Stout and it worked great! I’m not sure how they taste with the other, but extra stout is yum. Also, @Sue Griffore, I used Hershey’s dark chocolate cocoa, which is Dutch cocoa mixed with reg. Delish.
Update on my progress…the cupcakes totally rock. I used Hershey’s Dark cocoa, and they’re as black as peat. :-) The ganache is awesome, too. These are for a cupcake competition at my hubby’s work today, so we drizzled a tiny bit of Jameson’s into the cupcake before piping the ganache, for an extra kick. The Bailey’s frosting is next. And we’ve made shamrocks, Irish flags, and rainbows with pots of gold out of marshmallow fondant to go on top. Win or not, I already know this recipe is a keeper.
We won Best Overall Cupcake at my hubby’s company’s competition at their St. Paddy’s Day party. Thanks for the awesome recipe! I know the name is controversial, but the contents follow a known cocktail. That said, we called it an Irish Trinity cupcake to avoid problems. But it is what it is. I don’t like the Black & Tan either.
would love to see pics of your cupcakes as they sound adorable. I made these tonight and they were fantastic!
These are amazing. I baked them for NYE and I’ve been looking for an excuse to do it again. So….Here we go!
These look delicious. However, “Irish Car Bomb” is totally racist and insensitive. I’m guessing that you changed it on the page, but the URL and the comments still use it. Please change that. It’s cruel and racist.
I am planning on making these. I noticed you said that you use you vanilla butter cream frosting, but the frosting recipe here does not have vanilla, just the Baileys. Is that correct — Bailey’s without the vanilla?
Hi Dan, The frosting is an adaptation of my favorite vanilla buttercream; I substituted Baileys for the vanilla.
Oh my! Made these tonight as a trial run for Monday (St pattys day) dessert and they were fabulous! Used Hersheys special dark cocoa when I couldn’t find just dutch processed cocoa. After eating one, you definitely want another! Thank you for this recipe! Will definitely make again!
Making the cupcakes….. to get the nice top that you do — how full do you fill the holder? Don’t want to overfill. thank you so much…..anxious to finish and fill them. Will be ready for Monday!!
Hi Sue, You should fill the liners about two-thirds full, which is about ¼ cup of batter.
Lol, you changed the name after all the fuss people made. Lame that you had to do that. But these look amazing. I’ve been wanting to make them since last year, and am actually about to start putting them together right now. Can’t wait to try them!
Update: made them yesterday, and they are amazing. To everyone asking if others had a lot of frosting leftover: I actually had just a tiny bit leftover. I was surprised, since Michelle’s love for 2:1 ratio of frosting to cupcake usually means I have cups of it leftover, but not this time. As she says, piping it on with a few swirls takes up a lot of it!
I did not find the ganache with the bittersweet chocolate to be too bitter; I felt that because overall, the whole cupcake is SO sweet, that it worked well to balance it out.
And the frosting…life-changing! The Baileys in it was astoundingly delicious. It elevated your typical vanilla buttercream to a whole other level.
I made these over the weekend and they turned out wonderful! One of the best recipes I’ve used! Thank you :)
I’ve made these for three years now and they are a BIG hit! A little labor intensive, but totally worth it. Better than anything you might find at your local bakery…my friends, family and coworkers all rave about them! Thank you for a spectacular recipe, I just started perusing your blog and can’t wait to try more!
Did anyone else have as much frosting left over as they applied to their cupcakes? I’ve never made my own butter-cream frosting and I have difficulty picturing volumes. It tastes great, but in the future I’m gonna make half as much.
Looking over the recipe to try sometime, they look great. I do have one question though…..2 CUPS of butter for the frosting? That to me seems a little extreme. Is that correct or a misprint?
Hi Julie, This is correct. For two dozen cupcakes, and piping frosting with a few swirls, this is the correct amount in conjunction with the powdered sugar to achiever the correct consistency.
I made these yesterday, the second time I’ve made them and both times they have turned out AWESOME! We did not have a decorating tip but discovered that the lid of the whiskey bottle works perfectly for cutting out the cupcake middles!
Mmm, made these for my staff for St. Paddy’s Day today and they are delicious! I did cream cheese icing instead of buttercream and cut the Bailey’s to 3 tbsp so it isn’t so strong. So good! The cream cheese really adds a kick.
I made these cupcakes today and they were really light, moist and delicious. Everyone loved them!!! Can’t wait to try more of your recipies.
I made these for the second time on Sunday (I made them last year for St. Paddy’s ,too.) Here are a few tips that I think might improve the recipe/make it more informative:
1) If you’re buying nips for the Bailey’s and Jameson, you only need one nip of Jameson and two of Bailey’s.
2) It might be a good idea to tell people that they can use semi-sweet chocolate chips for the ganache. I had a hard time finding anything else.
3) For the cocoa powder, a good tip is to advise people to spend up on it. Buying cheap cocoa powder actually has a pretty big impact on the flavor of the cake. The more expensive brands are leaps and bounds above the store brands, especially if one has access to Ghirardelli’s.
4) Make the distinction between Heavy Cream/Whipping Cream and Confectioners Sugar/Powdered sugar. Heavy cream and whipping cream are two different things, and the distinction is important, but not imperative, because I know some stores don’t even sell heavy cream anymore. However, confections sugar and powdered sugar are the same thing, but they can be called one or the other depending on the store or brand.
5) For the butter, I’d recommend saying how many sticks one needs, over cups. If you buy a box of four sticks, it doesn’t say on the box how many cups it is. An experienced baker will know that two sticks is one cup, but not everyone will. I’d also recommend telling people to leave their butter out the night before, or that morning, so it’s soft enough to whip the butter cream. It’s really hard to work with buttercream if the butter isn’t room temp.
These were sooo good! I would recommend cutting the frosting recipe in half (unless you like tons of frosting). I halved that part of the recipe and still had plenty of creamy deliciousness to pile high on top of each little cake. I’d also recommend cutting back the ganache recipe. I don’t think I used even half the ganache this recipe yielded. But then again, who doesn’t like leftover ganache? :)
I made these for the office yesterday. Wow! This is recipe is a keeper. The only snag was I didn’t have unsalted butter so the icing had a little salty and sweet taste, which was probably not a bad thing now that I think about it. Seriously though, fantastic!
So delicious! The frosting made me almost weep with joy it was so wonderful.
I plan on making these cupcakes for Sunday (today’s Friday) how long would I be safe for making them ahead of time? I don’t want them to go bad before Sunday. Thanks in advance!!
I made these this past St. Paddy’s day. It was the first time I ever made cupcakes from scratch. It was not that difficult. They were delicious! This recipe is a keeper for sure!
Just made these for a bridal shower that I hosted at a brewery. I made an Irish themed dessert table and these were very popular! Thank you for this great recipe!
I made these for the guys at work. Rave reviews! Now, most people think firemen will eat just about anything, and in some cases that’s true; however, my crew are pretty discerning, and generally not much for sweets.
