Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Whiskey Ganache and Irish Cream Frosting

Everyone’s a little bit Irish on St. Patrick’s Day and Chocolate Stout Cupcakes are a sweet ending to your celebration to help you Eat, Drink and Be Irish!

 Guinness Stout enhances the flavor of the chocolate in the same way coffee does, resulting in a richer chocolate flavor.

These cupcakes start with a cake mix and are filled with an Irish Whiskey Ganache and topped with an Irish Cream Buttercream Frosting. I added a little shamrock straw as a festive decoration to the cupcakes to play off the Guinness, Irish Whiskey and Irish Cream in this Irish nip. Despite the all the liquid ingredients, you won’t find these cupcakes overly boozy. . . just a subtle note of Irish Cream in the frosting and chocolate-malt flavor from the Guinness Stout. The Irish whiskey is the most pronounced flavor in the oh-so-decadent chocolate ganache!

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Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Whiskey Ganache and Irish Cream Frosting,  adapted from Betty Crocker

Cupcake Ingredients, Makes 24 Cupcakes

1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist devil’s food cake mix

1 1/4 cups Guinness Stout beer

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

 Preheat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place a paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.

In large bowl, beat all cupcake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups using a cookie scoop for easy filling.

Bake 18 to 23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove cupcakes from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely.

Have your Irish Whiskey and Eat It Too in this decadent ganache. . .

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Irish Whiskey Ganache

8 oz. good quality dark chocolate, chopped (I used Ghirardelli, 1 bar of bittersweet chocolate and 1 bar semi-sweet chocolate)

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup Irish whiskey (I used Jameson)

To Make Ganache filling:

Coarsely chop chocolate bars and place in a heat proof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream and Irish whiskey just to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour cream mixture over chocolate and let stand for 1 minute, until chocolate has softened. Whisk the mixture until smooth and chocolate is melted and shiny. Transfer bowl to refrigerator and let stand until just chilled, no longer than 30 minutes and stirring occasionally.

Transfer cooled ganache filling to piping bag fitted with a Wilton 2A tip. Insert tip directly into cupcake, squeezing as you pull the tip up and out of the cupcake to add filling.

Note: I bought a special Bismarck filling tip, also known as a Wilton #230 tip (pictured on the left) but the opening was too narrow to pipe the ganache. While I’m sure it will come in handy for other cupcake fillings, my #2A round piping tip worked best for the ganache.

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Irish Cream Buttercream Frosting, Makes about 4 cups

Ingredients:

6 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

4 Tbs. Bailey’s Irish Cream

3 tsp. milk

1/4 tsp. salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine all ingredients and beat on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Stop mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

 If the frosting is dry, add more milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until it is creamy but still holds peaks. Transfer frosting to piping bag and top cupcakes. I used a Wilton 1M piping tip. Add some sprinkles or nonpareils if desired.

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Irish Whiskey Ganache and Irish Cream Frosting

Everyone’s a little bit Irish on St. Patrick’s Day and Chocolate Stout Cupcakes are a sweet ending to your celebration to help you Eat, Drink and Be Irish!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
cooling time: 30 minutes30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cupcakes, ganache, Guinness, irish, Irish Cream, Irish Whiskey, St. Patrick's Day
Servings: 24 cupcakes

Equipment

  • piping bag
  • mixer
  • Wilton 2A tip
  • Wilton 1M tip

Ingredients

Cupcake Ingredients

  • 1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist devil’s food cake mix
  • 1 1/4 cups Guinness stout beer
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs

Irish Whiskey Ganache Ingredients

  • 8 oz. good quality dark chocolate, chopped (I used Ghirardelli, 1 bar of bittersweet chocolate and 1 bar semi-sweet chocolate)
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup Irish whiskey I used Jameson

Irish Cream Buttercream Frosting Ingredients

  • 6 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
  • 4 Tbs. Bailey’s Irish Cream
  • 3 tsp. milk
  • 1/4 tsp. salt

Instructions

To Make Cupcakes:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
  • In large bowl, beat all cupcake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups using a cookie scoop for easy filling.
  • Bake 18 to 23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove cupcakes from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely.

To Make Ganache Filling:

  • Coarsely chop chocolate bars and place in a heat proof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream and Irish whiskey just to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour cream mixture over chocolate and let stand for 1 minute, until chocolate has softened.
  • Whisk the mixture until smooth and chocolate is melted and shiny. Transfer bowl to refrigerator and let stand until just chilled, stirring every 10 minutes and no longer than 30 minutes.
  • To fill cupcakes with ganache, transfer filling to piping bag fitting with a Wilton 2A tip. Insert tip directly into cupcake, squeezing as you pull the tip up and out of the cupcake to add filling.

To Make Irish Cream Frosting:

  • In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine all ingredients and beat on low speed until combined, about 1 minute.
  • Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  • If the frosting is dry, add more milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until it is creamy but still holds peaks. Makes about 4 cups.
  • Transfer frosting to piping bag and top cupcakes. I used a Wilton 1M piping tip. Add some sprinkles or nonpareils if desired.

Notes

  • Guinness Stout enhances the flavor of the chocolate in the same way coffee does, resulting in a richer chocolate flavor.
  • Despite the all the liquid ingredients, you won’t find these cupcakes overly boozy; just a subtle note of Irish Cream in the frosting and chocolate-malt flavor from the Guinness Stout. The Irish whiskey is the most pronounced flavor in the oh-so-decadent chocolate ganache.

