I started the day off with a nice 8 mile run outside! I am so excited that spring weather is here and it no longer hurts to be outdoors. It was fantastic. After a much needed shower, my friends all got together and kicked off the day with green mimosas and cinnamon rolls! We ended up hanging out on the porch enjoying the beautiful weather and it was just awesome. After some pizza for lunch, we walked to a nearby Irish bar and saw some Irish step dancers. This is something that I've always wanted to be able to do and I just can't figure out. I mean, I am a decent dancer, but I just can't get my feet to do anything that resembles Irish step dancing and so I give those girls a lot of credit and I think it's crazy cool. For dinner, we went to Cheesie's by the Belmont Red Line stop. That place is so bad, but so good. If you are ever in the area and respect a great grilled cheese sandwich, you have to go. And then, we ended our night at Cesar's having some "killer" margaritas along with some delicious nachos. Overall, it was a really fun day. It's days like these where I am so grateful for the fantastic friends I have and the great city I live in.
Because it was the St. Patricks Day celebration and because it was a birthday celebration. I decided to make Irish Car Bomb cupcakes. I have tried a similar cupcake before and it was really yummy. So, I wanted to make my own. I was inspired by the Brown Eyed Baker and I made some adjustments to the recipe. Here is what I came up with!
Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
Ingredients:
Cupcake:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup Guinness beer
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 eggs
2/3 cup non-fat, plain greek yogurt (I used Chobani)
Filling:
8 oz bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tsp Irish whiskey
2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
6 tbsp Bailey's Irish Cream
Directions:
1. Make the cupcakes: preheat oven to 350 and line 24 cupcake wells with liners. Or, if you want, I made 6 giant cupcakes in my silicon cupcake holders and 24 mini cupcakes in a mini cupcake pan. Then, in a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder. In a small saucepan, place butter, canola oil, Guinness, and cocoa powder. Heat until butter melts and stir to combine. Let cool while you beat the eggs and greek yogurt in a large bowl. Beat in the chocolate mixture until well combined. Beat in the flour mixture until just combined and fill your cupcake wells so that they are about 3/4 full. For mini cupcakes, bake for about 12 minutes, for regular, bake for about 17 minutes, and for giant, bake for about 19 minutes. Let cool completely.
2. Make the filling: chop the chocolate and place in a microwave safe bowl. In a separate, microwave safe bowl, pour the cream and heat for about 30-45 seconds. You want it to be warm, but not boiling. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate completely melts. Stir in the whiskey and the butter and then let sit so that the ganache starts to set.
3. Make the frosting: beat the butter in a large bowl until it is light and fluffy. Beat in the powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time, until it is well combined. Beat in the Bailey's and continue to beat until your frosting because light and fluffy. Add in more powdered sugar as needed.
4. To assemble: using a knife or a cupcake corer, cut out the centers of your cupcakes. Spoon in the ganache to fill the centers. Then, using a piping bag or an offset spatula, frost your cupcakes. Serve immediately, or store in the fridge in a container. Before serving, let the cupcakes sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Enjoy :)
