Coffee Cupcakes with Butter Whipped Baileys Chocolate Ganache

This month’s Cupcake Hero theme, inspired by love, cupid, the colors pink and red, and all things heart shaped and chocolate covered was: liqour.  Hosted by the endearing and endlessly charming Quirky Cupcake and Tempered Woman, who want to remind us that some holidays (Valentine’s Day is a holiday, right?) are better with a strong drink, or a cupcake that simulates a strong drink.

I use Valentine’s Day as an excuse to get out my construction paper and Elmer’s Glue and make cards asking various loved ones if they’d be my Valentine.  Why have just one Valentine?   I also like to give (by give, I mean, eat) loads of chocolate covered heart shaped candies. But, let’s be honest, I don’t buy those until February 15th.  I think we both know why- 50% off.

This year I’m going to add drunken cupcakes to my V-day extravaganza.  Coffee Cupcakes with Butter Whipped Bailey’s and Chocolate Ganache- sweet enough for lovers, and bitter enough for ex lovers.

The coffee cupcake recipe is one I’ve wanted to try for a while.  It gets its no nonsense coffee flavor from strong roasted coffee, milk, and coffee grounds.  For the Cupcake Hero challenge I also added a bit of Starbucks Coffee Liquor, for an extra kick in the face.

Coffee Cupcakes

by ChockyLit at Cupcake Bakeshop

Print this recipe!

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cup sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

2 cups plus 1 Tablespoon all- purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon dark roast coffee grounds

1/2 cup strong brewed, dark roast coffee

1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon milk

1 Tablespoon Coffee Liquor or milk if non alcoholic

1.  Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.

2.  Add sugar.  Beat on medium high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

3.  Add eggs one at a time, beat until incorporated.

4.  Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and coffee grounds in a bowl.

5.  Measure out coffee, milk and liquor together.

6.  Add about a fourth of the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.

7.  Add about a third of the milk coffee mixture and beat to combine.

8.  Repeat above, altering flour and coffee, ending with the flour mixture.

9.  Scoop into cupcake papers about two thirds to three quarters full.  These cupcakes well shrink a bit once they are cooled.

10.  Bake 20-25 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean.

Note:  Be careful when adding the coffee/milk mixture to the batter.  If you add it too quickly, the batter will look curdled.  Add it slowly and you’ll be just fine!

Butter Whipped Baileys Chocolate Ganache

9 ounces bitter sweet chocolate, chopped

scant 1 cup heavy cream

2 Tablespoon  Bailys Irish Cream

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

pinch of salt

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar.

1.  Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl.

2.  In a sauce pan, over medium heat, warm the cream.  Stir often.  Take the cream off the burner just as it begins to boil.

3.  Pour the cream over the chocolate.  Whisk until all of the chocolate is melted and smooth.

4.  Add Baileys Irish Cream to ganache and refrigerate to cool and harder a bit.  Depending on your fridge, it could take 20-30 minutes.

5.  In a mixer beat the butter until softened, about 30 seconds.

6.  Beat in the powdered sugar and salt.

7.  When ganache has cooled and hardened a bit, gradually beat into the butter/sugar mixture.  Beat until incorporated and smooth.

8.  Refrigerate to harden if a firmer consistency is desired.

9.  Scoop or spread ganache of cooled cupcakes.

10.  Eat as many as you can, with milk.

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