After tasting these amazing cupcakes, and taking some home to their families, I had two of the guys asking me for the recipe so they could bake them for their families. I’ve made a couple of other BEB cupcake recipes since, but this is the favorite for all of us. I keep getting asked when I’m going to make them again!
Thank you for giving us a new favorite dessert!
These are great! I lightly brushed the top of the cupcakes with a mixture of the beer and whiskey before I put the frosting on for that umph! Turned out great!
Thank you!
Made these for St. Pat’s Day this year and got rave reviews. One of my fav cupcakes of all time! Only prob I encountered was the ganache set up quite firm the following day (made them Sunday, took to work Monday) Is there anything I can do to keep it softer for a day or two? Butter? Corn syrup? More whiskey?? :D The ones my husband and I “test drove” on the Sunday were beautiful and soft. I want to make a batch this week to share with my neighbours who so kindly blew out our driveway several times during this brutal winter. Thanks for any advise… and the fantastic recipe! (Going to use the other half of the beer in the can to try your Guinness ice cream next)
Hi Jackie, It really shouldn’t harden once inside the cupcake. You can use more heavy cream to keep it a creamier consistency.
Thank you, Michelle, for such a quick response to my question! I made the cupcakes last week and increased the heavy cream a little… it improved the softness but still firmer than I’d like… which is still great… because now I know the fix and just have to keep increasing a little each time til I find perfect ganache. Such a shame I have to experiment ;) And of course – the neighbours loved them. Thanks again. :)
Take them to the wrong work place and call them Irish car bombs and you will lose your job. Also… it is Paddy, not Patty. If you are going to appropriate someone else’s culture the least you can do is get it right.
She abbreviated St. Patrick’s Day. It wouldn’t be “St. Pad’s Day”
I’m making these now and my Guinness/butter/chocolate mixture has separated. Any suggestions? Can I use it he way it is?
Hi Sabrina, I would keep going, it should come together.
Did you use unsweetened cocoa powder or sweetened?
Hi Shannice, Always unsweetened.
do i use 1 egg if i’m making 1/2 dozen cupcakes?
Yep!
Is it possible to use same batter to make a whole cake instead of cupcakes? Is there a change in cooking time?
Hi Rita, I have not done so, but other readers have mentioned that they have done this. You will need to increase the baking time, but I couldn’t say by exactly how much.
I’ve made a number of cupcakes on this site, and this is by far my husband’s favorite. The only tweak is I double the amount of whiskey in the ganache (I recommend Rowan’s Creek bourbon—it has a delicious vanilla flavor) because I like a boozier cupcake.
Also, the Bailey’s frosting is absolutely divine.
These cupcakes are AMAZING! I’ve made them several times for a bunch of parties and everyone always loves them. I don’t usually like chocolate cupcakes, but these are my favorite, by far. Thanks for sharing!
Hi! I would like to make this recipe as a three-layer cake for my husband’s birthday party as he is part Irish, do you think the amounts listed here would translate or do I need to increase the ingredient measurements?
Hi Heather, This recipe would work for two cake layers, but it would not be enough for three; you’ll need to increase the quantities.
I made these today as a test taste to see if I should make them again for my friend Courtney’s birthday… They are AMAZING! I was so impressed, that I took some to work on my day off just to share them with my co-workers, and I’ll be taking more in tomorrow! They are so rich, and the flavors blend perfectly. I’ve always been a fan of the car-bomb, and this is definitely going to be a new staple for parties!
First things first, amazing website and great recipes. Then, a confession: I have never really made cupcakes but have baked at least half a dozen batches of muffins over the past few months. I have ordered a bunch of baking supplies. I was looking a t a lot of recipes, your chocolate cupcakes recipe looks and sounds decadent. So, I decided to go with that (https://www.browneyedbaker.com/2013/08/19/best-chocolate-cupcakes-recipe/) but for ganache filling and frosting, I think this Irish bomb recipe is more exciting, I am baking for a fun brunch with a dozen other people day after tomorrow. I just thought this would be better for the occasion. What do you think of combining two of your recipes like this? Also, I plan to substitute whiskey for baileys in ganache also. Does that sound ok? Thanks a ton :)
I’ve been using this recipe for a few years now (I made the change of using Trader Joe’s bittersweet chocolate- the pound plus one in the red wrapper) and this is easily one of the most requested and beloved of all the goodies that I bake. Everyone loves them! They are light, fluffy, moist and not too sweet! Well, the cupcakes themselves, at least. That frosting is a sweetly delicious heart attack waiting to happen! I LOVE this recipe. I’ve written it down in my keep forever recipe book.
I made this last weekend (substituting Irish Mist for Jameson) and they were unbelievable. I worried that they would be too sweet but the various flavors ended up complementing each other beautifully. The ganache especially was to die for!
Hello,
We just found your recipe and tried it and it was delicious !! Also, we have a french website about Ireland, where we also talk about irish recipes. We would be very delighted if you give us the authorization to translate your recipe in french and publish it in our website. By specifying that all the credit belong to you, and puting a link leading to your website.
Don’t hesitate to tell us your answer and have a nice day with a lot of new ideas !
Nabiha
Just made these for my friend’s birthday today. They turned out incredible! I wish I had some fancy piping tips/decorating tips-just used a freezer bag with the corner clipped off and they still look pretty. So SO amazing! Thanks for the great recipe!
These look lovely but can you imagine the reaction if I posted a recipe for an Exploding Twin Towers Cake?
We’re not talking about ancient history; the year year before the Twin Towers attack, the Real IRA carried out a series of bombings, including a car bomb in London. On top of that are the all the car bombing in Ireland itself.
The bomb campaign wasn’t a joke and it’s not an amusing name; it’s a sick name.
Thanks! These were a BIG hit when I made them.
I have made theses several time. They are always a huge hit with people. Oh my Gosh, these are awesome!!!!! Thank you for the recipe.
I’m going to be sharing these cupcakes with my class in Autumn wrappers just because lol. The photos look gorgeous, and that buttercream is divine.
Hi Michelle,
I was thinking about amending the recipe to Orange flavoring. and i wanted to know if i could subsitue the guinness for Orange juice. Is it possible? I know that the guinness bring out the chocolate floavor, but i wondering about the liquid content of the recipe if i subsitute. I’m think i’m going to do triple sec for the ganache.
Hi Sabrina, I haven’t tried making that substitution, but I think it should be okay. Let me know how they turn out!
Hi Michelle, So I know I’m little late on the reply for this but I wanted to let you know how it turned out. I used 1/2cup of OJ and 1/2 Cup heavy cream. I feared that it would be too liquidly with just oj since guniess is a heavier beer and then added a little bit of zest as well. I made a layered cake with a ganache and did it with grand mariner, and did your ultimate chocolate buttercream. The cake was really good. I have been craving sweets again and my husband has a pot luck so I’m going to try it in cupcake form tonight. Thank you for all you do I enjoy trying out and tasting all your recipes especially the sweets. Congrats on your new bundle of joy!
