Chocolate, whiskey, and beer cupcakes (a.k.a. work-appropriate cocktail cupcakes)

One of the awesome things about baking with alcohol is that you lose the potency of the alcohol in the process, and just retain the essence of the flavor. And THAT means you can take Irish Car Bomb (chocolate, whiskey, and beer, named after the drink) cupcakes to work and not get in trouble. Because they won't effect your performance. Except for the moment you roll your eyes up into your head with an emphatic "oh....my.... that is SO good..."

We start with Sir Sous Chef, who is getting festive by stealing my snowman's winter hat.


And then we pour the Guinness. And wait for it to stop foaming. And wait.


Melt some butter in it. And some chocolate. It already smells rich and delightful. I think it's the butter. Or maybe the chocolate.


Pile up the dry ingredients.


Take a break and mix some sour cream and eggs.


Add your chocolate/guinness/butter mixture and then start on the dry ingredients.


Put the batter in pretty cupcake wrappers. I was seduced in Michaels by a coupon and some Martha Stewart cupcake wrappers.....


Get them in the oven and get started on the Jameson chocolate ganache.


Chop and melt some chocolate. I really like this Swiss dark chocolate from Trader Joes. Especially the price.



Cupcakes are done! Pull them out!


Back to the ganache. Whisk in some butter...


Add some whiskey.


Set aside. :) Start the Bailey's buttercream. Beat butter and confectioners' sugar.


Bad blurry photo, but I'm adding Bailey's to a whole lot of butter and confectioners' sugar. It needed a lot of milk too. And a lot of Bailey's. :)


Skip ahead because I failed to take pictures...(cut me some slack, I'm not a photographer or even a professional in anything, really.)

Pipe ganache into holes you cut in the cupcakes in the shape of a cone.


Pipe on the buttercream. Try not to make them swirling vortexes of spirals like I did. Add some dark chocolate chunks. Take some dark pictures in my poorly lit dining room. (Flash on, it's too bright. Flash off, too dark. Meh.)


At least in this one you can see my festive wrapper, even if the cupcake looks radioactive.


Yum. I might get yelled at later, but I'm posting this anyway. :)