For the first time in many, many years, we have family close by. Close enough to have an emergency contact for our children’s school forms and Sunday dinners. Close enough to have relatives at soccer games and a full house to share holidays with. When you go many years without those things, you sort of forget what it is like. Don’t get me wrong, we have created family with many wonderful people throughout the years. We have been blessed to have lively holiday dinners and had many, many, people to rely on. We just were not related to them. Having my brother (and my sister-in-law too) down the road has been a blessing for us. My brother moved this week, and no longer will be a “hey, want to come over for dinner” distance from us. I am happy for him, truly, but we all will miss him terribly. He is a wonderful uncle and it has been a gift to be able to spend so much time with him.
His work friends had a going away get together for him at his favorite home away from home, and I brought these cupcakes to send him off. These seemed like cupcakes meant for boys. They are not of course, just for boys, but they were totally appropriate to eat while drinking Guinness and actual Irish Car Bombs. I am happy to report that they were a hit.
I am not a fan of Guinness, but I love to cook with it. I had the Guinness Cupcakes from Alexandria Cupcake, and they ended up being my favorite flavor, I was shocked! It doesn’t really taste like stout, but it is a rich, deep flavor. The Bailey’s frosting is perfect on top and the caramel sauce has a little bit of kick from the Jameson. The caramel sauce is a keeper. The perfect consistency, and so pretty. If you need more in-depth instruction on making caramel, I include step-by-step instruction here. The cupcake recipe is from Smitten Kitchen and the caramel is from Gourmet.
*edited to add* I apologize if my original title offended anyone. I truly did not realize that it was in poor taste. Here in America, it is a popular drink, a Guinness with a shot of Bailey’s and Irish whiskey dropped in it. You can get them in any Irish bar, so it never occurred to me that it might be insensitive. I am really sorry, I never want to make anyone uncomfortable, so I changed the title.
Jameson Caramel Sauce
1 cup Dixie Crystals sugar
1/4 cup water
6 Tablespoons Jameson Irish Whiskey
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
Guinness Cupcakes
1 cup Guinness
1 cup butter
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups flour
2 cups Dixie Crystals sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
Bailey’s Frosting
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3 cups Dixie Crystals confectioners sugar
1/4 − 1/2 cup Bailey’s
Add sugar and water in a saucepan. Combine whiskey, cream, and salt in a measuring cup and set aside.
Bring sugar to a boil over medium-high heat, without stirring, until the sugar is deep golden brown. It takes about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cream. Whisk until it is smooth. Let cool and transfer to a container. I like to use a squeeze bottle, it makes the decorating easier.
Add the Guinness and butter to a medium saucepan, bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add cocoa and whisk until smooth. Set aside and let cool.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
Beat the eggs and sour cream in the bowl of an electric mixer.
Add the Guinness mixture and beat until combined.
Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
Divide the batter evenly among two muffin tins lined with paper liners. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 17 to 20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Beat the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add 1 cup sugar, beat until combined, gradually add remaining sugar. Add the Baileys until the frosting is desired consistency. Add more Bailey’s or sugar if needed.
Frost cupcakes with Bailey’s Frosting and drizzle with caramel.
I know that I will get a few emails and comments asking how to make these alcohol-fee, and completely respect the choice to not use alcohol. But in this case, I think that there really is no substitute and would probably make something else. Also, these cupcakes are for adults only. Or in this case, people that may not be actual adults (I’m looking at you Grossman) but over the age of 21.
Guinness Irish Cream Cupcakes - Guinness chocolate cupcakes with Bailey's Irish Cream buttercream and drizzled with Jameson whiskey caramel sauce.
Guinness Irish Cream Cupcakes
Ingredients
Jameson Caramel Sauce
Guinness Cupcakes
Bailey’s Frosting
Instructions
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 0 Total Fat: 0g
Disclaimer: I have an ongoing relationship with Dixie Crystals. Opinions are my own.
50 Comments
Mmm this needs to appear in my kitchen! LOVE these cupcakes!
They do! You still have a few days before St. Pat’s to make them!
WOW! Not one, not two, but Three different drinks all in one little cupcake! This is awesome and SO Irish!
That is how the drink is served, have you ever had one before? You have to drink them fast before they start to curdle.
oh my heavens! we would LOVE these!
These were a sleeper hit. Definitely adult in taste, but so good.
They sound divine! Just love that you are close to family, and I bet your kids do too! 🙂
Thank you Amanda! I have been thinking about you a lot these days. Hope that you and your husband are doing well.
Wow these look so tasty!
thank you! They really are!
I’m normally a lurker but I thought I had to comment on this one. That’s an extremely poor taste name for a cake. It might not have the same emotional/political resonance in America but it certainly does on this side of the pond. I’m sure you weren’t acting out of malice and thought you might like some feedback on the name.
