Irish Coffee Cupcakes

I have been dying to share this recipe. Actually, I have been dying to make these cupcakes again. They are delicious! I made them over a month ago for a party using the original recipe. The original was very, very good. I had a few things I wanted to change when I made them the second time to share just in time for St. Patrick's Day. The original recipe was for 12 cupcakes, but I found that they rose up really high. This time I made six more cupcakes (18 total) and they came right to the top of the cupcake papers, perfect. I also doubled the frosting and the glaze to make up for the extra cupcakes and the change in the method for the frosting. The original recipe had you cutting little holes in the cupcakes and filling them with frosting. A great idea, but terribly time consuming and not to mention a waste of all those little pieces of cake you cut out of the middles. I decided to pipe the frosting right on top and then cover it with the glaze. I thought they looked a lot prettier this way.
These are definitely an adult St. Patrick's Day treat. There is plenty of Bailey's in the frosting and a nice splash of whiskey in the glaze. The flavors are perfect. The only thing I would do differently next time is use espresso in place of the coffee. Both times I made these cupcakes, the coffee flavor was overpowered by some of  the other flavors. These make a great presentation at a St. Patricks Day party. I'm sharing them early in the week so you can plan ahead. Enjoy!

Amazon.com

Irish Coffee Cupcakes
adapted from Ready for Dessert
makes 18 cupcakes

For the Cupcakes
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup strong brewed coffee
6 Tbs. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line one12-cup  and one 6-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a medium saucepan, heat the coffee until almost boiling. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cocoa until dissolved, then add the butter, stirring until melted. Whisk in the brown sugar and let cool until tepid. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla, then stir in the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Don't over mix.
Divide the batter equally among the cupcake liners, each well will only be half full. Bake until the cupcakes feel just set in the center, 16-18 minutes. Let cool completely.

For the Frosting
8 ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons Irish cream liqueur, such as Bailey's Irish Cream

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat together the cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in the Irish cream liqueur.
Pipe frosting on top of cupcakes using a pastry bag or spread on with a spatula. You want a nice thick layer. Place cupcakes in the refrigerator while making the glaze. This will make them easier to dip.

For the glaze
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
4 tablespoons whiskey

Melt the chocolate with the cream and corn syrup in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the whiskey.
Dip the tops of the frosted cupcakes in the glaze right to the edge of the cupcake paper, let excess glaze drip off before turning upright. Let cool, right side up, until the glaze is firm. Store cupcakes in the refrigerator, remove and bring to room temperature (about 30 minutes) before serving. This recipe makes more glaze than you need, but makes it easier to dunk the tops of the cupcakes. Store remaining glaze in the refrigerator, it will form a whiskey ganache that can be used later as a hot fudge ice cream topping by slowly heating or added to hot milk for a whiskey hot chocolate.