Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Get ready for chocolate Guinness cupcakes filled with a smooth whiskey ganache and topped with boozy Bailey’s buttercream frosting. This recipe is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day.

This cupcake is affectionately named after the boozy Irish Car Bomb drink made with Guinness Stout, Jameson Whiskey, and Bailey’s Irish Cream.

More about the original cocktail…what is an Irish Car Bomb, you ask?

Maybe I’m the only one asking this question, but I have to admit I’ve never had a real-life ‘Car Bomb’ cocktail. This cocktail has been renamed the Irish Slammer.

After reading the recipe for this festive St. Patrick’s Day cocktail, it doesn’t sound like my jam at all.

This cocktail recipe sounds more like a recipe for the worst hangover you’ve ever had in your entire life. If you aren’t familiar, I’ll enlighten you.

First, you take a shot glass and fill it with a ½ shot of Irish cream liquor, and then you float a ½ shot of Irish Whiskey on top of that.

Then you drop the whole shot glass into a ½ pint of Guinness and chug it as fast as you can!  One recipe actually warns that if you do not chug it fast enough, it will curdle and start to taste bad.

😐 Yeah, no thanks.

What you’re going to love about this Irish-themed cupcake recipe

Chocolate Guinness cupcakes with Bailey’s frosting.

• Dark chocolate Guinness cupcake. It’s a super moist cupcake with rich chocolate flavor.
• Irish whiskey filling. Made with dark chocolate and Irish whiskey. (also amazing on ice cream)
• Bailey’s frosting. Fluffy and creamy, it’s the perfect boozy topper for these cupcakes.

Recipe Notes

These rich, dark chocolate Guinness cupcakes with Bailey’s frosting are filled with Jameson’s whiskey filling.ds Top them off with St. Patrick’s Day cupcake sprinkles.

Honestly, I could eat these cupcakes every day. They are moist and chocolaty, and the Bailey’s buttercream frosting is divine.

Ingredients

Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes

• Dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda.
• Wet ingredients: Sour cream, one egg, and Guinness stout.

Whisky Ganache Filling

• Dark chocolate chips.
• Irish whiskey.
• Heavy cream.

Bailey’s Buttercream

• Butter softened to room temperature.
• Powdered sugar.
• Bailey’s Irish cream liqueur.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Start by making chocolate Guinness cupcakes.

Get Ready to Bake

1. Preheat the oven to 350℉.
2. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners.

Make the Chocolate Cupcake Batter

1. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a bowl and set aside.
2. In a saucepan, warm the Guinness with the espresso powder and the butter until the butter is melted.
3. Add the cocoa powder to the warm Guinness mixture, whisk to combine, and set aside.
4. Beat together the room-temperature eggs and the sour cream in a mixing bowl.
5. Add the chocolate Guinness mixture and beat until combined.
6. Add in the flour mixture and beat until just combined.
7. Fill the cupcake liners about three-quarters of the way full.

Bake the Cupcakes

1. Bake the cupcakes at 350℉ for 17 minutes. (200℉
2. Let the cupcakes cool to room temperature while you make the whiskey filling and Bailey’s frosting.

Make the Irish whiskey filling

Ensure enough time for the cupcakes to cool completely before filling them with whiskey and frosting them with Bailey’s buttercream.

Use a small knife or cupcake corer to take out the centers of the cupcakes.

What is the best chocolate to use for baking?

My favorite brands of chocolate are Guittard, Sharfenberger, and Valrhona. I usually pick an extra dark variety; dark chocolate makes the best ganache.

You can buy chocolate in baking bars or use chocolate chips. Using chocolate chips also prevents all the mess made when your recipe involves chopping chocolate bars.

1. Measure out the chocolate and place it in a large bowl.
2. Warm the heavy cream in a saucepan of medium-high heat.
3. Pour the heated cream over the chocolate and then let the chocolate melt into it. Whisk until smooth.
4. Add about a shot and a half of Irish whiskey; I used Jameson. Whisk again.

PRO-TIP: If the chocolate chips aren’t completely melted you can melt them in the microwave in 30 second bursts (stir after each 30 seconds) or over a double boiler.

Make the Bailey’s Irish buttercream frosting

This buttercream frosting is light, fluffy, and full of Baileys Irish Cream flavor.

1. Cream the unsalted butter until it is light and fluffy. 
2. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
3. Add a Baileys Irish Cream. Beat until well blended and fluffy. 
4. Add heavy cream to thin, if needed. 

FAQs and Expert Tips

More St. Patrick’s Day Recipes

• POTATOES: Who doesn’t like potatoes?
• BUILT-IN GOOD LUCK: Everyone needs a little extra good luck. Plus a chance of finding gold at the end of a rainbow. It seems like just a bonus; am I right?
• CORNED BEEF: Since I don’t have my Corned Beef Recipe here yet…This recipe from Delish looks super delish.
• GUINNESS BRAISED SHORT RIBS: my personal favorite.

I will leave you with one helpful travel tip  – if you do happen to be visiting Ireland, you should not order an Irish Car Bomb, as the Irish find this reference less than funny.  As for me I’ll be sticking to these St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes and using the rest of my Guinness to make some fantastic Guinness Braised Short Ribs.