I’m sitting here trying to figure out if I could do these with a chocolate cake mix (maybe substitute the Guiness for the water, and the sour cream can substitute for the oil? Has anyone by chance tried doing this?
Best cupcake recipe ever. I’ve made these 3 times now and they come out perfect every time and people can’t get enough of them. They take more time than a normal cupcake but are totally worth it. Thanks for sharing!
Before I explode with disgust, can you please tell me exactly what is funny about, “Irish Car Bomb cupcakes?” As someone who grew up around the troubles, to say that your post is beyond bad taste would, of course, be an understatement.
Because they are ignorant, uneducated, uncultured idiots. Why don’t you get out of the kitchen and read a book or if that is too much for all of you, you can even watch a movie. I am so embarrassed for any idiot who thinks this is funny. Serve me one and I’ll shove it down your throat. You would not laugh at a flaming twin towers cupcake. You make me sick.
I agree, but I think it is a disgusting offense to call all Americans “uncultured idiots.” It kind of makes you seem a little idiotic and stuffy yourself. You’re right – most Americans don’t know about the Troubles. I do because my family raised me to know about our history. You’re damn right we wouldn’t laugh at a “twin towers” cake – and we never would. It’s also quite ignorant to say something like America has no culture. Maybe you should take a history lesson yourself. Every piece of land on this planet has a history and has been inhabited by many different people. Maybe our buildings are newer and our people are more diverse, but the history and culture of those who came before us is still here. Get your head out of your ass and calm your Irish temper. Instead, let’s come up with a different name together, because quite honestly, the drink is damn delicious and I’d hate to see it go.
The cupcakes are named after a drink called the Irish Car Bomb. Guinness with whiskey and Bailey’s added to it. If you’re going to have snit, have it at the person who invented and then named the drink.
Do you think I could sub rice flour to make this gluten free?
Hi Courtney, I haven’t done much experimenting with gluten-free alternatives, so I couldn’t give you a definitive yes or no on how rice flour might work. If you do try it, please stop back and let me know how it worked!
I have made these for the past three years in my brother’s restaurant for St Patty’s Day. Each year I have had to increase the batches to fill the demand of customers! An absolute hit with jubilant response. The folks look forward to this every year. Being a chef and previous restaurant owner myself appreciate the richness of chocolate and the compliment of the decadent frosting in these cupcakes. A true dessert and an absolute delight! I am indebted to our bartender for introducing me to your site. Look forward to many more delicious discoveries!
Do any of you have any idea how deeply offensive this is to people who lived in either UK or EIRE during the terrorist bombings that you celebrate?
Do any of you have any idea what you’re supporting here?
Here’s a hint: terrorism is not good. Imagine it happened in one of your cities.
I will be making these again this year…real crowd pleaser!! I use another teaspoon of Jameson in the Ganache for an xtra KICK ;)
I normally like this Irish recipes but as an Irish person living in Ireland and did so during the troubles maybe rethink the name of these buns? Car bomb is bit insensitive
Can I make this into a full cake. If so at what temp can I bake?
Hi Ree, I think you could. Bake it at the same temperature, but you might need to increase the baking time a bit.
Thanks so much. I just made the filling. Turned out really thin for some reason. Any ideas? Have put it in the fridge to cool but still runny. Thanks so much.
Hi Ree, Refrigerating the ganache should thicken it up.
When this recipe is posted on Facebook it is called an Irish Car Bomb Cupcake recipe. Over 3,500 people died in the Troubles, many by car bombs. Please change the name of the recipe. It is as offensive as an Oklahoma Truck Bomb Cupcake or a Boston Bomb Cupcake recipe. Thank you for considering this request.
What’s next? Twin Towers Pie?
Would the be suitable to take these to a work function? Is there REALLY enough alcohol to make someone impaired enough to not drive?
Hi Katie, It’s not my opinion that these have enough alcohol in one cupcake to impair someone, but of course, totally a judgement call! I can’t make any guarantees :)
Well thank you very much for the reply back! I’m for going to be making these next weekend to go alone with my Guinness cake! So excited!
I think your cupcakes look fantastic and I am sure they taste the same. However would love to see the name changed to Leprechauns Delight. Unless these cupcakes are deadly and kill people. Irish car bombs have killed a lot of people and that name conjures up some ugly pictures for something as lovely as your cupcakes. Would be nice if you reconsidered the naming of your cupcakes.
These look delicious, I hope to try them soon.
I confess that although I am totally opposed to ultra-sensitive political correctness, I found the previous name very off putting. It hardly seemed appropriate for a cupcake. Kudos to you for changing the name to something with less painful connotations.
i have been baking a long time, and i have never tasted a cupcake like this one!!!! it is a little time consuming, but well worth the effort!!! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!!
How long will these cupcakes last after being made?
Hi Kevin, I would say 2 to 3 days.
If you put them in an airtight container and then put it in the fridge, they last a lot longer. Just let them come to room temperature before eating.
Should change the name. Not kosher!
Ok, I just made these…OMG.. are they good. Someone posted they put them in the freezer. They are so right, they are wonderful cold. They don’t freeze! You have got to try them!
The name of the recipe is “GUINNESS, WHISKEY & IRISH CREAM CUPCAKES,” so why the “Irish Car Bomb” rename? As an Irish family, we find this name horribly insulting. Is this what you think of Irish people? And is this how you supposedly pay tribute to an Irish inspired holiday, by insulting us?!? What if we made and advertised American Extremist Stew? Or American Idiot Pie? Sheesh… RUDE!!!
They are called car bombs because of the drink (called a car bomb) that contains Guinness, baileys and Jameson. I’m sure she didn’t mean any disrespect but seriously, it’s a drink name. Sensitive much?
Kristi. It’s highly offensive …not being overly sensitive …
I just have to tell you that you did a fabulous job with this recipe! I recently came across it through Facebook and decided to make them for my husband’s birthday party. Everybody LOVED them and I got many compliments, but those compliments need to be passed on to you! Phenomenal recipe! Thank you!
I just made these and they are amazing!! I added a little extra baileys to the frosting and Jameson to the ganache and it really gave it a kick. I would definitely make these again. Thank you!
Your links call these Irish Car Bombs ….this is highly offensive people died from those types of attacks.
But the cup cakes look yummy.
These look delicious , however I kind of object to the name of them. Anyone who lived through the 70’s in England and Northern Ireland can remember the fear that the IRA could plant a car bomb anywhere (and frequently did) and kill or maim innocent people.
This recipe opens with the URL title “Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes.” I’ve made them, and hey are indeed delicious, but…
An English friend pointed out to me how offensive the “car bomb” name is to her and to those who lived through the terror of the IRA. She said it would be like a “9/11 Cupcake” would be terribly offensive to us. I don’t know if the phrase “car bomb” is now cached forever, but if not I respectfully request that referenced to “car bomb” be removed.
