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.
I’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.
Save This Recipe
Enter your email address, and we'll send it straight to your inbox!
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
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1 cup (230 ml) Guinness stout
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup (64.5 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) baking soda
- ¾ teaspoons (0.75 teaspoons) salt
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup (153.33 ml) sour cream
For the Whiskey Ganache Filling:
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- ⅔ cup (158.67 ml) heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey
For the Baileys Frosting:
- 2 cups (454 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 5 cups (600 g) powdered sugar
- 6 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
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!
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.
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!
Outstanding recipe! No overwhelming alcohol flavor at all. Rich and tasty & won’t wait for next St Pats day to make the next batch!
Cannot wait to make these! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Sounds AWESOME, but we hate Guinness here…Can you taste the Guinness? I would love to try these…
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.
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!!
your welcome!! I AM MAKING THEM AS WE SPEAK MY DEAR XO!! 11 DOZEN ACTUALLY!!
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!
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.
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!
Thank you for this amazing recipe..it turned out absolutely perfect.
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.
These are fabulous! Made them for a cupcake fundraiser. Huge hit!
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:)
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!
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 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!!
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!
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!
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
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.
Wow, these look amazing. Definitely a great treat for St. Patrick’s Day.
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!
Some angel left these in our office kitchen
awesomeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
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!!
Brown Eyed Baker, I think I love you.
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!
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!