Car Bomb Cupcakes

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

by: Laura Reigel

These rich dark chocolate Guinness cupcakes with Bailey's frosting are filled with Jameson's whiskey filling. Top them off with St. Patrick's day cupcake sprinkles.

Honestly, I could eat these cupcakes every day. They're moist and chocolaty and the Bailey's frosting is divine.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 17 minutes mins

Total Time 47 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Irish

Servings 12 cupcakes

Calories 584 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  Stand Mixer (affiliate link)
• ▢
  cupcake pans
• ▢
  cupcake liners
• ▢
  cookie scoops
• ▢
  piping bags (affiliate link)
• ▢
  piping tips

Ingredients

 

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Guinness Cupcakes

• ▢ 7 ounces Guinness stout, approx ¾ cup
• ▢ 1 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• ▢ ⅝ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, ½ cup + 2 tablespoons
• ▢ 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ½ tsp kosher salt (affiliate link)
• ▢ ¾ tsp baking soda
• ▢ 1 large eggs
• ▢ ⅓ cup sour cream

Irish Whiskey Filling

• ▢ 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• ▢ ⅓ cup heavy cream
• ▢ 2 ounces Irish whiskey, about one jigger

Baileys Frosting

• ▢ 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• ▢ 3 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 5 tbsp Baileys Irish Cream, about two and half jiggers
• ▢ 1 to 2 tbsp heavy cream, if needed

Instructions

 

Guinness Cupcakes

• Preheat the oven to 350℉.
• Prepare 2 cupcake pans by lining them with cupcake liners. 

Make the cupcake batter

• Add the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda to a bowl and set aside. 
  1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, ¾ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp kosher salt
• Add the Guinness and butter to a medium saucepan. Heat until warm, and the butter has melted. Remove from heat.
  7 ounces Guinness stout, 1 sticks unsalted butter
• Add the cocoa powder to Guinness and butter mixture, whisk until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. 
  ⅝ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• NOTE: I've made this by sifting the cocoa powder with dry ingredients & and I've made it by adding the cocoa powder to the warm Guinness. I find no difference in the end result.
• Combine the eggs and sour cream to a mixing bowl and beat with a whisk until well blended. 
  ⅓ cup sour cream, 1 large eggs
• Add the cocoa mixture to the mixing bowl and beat until well incorporated. 
• Add flour mixture to mixing bowl and beat until just mixed. Do not over-mix. The batter will be pretty liquidy.
• Fill the cupcake tins, about ¾ full. I use a large cookie scoop for this.

Bake the cupcakes

• Bake for 17 minutes or until a stick comes out clean. (200℉)
• Cool: Let the cupcakes cool completely before coring and frosting.

Irish Whiskey Filling

• Place the chocolate in a medium heat-resistant bowl. 
  5 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan. Heat until just boiling. Be careful not to overheat. 
  ⅓ cup heavy cream
• Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk until smooth. 
• NOTE: If the chocolate isn't completely melted, you have 2 options. Microwave in 30 second increments OR use a double boiler.
• Add the whiskey, whisk until incorporated.
  2 ounces Irish whiskey
• Set aside until cooled slightly.
• Core cupcakes with a small knife or cupcake corer. 
• Add the ganache into the centers of each cupcake. I use a small cookie scoop. 

Make the Bailey's buttercream frosting

• Cream the butter until it's light and fluffy.
  2 sticks unsalted butter
• Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Start the mixer very slowly at first.
  3 cups powdered sugar
• Add the Baileys Irish Cream. You can adjust this to your taste. Beat until the Bailey's well blended and the frosting is fluffy. 
  5 tbsp Baileys Irish Cream
• Adjust the thickeness of frosting if needed with heavy cream.
  1 to 2 tbsp heavy cream
• Pipe the icing onto the cupcakes. 

Laura’s Tips + Notes

**This recipe makes 12 to 14 cupcakes. 

How to core cupcakes

Using a paring knife to core cupcakes

Angle the knife at a 45-degree angle and cut a little circle out of the middle of the cupcake.

Using a cupcake corer tool

If you are a gadget person, you can also use a fancy cupcake corer (affiliate link)tool for this.

How to Frost Cupcakes

If you don’t have all those little tips and bags for piping the frosting you can put the buttercream in a large freezer bag and then cut the corner off of the plastic bag.

Ganache Troubleshooting

If the chocolate isn’t completely melted after adding the cream you can either place it over a double boiler or heat it in the microwave in 30-second increments. Whisk between each 30-second increment. 

Box Cake Instructions

For 12 cupcakes you will need one box of Devil’s Food Cake mix. (Duncan Hines or Pillsbury)

If you want to make this recipe super quickly you can use a boxed cake mix. 

Follow the instruction for the cake mix but replace the water with Guinness. For 2 boxes you will need 2 cups of Guinness. 

YOUR OWN NOTES

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Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcakeCalories: 584kcalCarbohydrates: 66gProtein: 4gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 186mgFiber: 3gSugar: 52gCalcium: 36mgIron: 2mg

Keyword bailey’s, chocolate, cupcakes, guinness, St. Patrick’s Day

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