Thanks, and I do indeed love your web site and enjoy trying your recipes.
I think its about time you Americans took out the car bomb element to all your St. Patrick’s day celebrations. Its not funny. Over 500 people were killed including children during the troubles. So sad!
Made them…. LOVE THEM. Wouldn’t change a thing. They’re GREAT!
I made these last year for a big St Patrick’s day party, complete with bagpiper! They were a complete hit! So creamy and delicious, they, of courses, asked me to make them again this year!! Thanks for this great recipe!!
I’m not sure if the name if theses was changed due to the controversy I’m reading in the comments, but i see NO mention of “Irish car bomb” anywhere but in the comments. I do understand that people would be upset at that reference, however, all of you people posting rude and insulting comments about others are just showing your own lack of intelligence and class. If you want to educate people about how you are feeling, try doing it respectfully.
In any case…these cupcakes are amazing!!
Hi Patty,
Yes, it appears the name was changed. I remember when this was originally posted some time ago, they were called “Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes” (named after the drink). I assume that Michelle changed the name on the page and in the recipe, but the URL is still “Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes.”
I just made these yesterday for a birthday today, haven’t tasted them yet, but I gave the first two to my son and husband and they said this was amazing, in my son’s words “the best cupcakes he has ever tasted”, and we have made many over the years. So, thank you for sharing and I will definitely do this again one day.
People, lay off this woman already! I seriously doubt she concocted this delicious recipe with the sole purpose of insulting thousands of people whose lives were personally shaken by horrible acts of terrorism. She changed the name of the cupcakes a while back and some of you are still complaining. That’s the great thing about the internet, if you don’t like something you come across , you don’t have to come back to it. Cut her some slack and eat a cupcake for Pete’s sake!
Has anyone tried to make these ahead of time? I am just curious how long in advance I can make the ganache.
If I can’t find Dutch processed cocoa powder, would any type work? Making these tomorrow!
HellO! can i make all of the fillings and icing before hand? Ex. make cup cakes tonight and fillings and ice tomorrow?
I loved this recipe! I actually used the 12 cupcake version of the recipe on fromaway.com and I just finished and couldn’t be happier! The only thing I’m not a huge fan of was how SWEET the frosting was. I’m not sure if it was the reduced recipe or just my taste. Any suggestion on how to make the frosting a little less sweet and gritty?
These are Delish! Just finished piping the frosting (which is sooo good) found the recipe to be exact…only suggestion, save the fancy cupcake liners for after baking. These cupcakes are so dark it was a waste to use the more $ liners first. Will be making again for sure!
I just made these cupcakes. My husband devoured one and said it was the best cupcake he had ever eaten. I decided to try one and he’s right!!! Moist cake, the ganache is excellent and the frosting has just the right amount of Baileys. These aren’t going to last long at my house.
They came out great! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Just made these. Wonderful! I am sure they will be a big hit with the group
I made these today and they are the bomb!!….so good!!
my friend makes these every year, I got to eat one this year, OMG!! You have no idea how flipping good these are until you eat one…pure heaven in a cupcake liner!
Made these tonight and they turned out amazing! Thank you!
Listen, these bad boys beg to be drizzled with browneyedbaker’s salted caramel; it helps balance the sweetness of the frosting. Just made this recipe for St. Patricks Day with that one alteration. It’s only my second time making these but I had several friends contact me a few days ago to make sure these cupcakes become a new tradition, thanks for the great recipe!
Hoping you see this and can answer today (as if you have tons of free time with your lil guy- congrats!!)! I just made these and the ganache doesn’t have the slightest sweet taste to it- just whiskey and bitter chocolate. Is that how it’s supposed to taste? Will the sweetness of the cake and frosting off set the ganache? I’m about to fill them but am tempted to add a little sweetness to the ganache
Hi Christine, Thank you!! :) Yes, the ganache isn’t super sweet, you could use milder chocolate, but yes, it’s definitely set off by the cake and icing. Enjoy!
I made these for a St Patrick’s Day party today. They were the hit of the party. I am not normally a baker, but I took my time and these were amazing. A couple of small changes: I had to use salted butter in one part, but just reduced the added salt per the recipe in one part. The rest of the recipe I used unsalted butter. (I ran out of unsalted butter). I added a tee bit of more Jamison Irish Whiskey for flavor in the ganache and twice as much Baileys for the frosting. My party host actually shook my hand after he devoured one. Ta Da.
Your recipe was right on, not always something you find online. Irish hats off to you. Thank you. This recipe is spectacular! I am a fine of yours.
I don’t care for the name either, so I just call them St Pat’s dessert.
I love, love, love (not even enough loves!) your website and your recipes. I have made these cupcakes twice now and have received rave reviews from my friends and family! Thank you for making me look so good!
I made these with my daughter during Spring Break just before St. Patrick’s Say. Neither of us are regular bakers, but these turned out perfectly! A great recipe and even better directions made our venture a success. Thanks for sharing!
Love this recipe, but the ganache was a pain and I hated having to spend the time to dig out a section from each one and then throwing all of that away. I found a better way.
1/2 cup of heavy cream
4 oz of bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of whiskey
Put the cream, chocolate and sugar in a microwave safe bowl, heat 40-60 seconds until the chocolate starts to melt. Whisk until smooth and then add the whiskey. Chill in the fridge until firm, no longer than 30 minutes. Put about 1 tablespoon on the top of each cupcake BEFORE baking. Bake normally.
As the cupcakes bake, the ganache sinks down into the center and it’s a lovely surprise to those who take a bite.
Also, the frosting recipe is way too much and made the cupcakes top heavy, so I cut it down by a quarter and it’s much more manageable.
made these today… they are not as pretty as the ones above but I tasted at each step and they are very yummy
This is the absolute best Chocolate cupcake recipe I’ve ever made. The icing makes way more than you need for 24 cupcakes but the batter is the perfect amount for 24 cupcakes. The ganache is plenty to double-dip (and more ganache is always welcome!). Well done!
These look amazing! Do you think the cupcakes could be baked, cooled, and frozen before applying the frosting? I want to make these in advance but won’t have time to do all the steps at once.
Thanks!!
Hi Sarah, Yes, you could definitely do that. Enjoy!
These look amazing and I’m making them tomorrow!
One issue – I don’t have Bailey’s on hand. Would Kahlua be a viable substitute?
Hi Gabriella, Kahlua is much different than Baileys… Baileys is a cream, while Kahlua merely a coffee-flavored liquor.
I have tried these numerous times with RAVE reviews! I am actually in the process of making it into a cake today. Only problem I have is the ganache is always too thin no matter what I do. Hopefully it thickens up for the cake…if this works I’m using it for a wedding cake!! EVERYONE i know says TY for this recipe!!
These are amazing!! Just finished them up tonight and I am so pleased with the outcome!! The cake is moist, light and fluffy and decadent!! Love the combo with the bittersweet ganache and the super sweet icing. Thanks so much for the great recipe!! ?