You can find a round-up of recipes to help your Eat, Drink and Be Irish, HERE.

As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase anything through an affiliate link, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

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Eat, Drink and Be Irish!

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  26 comments for “Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Whiskey Ganache and Irish Cream Frosting

  1. March 17, 2018 at 8:10 am

    Oh my…you make me want to Eat, Drink and Be Irish! Thanks for all your inspiration and Happy St. Patrick’s Day ♣

  2. March 17, 2018 at 8:17 am

    Happy St.Patrick’s Day! Just for fun, “What’s Irish and stays out all night?” … “PaddyO’furniture!”

  3. Marina Brivio
    March 17, 2018 at 8:17 am

    SLURP!!!😋🍻💚

  4. March 17, 2018 at 8:42 am

    YUM! Happy St. Paddy’s Day!

  5. Catherine LUXEREAU
    March 17, 2018 at 9:24 am

    Bonjour Mary,

    Joyeuse Saint Patrick à vous ! Hum miam je voudrais bien manger un de ses cupcakes appétissants ! :-)

    Bonne journée;

  6. March 17, 2018 at 9:24 am

    Delicious! Erin go Bragh!

  7. March 17, 2018 at 10:12 am

    Thanks for another yummy recipe and the round up Mary! Happy St. Pat’s!

  8. Karen
    March 17, 2018 at 10:14 am

    Oh,Yum!!! Happy St.Patrick’s Day!

  9. March 17, 2018 at 10:20 am

    Mary, I have your Irish Beef Stew ingredients ready to prep for tonight’s dinner. Thanks for all your delicious recipes, Happy St. Patrick’s Day :)

  10. anne
    March 17, 2018 at 10:31 am

    Looks absolutely delicious. I’m definitely going to make these. You always do things so perfectly and everything looks beautiful. Move over Ina!
    Happy St. Paddy’s Day!

  11. Virginia
    March 17, 2018 at 10:39 am

    Mary, Happy St. Patrick’s Day to your, your family and readers. Another tasty sounding and cute addition to your Irishfest 🍀. The St. Pat’s hat flower arrangement I pinned is still being repinned everyday since you first gave us the set by step instructions. Hope it shows up on many tables today. Thanks for inspiring us.

  12. Cyndi Raines
    March 17, 2018 at 10:40 am

    Almost looks too pretty to eat! Notice, I said “almost”, hehe. I’ll let you know how the bread pudding and salted caramel sauce turns out and the spinach tortilla shamrocks with the avocado-humus dip. We are having this with homemade Ruebens! Thanks Mary, Happy St. Paddy’s Day! ☘

    • Cyndi Raines
      March 17, 2018 at 10:21 pm

      OH my, Mary, what a treat you gave us with these wonderful recipes! The tortilla chips were fun to make, turned out great and were so tasty with the delicious avocado-humus dip. The bread pudding and the salted caramel whiskey sauce is just too wonderful. Family was totally pleased. Hubby had seconds and we have extra sauce for an ice cream treat as well. Both recipes get 5 stars and will be made again for sure. Thank you so much. Blessings to you and your family! ☘

  13. March 17, 2018 at 12:43 pm

    Happy St. Patrick’s Day, May! The cupcakes look beautiful and I wish I could taste one for my dessert today. I made the Irish Cream yesterday, so that’ll be a yummy treat. I’m actually celebrating with a dinner tomorrow, because I’m having my two-year-old granddaughter over to spend the night tonight. We’ll be partying tomorrow with the rest of her family. Slainte!

  14. March 17, 2018 at 3:24 pm

    Irish Whiskey Ganache??? Yes please! Happy St. Pat’s Mary-Slainte:@)

  15. March 17, 2018 at 4:44 pm

    Pinning for next year! Thanks so much for all your recipes, Happy St. Patty’s Day!

  16. Paula
    March 17, 2018 at 8:04 pm

    ~Mary~
    Your cupcakes look perfect , that sure makes me green!!
    Happy St.Patty’s Day
    May your troubles be less and your blessings be more.And nothing but happiness come through your door.

    Paula
    IN

    • March 17, 2018 at 8:18 pm

      Thank you Paula! Happy St. Pat’s Day!

  17. March 18, 2018 at 7:52 am

    All looks good!! Gotta try the cupcakes..after Lent!! Thanks for sharing and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!! ☘️☘️☘️☘️

  18. March 18, 2018 at 2:02 pm

    I would feel very lucky indeed if one of these cupcakes came my way!! Wow, they sound good, and easy, my favorite combination!! Irish Whiskey ganache, yes please!! Happy St. Pat’s Mary!
    Jenna

  19. March 18, 2018 at 11:56 pm

    Mary, those cupcakes look delicious and easy using a cake mix!💚☘️💚

  20. Julie H from Michigan
    March 9, 2020 at 10:23 pm

    I made these cupcakes today! So yummy!!

  21. Kathryn Larson
    March 6, 2021 at 9:28 pm

    Do you think I could make these as mini cupcakes? Just wondering if I could get enough of the ganache in

  22. Phyllis
    February 26, 2024 at 8:23 am

    I always love your St. Paddy’s posts. So many wonderful ideas! My favorite Irish food is scones. Or soda bread. Really, any bread. I’ve made the potato soup-so good. And the cupcakes are decadently delicious!!🤤

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