A St Patty's Day Celebration

My family, being of Irish heritage, always has a St Patty's Day celebration/ get together. This year was no different. My family is used to me always bringing a cheesecake, and while I was tempted at first to make a green colored cheesecake I resisted that urge and tried something new.

Guinness with a Chocolate Gnoche filling Cupcakes 

with a Bailey's Irish Cream Frosting

(recipe below)

 I would like to point out that nothing about these photos have been edited.....they really do just look that good.

Ok, I'll stop with the cupcake pictures. I just couldn't resist. They all looked so good.

Pretty much all of the food was either green or Irish themed. Of course we always have corned beef and hash. I LOVE corned beef. Maybe that is because I only eat it the one time a year, but regardless I love it and look forward to my family get together every year so that I can have it. 

It was also really nice because all of my brothers and sisters were there. We haven't all been together in the same room at the same time since Christmas, so that is kinda a big deal. 

This is what a family get together of mine looks like. Lots of people, sitting around, and enjoying each others company. It's a novel thing these days it seems. 

I would like to add a special thank you to my Aunt Caron for the use of her house, even though they weren't here. They were off on like a month long vacation in New Zealand? I think?

I adapted the recipe from 2 recipes so I kinda picked a chose what I wanted to do. Enjoy!

I will note that this is technically an Irish Car Bomb cupcake, but for family purposes I left out the whiskey. 

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

For the Cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Chocolate Ganache Filling:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

For the Baileys Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream

1. To Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring the Guinness and butter to a simmer in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat!!!! (This is very important. I learned that the hard way and had to start over because one recipe did not explain that) Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to combine. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until combined. Add the Guinness-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a rack.

3. To Make the Chocolate Ganache Filling: Finely chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then, using a rubber spatula, stir it from the center outward until smooth. Add the butter and stir until combined. Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped.

4. To Fill the Cupcakes: Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter (or the bottom of a large decorating tip), cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes, going about two-thirds of the way down. Transfer the ganache to a piping back with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

5. To Make the Baileys Frosting: Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar until all of it is incorporated. Add the Baileys, increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy.

6. Using your favorite decorating tip, or an offset spatula, frost the cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container.

(Recipe from browneyedbaker.com adjusted slightly from the Perfect St Patrick's Day cake recipe from Allrecipes.com)