I made these for a Notre Dame football game last weekend. They turned out beautiful and delicious. Huge hit. Thanks for the recipe! Go Irish!
Hi
I have a question since I’m not from the USA… what is dutch-process cocoa powder? It that simple cocoa unsweetned powder?
merci
Hi Dominik, There is a difference, here is a good explanation: http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/08/difference-dutch-process-natural-cocoa-powder-substitute.html
I’m going to try making these for St. Patrick’s day and I really like the icing design. Does anyone know which tip was used and how the buttercream was applied? It looks like a rose petal tip layered from the outside toward the center. Thanks!
Hi Valerie, I believe I used a Wilton 1M tip, just swirled it up!
Thank you! I’ll try it.
THESE ARE AMAZING!! This will be the 4th yr I will be making them for my St.Pats party!! These cupcakes ARE the reason I started my party!! My friends can’t wait…neither can I. Thanks for one of the best recipes I have received from you!! You are the best! LUV YOU!!
I don’t think I can find Dutch processed coco powder can I use regular coco powder will it Alter the recipe at all
Hi Alyssa, You should be able to make that substitution without an issue. Enjoy!
Just wanted to finally let you know that I’ve made these every year since you’ve posted this! Everyone always waits for me to make them around St Patrick’s Day. Just finished up a batch to bring to a big St Patty’s Day parade we attend every year. I’ve already had a few people requesting them :) FYI, I always add a ton more whiskey to the ganache, and a BUNCH more Bailey’s to the frosting. The key is using the whisk attachment on your mixer. Makes such a big difference! I seriously think I used like half a bottle of baileys in this dang frosting. Whoops :) Thanks so much for posting this!!!!
Hi, I’m making these for a party tonight. I made the cupcakes last night and stored in an airtight container. Just finished adding the ganache. So far, amazing – two thumbs up. Quick question about the frosting. It calls for 2 cups of butter, could that mean two sticks? That seems like a lot of butter!
Hi Susan, 2 cups of butter is 16 ounces, which would be 4 sticks of the standard 4-ounce sticks you find in the U.S.
My 15th wedding anniversary is this Thursday (St. Paddy’s Day). My husband asked our friend who loves to bake if she’ll make them for us…lord I hope she says yes as I am disaster in the kitchen!
I too have made these every year since you posted it. My sister in law even requests them when she’s home at the Christmas holidays!
This year I will be sharing with a new co-worker, so he can take them home to his dinner party that night!
I make these all the time and I use baking powder instead of baking soda and I sift the dry ingredients and it makes it a completely different cake. As if it couldn’t get any better! Love this recipe!!
Going to make these for a party on saturday. Looks great, yummy
Stellar cupcakes! Best I’ve ever made I was told. They were I have to say one of the best given the effort I had to put in other cupcakes these were a breeze. I would definitely make these again (perhaps a St. Patrick’s day tradition). Thank you for developing this recipe.
These are the BEST cupcakes in the world. I make them every year. Thank you for the recipe!!
Hi, Can the ganache be made ahead of time? I was hoping to make my cupcakes and ganache at night then frosting and assembly in the morning.
Thank you!
Hi Christine, Yes, you can definitely make it ahead!
Hi Michelle…love your blog! You’re my “go to” blog when I’m looking for great recipes, and the first blog I ever read! Slippery slope after that, whew!
I’ve made this recipe a ton, both with and without the ganache, and even in cake form! I’m curious, have you ever made the frosting with any of the butter substituted with shortening? I’m wondering because I’m making them for a wedding and worry about the frosting melting!
Hi Julz, I’ve never used just shortening; I would probably try half butter, half shortening, but I would do a test run first!
My ganache won’t thicken, what am I doing wrong?
Hi Charlenes, I don’t know exactly how you’ve proceeded with the recipe, but try refrigerating it – that should help to thicken it up. If not, I imagine there was too much liquid used.
This recipe just sounds crazy to me! So many unusual cupcake flavours! Love it!
This looks so good and the cupcake wrapper is just perfect!
FYI..I have followed this recipe exactly and made an 8″ cake of it. Then used the Bailey’s Buttercream to fill and ice the cake and the Whiskey Ganache to drip down the sides. Perfectly decadent =o)
A delicious and easy-to-make recipe. Always a hit every time I serve it!
A friend of mine made these and they were crumbly. Do you know what might cause this to happen?
Hi Cynthia, They could have been crumbly if they were overmixed or baked too long.
I made these for my brother-in-law’s birthday party. They are dangerous. I have not dared make them again since because I am afraid I will eat them ALL. Yup. ALL 24 of them.I also strongly advise against licking the frosting because then you won’t have enough for the cupcakes.On a serious note though, these are the best cupcakes I have ever had.
Hi, Michelle! I just made the Irish Car Bomb cupcakes and OMG…..are they delicious! Quick question….what tip did you use to frost the ones in the picture? Mine aren’t nearly as pretty as yours! Thanks so much!
Hi Kelly! So awesome to hear you like them! I used a Wilton 1M decorating tip.
I have had this same recipe for years and have made these several times. Although they’re a bit putzy, I think they’re really fun to make and have turned out amazing every time. No need to wait for St. Pat’s. These are incredible. (Notice edible is in that word.) You may want to make extra ganache to keep in the fridge and eat on it’s own. It truly is amazing.
I made the car bomb cupcakes for my sons birthday (44) he and his buddies really loved them and wanted more.
I made cupcakes one day and then finished them the next day.
definitely will be making these – where did you get the sprinkles! There will be 7 of us for St. Paddy’s dinner
Hi Nancy, My grocery store had small containers of those sprinkles made up in the bulk foods section. I’m sorry that’s not terribly helpful :(
I love your cupcakes recipe I have made them over a dozen time and they are always a huge hit!
This weekend I adapted your cupcake recipe to make a cake, I baked 2 layers of chocolate guiness cake, filled them with 1 quantity of the whiskey ganache and iced the whole thing in Bailey’s buttercream, it was for a birthday and I had 3 people tell me it was the best chocolate cake they had ever had. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and remaking it I love it and so does everyone else
I have made these before and they are delicious, however, I used Murphy’s Irish Stout, Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey and Coole Swan Irish Cream instead of the usual suspects.
Is this the same recipe you had years ago? I think it was called Irish Bomb cupcakes?
Hi Megan, Yes, same recipe! Just updated with new photos, metric measurements, etc.
These are the best. When that Guinness, butter, and cocoa are on the stove…I just want to crawl in that saucepan. Any thoughts on how to make that a ice cream topping?
Oh my gosh, an ice cream topping is such an amazing idea! It really resembles a ganache when cooled, so I think you could pour it right over!
Umm, it would totally be okay to lick the screen, right?! These look amazing and I’m completely with you on cupcakes trumping shots! :)
Yum! Yes, please!
Kari
http://sweetteasweetie.com/
Will a cupcake corer work or should I use a knife ? Also, how much filling is used per cupcake ? Thanks
Hi Marti, You could definitely use a cupcake corer. I didn’t measure the filling, but I’d estimate about a tablespoon? I use it all, just divide it evenly between all of the cupcakes.