I am so sorry, it really never occurred to me, and I have changed the name. I feel terrible. I am sincerely sorry.
Thank you.
I’m so sick of people getting offended and expecting the world around them to change just because they don’t like something. Not everything is about you. She meant no harm in the title. If you don’t like something, don’t look at it. This generation is full of self entitled cry babies and I hate it. You shouldn’t have changed the title.
I appreciate your comment, but in this case, I felt that it was the right thing to do.
Having been swept up in the aftermath of actual “Irish Car bomb” and other IRA bombing incidents, I hope that Yoshee never finds him/ her self in a similar situation. While Bree had the sensitivity to change the title (except the print recipe still has this horrific name) putting people down for whinging. It’s as offensive as me making a crack about “boston marathon bomb cake” made in a pressure cooker, with added nuts – oh how funny and cute is that? (sarcasm) (Bree, if you can, please change the title on the print recipe) Thanks
Thanks Fiona, I didn’t catch that. I fixed it.
How many cupcakes does this recipie make?
24. 2 muffin tins.
Ah, how I love these cupcakes. I might need to make some again this year, despite my other Guinness recipes. I loove all the flavors so much!
I don’t like to drink Guinness, but I really love to cook and bake with it for some reason. We always have it in the house too, it is my husband’s favorite beer.
These are gorgeous! I would LOVE to eat one.
thank you Megan!
Could I swing these to gluten free with the right combo of alternative flours? Or will I just ruin the deliciousness?
Oh and I just want you to know how much I love your recipes. I use this as one of my main resources!
Thank you so much! I am so glad that you find it useful.
I am sure that you can, but I have never played with gf flours. I wish that I could be more helpful.
Here from the BYW class. I am including you as one of my new faves. I love the photos, love the name of your blog, and this recipe looks DELICIOUS! I love Guinness!
Thank you! That is a great class, isn’t it? So much great info in there. Welcome!
I have made several versions of a the Irish car bomb cupcakes, and this is by far the best! I’d like to add, as I saw your update, about making a kid friendly version, that I had to make two versions of this. I kept the cupcake recipe the same, but cooked the beer and butter mixture longer to burn out the alcohol. Then instead of using baileys – the alcoholic drink – I used baileys Irish cream, the coffee creamer! It worked great and my husband was trying to snatch the bowl away! I think he may have even attempted to lick the moving beater, is I hadn’t shooed him away. 😉 for the caramel, I kept it the same, because as you said, sometimes there really is no substitute! So for half they have the caramel and the other half, green sugar crystals. I think this makes it an easy two way adult and kid friendly recipe with minor edits. I hope you approve! 🙂 Everything came out wonderfully! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I am so glad that you liked them so much. I love the sauce, it is one of the best caramels I have ever made.
I love cupcakes and I love Guinness. This is a perfect way to combine two of my favorite things. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
You are welcome!
These were delicious! I made them for the festivities this weekend. The chocolate guiness cake was my personal favorite!
I am so glad!
I have a request for these for a wedding. The bride to be purchased Carolans Irish Cream in stead of Irish whiskey and Baileys. Would I need to adjust the amount of sugar and cream in the carmamel sauce and frosting?
I really don’t know. I have never heard of that.
I LOVE these cupcakes! I made them for my husband’s graduation party and they were the hit of the night! I am making them again now as I type, but I do have one problem! They fall right in the center of the cupcake. It is ok because the frosting hides it but I would prefer them not to do this. Any idea what I am doing wrong?
I am so glad! I don’t know why they fall, I just think that it gives more room for frosting. 🙂
I did my first Irish Car Bomb on my 35th birthday when my sister was visiting. (Probably hadn’t done a drink that involved chugging since college!!) Then a couple of weeks later I saw a guy at the grocery store buying Guiness, Irish Wiskey, and Bailey’s. I asked him, “Are you making Irish Car Bombs?” And he told me “Actually, my wife is making Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes.” Ever since then I knew what I would make for my husband’s next birthday! It’s in a few weeks and I’m excited to find your recipe! Can’t wait to give it a try. 🙂 (Oh, and on a side note, my brother-in-law is also a pilot for the Coast Guard!)
Small world!
P.S. I think I’m going to cut a small inverted ‘cone’ of cupcake out of the top, drizzle in some of that Jameson Caramel sauce, then replace the cone. That way there’s a pocket of that caramel sauce in the middle!
Good. Idea.
These look delicious and I want to make them for my boyfriend but I don’t have an electric mixer. Should I have any problem?
Just make sure that your butter is really, really soft.
We make these with chocolate ganache in the middle. Flavored with Irish Whiskey of course! I was born a Irish Canadian after all.
Delicious!
Irish Trinity!!!
I made these last year and am prepping my materials to make them again for St. Patrick’s Day. I called them Irish Trinity cupcakes, my friends loved them and I had to keep my kids away from them after I let them have a taste.
I am so glad! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!