Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Marbled Chocolate and Butter Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Ganache and Bailey's Irish Cream Buttercream Icing

By: Christy


T-minus 2 days until St. Patrick's Day. My family isn't from an Irish decent but just like the rest of us, I still enjoy celebrating between wearing green, having a green beer, feasting on corn beefed and cabbage and of course finding some sort of delicious St. Paddy's Day dessert. There are tons of traditional Irish desserts but I wanted to share something more festive looking while still keeping the integrity of something delicious-- And I have done just that. Say hello to these extrodinary semi-homeade cupcakes- Green and brown (chocolate and butter) marbled cake, dipped in dark chocolate ganache, topped with Bailey's Irish Cream buttercream icing and chocolate sprinkles. It makes my mouth water just typing that out and trust me they taste as good as the description sounds.  If you make these for a party, you are sure to impress because these cupcakes topped with icing laced with Bailey's Irish cream ranks this cupcake near the top of any cupcake lover's list.

Cake:
Green Food Coloring
1 box Duncan Hines Marble Cake
3 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup water

Dark Chocolate Ganache
3 ounces heavy whipping cream
3 ounces dark chocolate

Bailey's Irish Cream Buttercream
Inspired and adapted from Smells Like Home Food blog
2 sticks softened butter
6-7 cups of Powdered Sugar
6 Tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream
Green Food Coloring

Directions:
Prepare the marbled cake mix according to the box directions. Make sure to remove 1 cup of batter to make the chocolate portion. Put green food coloring in the yellow butter cake mix until it is the color green you desire.


Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3rds full with the green batter and top it with about a tablespoon of the chocolate cake batter. Take a spoon and swirl the batters together until the two have blended together. Do not over stir or the colors will meld together too much. Bake in the oven according to the box directions.

While the cupcakes are cooking you can make the dark chocolate ganache. Measure out 3 ounces of heavy whipping cream and 3 ounces of dark chocolate (I used a scale to make my measurements) and put into a dish that will be easy to dip the cupcakes in. (A mug or small bowl will be fine). I microwaved the whipping cream in increments of 15 seconds until the chocolate had melted (make sure the mixture doesn't start boiling). The chocolate will kind of look clumpy so mix it with a spoon for about 1 -2 minutes until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Let the chocolate sit a couple minutes to cool a bit and then proceed to dip the tops of your cupcakes in the chocolate. (if you would prefer, you could put the chocolate in an icing bag and pipe the chocolate ganache filling into the center of the cupcake- Dipping the cupcakes is just a little easier)

To make the frosting, beat the softened butter in a mixture until it is light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar until the butter and sugar are mixed. It will be very thick but the irish cream will soften it. Add your Bailey's Irish Cream and whip until smooth. If the icing seems too runny, add a few tablespoons of powdered sugar until it is the consistency you want to work with. Once it is mixed add the green food coloring. I used a large star icing tip to decorate the top of my cupcakes and topped it with chocolate sprinkles for a nice and delicious contrast.
Happy Early St. Patrick's Day! :)

1 comment:

Unknown said...

When I first tasted this St. Patrick's day treat, my mouth exploded with delight. I'm so used to eating cup cakes that don't amaze, wow, or even satisfy. Apart from the super expensive ones you can only get your hands on at a bakery, there's nothing that compares. I'd say that this time, my wow factor was at a solid 9.5! It's the Baily's...it's such and exciting accent that reminds you of those good ol' St. Patty's Day Irish car bombs you know and love. Thx!