Wow these sound and look amazing!
Izzy | http://www.pinchofdelight.com
I’ve made these cupcakes several times the past couple of years. And I highly recommend this recipe. The ganache firms up quite a bit, almost like a truffle. I prefer to have the center softer, so I’ve tweaked the filling a bit. Is there an alternate recipe available if you want a softer, creamier filling? Almost like the consistency of Nutella? I find I have to explain these cupcakes to folks, so they’re aware there’s a little ball of chocolate inside before they bite into it. I know. You shouldn’t have to explain this. I’m weird like that.
Hi Susan, You could try increasing the cream to a full 1 cup, that will create a softer ganache. You can also use a mixer to beat the ganache once it sets to give it more of a fluffy, frosting-type consistency.
I have made these every year for several years now. My birthday is the 16th and this the treat I make myself and to share. The stout just makes the chocolate POP and all of it comes together a delicious dark chocolate grown up cupcake.
This is my go to favorite recipe to make for St. Patrick’s Day. Everyone loves when I bring these cupcakes to work or friends/family. The whiskey ganache filling is the extra delicious surprise that people don’t expect. I highly recommend this recipe!
I make these every year for St Patty’s Day and everyone (friends, family, co-workers) LOVES them! They are amazing!
This year I was thinking of making them as mini cupcakes. Any idea how much the baking time would be reduced for minis?
Hi Tara, I usually start checking mini cupcakes (any mini cupcake) around the 8 minute mark to make sure I don’t over do them. Hope that helps!
I have made these in the past and you are right everyone LOVES them! I plan to make them again this year. Happy St. Patty’s Day!
Lol! I see the politically correct police got to the name of this cupcake. It still is delicious no matter what it is called. I like to make them as minis but it is much more time consuming. I just find cupcakes too rich to offer up regular size ones.
Hello
This looks great. I do have 2 questions.
Because there is cream in the ganache, shouldn’t these cupcakes be refrigerated after baking? That is if they even last more than 1 day.
Also if I want to make a few cupcakes without the the Jameson in the ganache, what do I use as a substitute?
Thank you
Hi Maureen, I’ve never refrigerated them, but you could if you would feel better about it. If you don’t want to use Jameson, you can simply omit it, no need to replace it with anything (although you could use vanilla extract if you wanted.
I make these cupcakes every year and get RAVE reviews. This year I was going to try to make them into a 6in round cake with the ganache as the filling between the layers; I was wondering if you had any idea about baking time
Hi Olivia, Sounds amazing! Unfortunately, I’m not sure about baking time as I haven’t done it.
could you just use a dark chocolate cake mix and use the stout for the liquid,,,what the about sour cream
Hi Deborah, I have no clue how that would work, I’ve never done it.
Wow! Just wow! So, we started out some years ago making chocolate stout cupcakes. Three years ago, Guineas cupcakes with Bailey’s Irish Cream icing replaced the chocolate stout cupcakes as our preferred St. Patrick’s day desert, but now, those will be replaced with your recipe which seems to be utter and complete perfection! Thank you so very much!!!!
Hello
I was just converting some other recipes to weight in gms
I also checked the weight of the all-purpose flour in this recipe.))(
The recipe calls for 283 gms of all purpose flour for 2 cups
The King Arthur weight chart shows 1 cup = 120 gms, 2 c = 240g
There is a 43gm difference between the recipes.
That seems like a large difference to me. Is it?
Did you use the King Arthur weight chart, or did you follow all the weights as shown in the the recipe?
Also, what size muffin tin.
I have some cupcake pans that has 6 cupcakes in each pan. (I have another larger 6 cupcake pan but I know it isnt that one)
Then I have another cupcake pan that makes 12 cupcakes and they are a bit smaller than my 6 cupcake pan.
Do you have a measurement across the top of the tin?
Thanks
Maureen
Hi Maureen, I use the America’s Test Kitchen weight for all-purpose flour, which is 1 cup = 5 ounces – slightly more than King Arthur Flour. The weights listed in the recipe are the ones that I used. This is the muffin tin that I use:
http://amzn.to/2fJOxQW.
Hi. I made these last year and they were delicious! Planning to make them again for Friday but was wondering if you have ever made mini-cupcakes and if it worked out? Wasn’t sure if they would be too small to fill. Thanks!
Hi Stephanie, I haven’t done mini cupcakes, but I think you would still be able to fill them with a small amount of the ganache.
I’ve made them large and small, i prefer the smaller ones. I chill them before I scoop out the middle and they work perfectly!
I love making filled cupcakes, and I feed them to my coworkers (since I don’t need to eat that many) and now I am known as the cupcake lady at work. I have been making this recipe for years (with a few tweaks for high altitude), and I get requests for them all the time, even over my lemon ones that originally made me “famous!”Definitely a great recipe!Sometimes I do a cream cheese & Baileys frosting instead, depending on my mood and what ingredients I have, and that works well too!
What are your high altitude tweaks for this recipe?
I’ve made these about 10 times now, they are always a hit. Sometimes i do regular size cupcakes, but prefer them mini, because they are very rich. I cook them 13-15 minutes. I refrigerate them overnight, and the next day scoop out the middle and fill with the ganache (i make the ganache the day i make the cupcakes). I find the cupcakes are easier to scoop out the middle when chilled. I also use cream cheese and a little butter for the frosting, as i prefer it to straight buttercream.
Is it okay to half the recipe and just make 12 cupcakes? Or should I just stick with the recipe provided?
Hi Angelina, Absolutely! I’ve done that without a problem at all.
Just added the ingredients to my shopping list. These will be a great dessert after the Guinness Corned Beef with Reduction. Just finished making the Guinness mustard. YUM!
I made these last year for the teachers at my children’s school. They were a HUGE hit! Super delicious. Making them again tomorrow
These are delicious cupcakes! I did add some powdered sugar to the chocolate ganache to sweeten it a bit. The cake is moist and tender and the frosting is out of this world!Thanks so much for a great recipe!
My husband’s co-workers insist that I make these every year. They are always delicious! I usually leave the cupcakes intact, and just dip the top in the ganache. I do that because I like to have a nice ratio of cake to frosting, and I find if I use a filling (in any cupcake), there is less cake than I would like there to be. But I definitely don’t want to skip the ganache altogether, so I just do a thin latter on top, and then pipe the buttercream on top after the damage cools. No
Did have to omit the Jameson, though, because when my husband would take the cover off the cupcake carrier at work, it smelled sooo boozy.
These are awesome, I’ve made them the last four years in a row and they have been a huge success.
I first made these 1-2? Years ago and they are soooooo delicious! I just made a batch for my hubs to take to work tomorrow and another for family dinner. They are literally the best cupcakes I’ve ever had. And I’ve had a lot. ? Thank you for another amazing recipe!
