Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

As of part of our Irish Feast, I made Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes (Guinness cupcakes filled with Irish whiskey ganache and topped with Irish cream frosting). I have been wanting to make these since last year and was thrilled that I had the chance this year. I decided to top them with chocolate sprinkles and green sanding sugar for our What's Baking theme this month: Sprinkles! I adapted the original recipe for these quite a bit. I used a different cupcake, subbing my tried and true vegan chocolate cupcake recipe made with Guinness beer. I also halved the recipe for the whiskey-spiked ganache filling and added Irish cream to my simple buttercream frosting recipe (all changes are reflected below). These were incredible.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
Idea from Smitten Kitchen

Guinness Cupcakes
adapted from Martha Stewart Cupcakes

1 and 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa (unsweetened)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and 1/4 cups Guinness beer 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake tin with 12 paper cupcake liners. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In another bowl, beat together oil, vinegar, vanilla, and beer with a hand mixer on medium-high speed. Add flour mixture and beat until smooth on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full and bake about 20–25 minutes.

Whiskey Ganache Filling
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

4 oz. chopped chocolate or chocolate chips
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter (room temperature)
1 tablespoon Irish whiskey

Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set aside. Simmer the heavy cream in a small saucepan until hot and simmering. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for one minute. Stir until silky and smooth. Add butter and whiskey and stir until combined. Let cool for a few minutes.

Irish Cream Buttercream
2 sticks butter, room temperature
5–6 cups powdered sugar
2–4 tablespoons Irish cream

Cream the butter. With the mixer on low, add powdered sugar one cup at a time and Irish cream one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Continue beating on low until smooth and creamy.