I just wanted to let you know that I made these a couple of years ago and they were such a hit that my mom started requesting them for St Patrick’s Day every year for her employees. She no longer works there, but some contractors that used to receive some of the cupcakes are now requesting them every year. They are SO yummy and the alcohol works so well!
BEB – these cupcakes are amazing!! I just made a batch last night. I borrowed the recipe for your Bailey’s Irish Cream Cheese Icing for these cupcakes. They are DECADENT and oh SO GOOD!! My husband said they may have been the best cupcake he ever had. I brought them in for my work colleagues and they are a huge hit, everyone is raving about them. Thank you for posting these great recipes and your fun blog! I am gonna have to hit the gym hard after polishing off a few of these cupcakes but it will be soooo worth it!! Thank you!! Happy St. Pattys Day!
i made the filling to thin how can i fix this??????
Hi Sarah, Did you add too much liquid? How exactly did you make it too thin?
I love making these every year! I give them to my Starbuck’s Partners and close friends. I don’t know of anyone that doesn’t enjoy them. I get great comments from all of them. Thanks for this wonderful Irish Car Bomb recipe!
WONDERFUL recipe. I will never make chocolate cupcakes without Guinness again. My only complaint is that I didn’t double the recipe so they were gone within minutes. Adding this to my collection!
Why does the recipe call for Dutch cocoa powder and baking soda? I thought that when using Dutch cocoa you needed to use baking powder and when using regular cocoa powder with baking soda due to acidity?
Hi Stephanie, I know, it makes no sense, but my guess is that it has something to do with the interaction with the beer, as well, because these cupcakes have always turned out absolutely perfectly for me! So I adhere to the “don’t try to fix what isn’t broken” mantra!
Hi… I am hoping someone has the diabetic information on these…. please let me know asap :)
Not sure what you mean by “the diabetic information,” but I am diabetic, so can speak from that perspective. The exact carb count isn’t important. It’s high. Very high. All you need to know can be summed up in one word. “Prohibitive.” Both carbs and glycemic index are astronomical, unfortunately.
I made these for St. Patrick’s day, my family just went bananas over them. They said these are definately a keeper. 5*****
I made these last week, and they are amazing! They look outstanding and the taste is out of this world; the various textures and different flavors make for a most delicious cupcake! I got so many compliments on them, that from now on they are my “go-to” cupcake for any occasion.I love that you called them “Guinness, Whisky and Irish Cream” cupcakes rather than the “Irish Car Bomb” name that many use and which is very disrespectful to the Irish. I’m going to refer to my cupcakes as “Irish Trinity” cupcakes since they use three Irish alcoholic beverages.Again, thank you for this delightful recipe!
My coworker made these this year and they were HEAVEN. She went to pastry school but works as a scientist. Anyway, she said that she didn’t pay attention to your directions, only the ingredients (the shame!!) and went about making the cupcakes in the traditional way (cream the butter with the sugar, etc., etc.) then realized AFTER the fact that you melted the butter with the beer. D’oh! Do you know what is the specific reason for this step? I am just curious. Even made the “wrong” way they came out AMAZING but the scientist (and baker) in me is very curious about the deviation from a standard cake protocol. ;) Thanks!
Hi Jaime, The melted butter keeps the cupcakes super moist and tender; melted with the beer and then the chocolate being added almost creates a ganache. It’s heavenly!
How many cupcakes does this recipe make?
24 (see above in the recipe, under “yield”)
So good! My two favorite things, Guinness and cupcakes!
I made these and took them in to work for St. Patrick’s Day. What a big hit! I had at least 4 people tell me, “that was the best cupcake I have ever had.” I will make these again. Thank you!
I made these for St. Patrick’s Day while I was in Hawaii…..they are amazingly delicious and decadent! Needless to say they were a hit!
These may be the best cupcakes I have ever made! Absolutely delicious! Since I wasn’t planning on piping the frosting, I halved the recipe and it was the perfect amount to knife on. Everyone has been a huge fan!
Excellent, I prepared turned out great. Added a bit more bailey’s to the frosting which added a nice touch. Thank you for this recipe.
I made these for a BBQ this weekend and they were delicious! The cake in particular was super moist and really good. Thanks for a great recipe!
I made these tonight for my husband to take to work tomorrow. The directions were easy to follow and everything turned out GREAT! SUPER RICH! It did take me about 2 1/2 hrs, start to finish. The batter made 30 cupcakes for me AND I still have lots of leftover icing (which I will gladly take care of with a spoon 😉). I think my ganache may have been to thin for scooping so I put it in a baggy and squeezed it into each cupcake well. I took lots of pics along the way. It was a great bake-therapy session for me! The Bailey’s icing really seals the deal on these cupcakes. Thanks for sharing 👍🏻
My husband loves chocolate Guiness cake, I have made it with chocolate butter cream frosting. I wanted to give this recipe a go. first all I had issues with the cake and melting butter, sugar beer, and coca, it was really thin even after I let it cool for 0ver 30 min. so the second time I tried it I just creamed the butter, sugar ,beer and coco in my mixer and it was a bit thicker and easy to work with, I did not think the Ganacshe would taste good, but with the cake and frosting the flavors REALLY work well, I piped it in and it worked well. The frosting was good, a bit different from my normal butter cream, This is a great different cupcake.
This is THE BEST cake I have ever made. Been making it in cake form, not cupcakes for 4 years now with this recipe. I use a little less sugar and I do add quite a bit more Jameson and Baileys though and it works out perfectly! I also double just the cupcake recipe to make two 9×13 cakes. Everyone loves it. You must try it. And thank you Brown Eyed Baker for creating it!!!! PS, no need for St Patrick’s day….any excuse will do.Enjoy!Fishychic7
So awesome to hear about your adaptations! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing a review!
Can I make any of the pieces ahead of time and store them in the fridge or an airtight container overnight? I’d like to have plenty of time to assemble these for a party.
Hi Molly, Yes! You can make the cupcakes and ganache a couple of days ahead of time (or you could make them at the same time and fill the cupcakes, then store them in an airtight container at room temperature until you’re ready to frost). If you make the frosting ahead of time, you’ll need to refrigerate it, and then re-whip it before using. You could also do that up to a few days in advance.
I have made other cupcake recipes similar to this, but this is hands-down THE BEST one I have experienced. Every component tastes like something I would buy at a gourmet bakery. And independent of the full recipe, this is the BEST chocolate cupcake recipe I have ever encountered! Will use this for ALL of my chocolate cupcake needs from now on.
I have been using your recipe for these cupcakes for years now! They’re always a hit and my hands-down favorite cupcake! For some reason they tastse best in the fall!
Every time I’ve made this as described, they have failed (won’t rise). When I use half the amount of butter, the are perfect. Anyone else have this issue??
I’ve been searching foe a recipe like this, and as I was going through the web I noticed that none of them (except yours) added the cocoa powder to a hot liquid. The best way to get the most flavor from cocoa powder is to bloom it in a hot liquid. It helps keep the cake moist too. Untreated, cocoa powder is a dryer ingredient, and will absorb liquid.
Anyway, just waned to say thanks
Any recommended tweaks for baking these in high altitude?
Hi Michael, I haven’t needed to make these at high altitude, but here are some general tips:
https://www.browneyedbaker.com/high-altitude-baking-tips/
Hi Michelle! I have made these several times and they are SO GOOD. My question to you is this: If I wanted to turn this into a layer cake, how much batter would I need for 3 9-layer cakes? Would I triple your current recipe? I wasn’t sure how much batter would fill one cake pan. Thank you!!
Hi Angela, So glad you love them! For a 3-layer 9-inch cake, you would want to scale up by 1.5. You could try doubling for higher layers, but I’m not sure if it would be too much batter for the pans. Enjoy!
I bake these every St. Patrick’s Day. Sometimes I leave off the whiskey ganache but never the Irish cream frosting, the best I think I’ve ever tasted. This recipe is a little more time consuming than others but definitely worth the effort. Thank you so much for sharing it.
The Bailey’s frosting is SO good! I had about a cup left over after frosting 24 cupcakes and threw it away because I knew I’d end up eating it straight out of the container with a spoon later that evening.
Absolutely delicious. We had it at a gourmet group “Dinner for 8” and the teen daughter of one of them members and her husband attending had made it. It was so very good that even after a large dinner everyone scarfed the dessert.
Can the whiskey ganache be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge for a few days? I’m making these cupcakes for a St. Patty’s Day party this weekend but don’t have time to make them the day of or even the day before. Can’t wait to make these!!
Hi Maddie, Yes, you can definitely make the ganache ahead of time! Enjoy!
I was researching the different between Dutch Process and Regular Cocoa and everything I read said you are to use baking powder with Dutch Process Cocoa and you’re using baking soda. Since all the reviews on this recipe are great – I’ll have to assume that’s right??
Hi Joelle, Yes that is correct for this recipe!
These are the BEST CUPCAKES EVER!!!! I have made them for the last 5 yrs, and just devoured one JUST NOW!! My friends go crazy over them!
Thanks so much for this recipe!! They are da BOMB!!
Good, but I won’t be making them again. The flavors come alive in the individual sections. You really can taste the stout in the cupcakes and the Bailey’s in the frosting. The problem is they are swallowed up by large amounts of sugar and fat that leave you with the feeling of a leadball sitting in pit of your stomach. Is there a way to lighten them up?
Hi Maureen, I don’t really have any suggestions on lightening them up; I see them as a once-a-year splurge and don’t worry about the calories!
This is my second year making these for St. Patrick’s Day! My ganache filling is much darker and more liquidity than what is pictured here. I cut up the chocolate and poured the warmed heavy cream and smeared outward then added the whiskey and room temp butter. Am I missing something?
Thanks!!!
Hi Paula, The color could just be a result of the chocolate (different brands, etc.)… if it’s too liquidy, you can always pop it in the refrigerator to firm up a bit.
I am now 72 bad cupcakes in, they all over bake and sink in middle. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Maggie, You might be filling the cupcake wells too high. I would try using a smaller amount of batter. I hope that helps!
I made these for a St Patrick’s Day party my wife’s family throws every year and they were absolutely the hit of the party. Everybody was talking about them, and one person even said it was “the best f*cking cupcake he’d ever had in his life”. They vanished in minutes!I substituted an espresso milk stout for the Guinness (they were sold out, it’s St Patty’s Day!) and it worked out great — the coffee flavor of the beer came through just slightly in the cake to support the Rick chocolate.I topped them with gold sprinkling sugar and these decadent treats were utterly wonderful. Looking forward to making them again!
Hi Matt, So awesome to hear how well-received the cupcakes were! Thanks for stopping back to share your adaptations and the review, I appreciate it!
Love this recipe except the ball of ganache inside is too much for me. Next time I will dip the tops in the ganache instead.
Hi Cheryl, Thanks so much for the review! And love the idea of dipping the top of the cupcakes in ganache, it would be delicious as well!
Most popular recipe on the site for a good reason! These are delicious! The frosting is so richly buttery. There are several steps so they’re not super-quick to make, but it isn’t too bad. Just make the ganache and the frosting while the cupcakes bake. They freeze nicely.
What brand of cocoa powder did you use? Mine turned out a light brown color. :(
Hi Julia, I use King Arthur Flour Bensdorp Dutch cocoa powder.
I have made these cupcakes for at least the last 4 years. They get rave reviews. Lots of people say that they are the best cupcakes they have ever had. So delicious. I am famous at the local Irish bar for them.
That’s so awesome to hear, Susan, I love it! Thanks for the review!
I make these every year…amazing! Not St. Patty’s day w/o them. I add a little more Jameson in the ganache 🍀
I love it!! :) Thanks for the review!
If I wanted to make this a whole cake instead of cupcakes, how would I bake it? Thanks!
Hi Rachel, You could put the batter into a 9×13-inch pan, or divide between two 9″ or 8″ cake pans. You’ll need to increase the baking time a bit for any of those.
I have made this recipe as shown and as a cake. Love it both ways!
MY FRIEND MADE THEM THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS FRO ST. PATTYS DAY i MADE THEM THIS YEAR SHE WAS BUSY… i HAVE LOVED THEM FROM THE FIRST TASTE… AND NOW I KNOW HOW TO MAKE THEM…THEY ARE THE BEST CUPCAKE I HAVE EVER HAD GREAT !!!!!!!!!!
I made these cupcakes and they turned out absolutely lovely!
I love this recipe, I’m requested to make these cupcakes every year for St Patrick’s day!
These turned out perfectly and I received so many compliments on them! Delicious!
These are amazing!! I have made them several times and they are always such a hit! Thank you for such a wonderful, fun recipe!!
I have made these cupcakes several times and they are a big hit every time. I am wondering if you could make the cupcakes with the ganache inside the cupcake batter instead of putting it in after the cupcakes are baked and cooled. Why I am wondering is that I want to make mini cupcake versions of these and not have to cut out the middle of tiny cupcakes. If anyone has tried this, please let me know. I am going to try some, alcohol free, before my event later this summer.
Hi Sara, I haven’t tried that, but I do have a baked-in ganache filling in these chocolate cupcakes, so you could use the same process if you’d like: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/best-chocolate-cupcakes-recipe/
Could I use the same measurements and make a cake? I wanted to make a layer cake.
Hi Samantha, Yes, the same measurements will work for an 8-inch or 9-inch layer cake. Enjoy!!
I have made these cupcakes before and they are a favorite – so very yummy!! My question is, can this be made into a cake (without the filling) and if so, any idea how long I would need to bake it? I don’t have time to make the cupcakes and making it into a simple cake in a 9 x 12 cake pan would save me time! Thank you!!
This is a great recipe, I’ve made it a few times always a crowd pleaser!! Thanks for sharing!!