Bailey's Irish Cream Cupcakes with Bailey's Irish Cream Buttercream Frosting

A few weeks ago my friend Alison had a little get together for St Patrick's Day. She asked me to bring a dessert and I wanted to bring one that was Irish themed. While I was Googling recipes I came across a great blog called Cupcake Rehab. The Blogger not only has a ton of delish cupcake recipes but has other great recipes too. There are a few I plan on trying in the near future. She has a really quirky personality and it comes out in all of her entries and recipes. You should totally check it out.

While I was baking the cupcakes the smell in my kitchen was outstanding! They smelled amazingly sweet, I wanted to dive right into the cupcakes. The recipe was very easy, as well as the icing. I definitely had to add additional Bailey's to make the icing a little smoother to ice though, but that didn't really effect the flavor. Then I added green shamrocks and white sprinkles to jazz them up. Yum!

Bailey's Irish Cream Cupcakes

Cupcake Rehab

Serves 24

Ingredients

2/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temp.

2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs, room temp

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups Bailey's Irish Cream

2/3 cup water

2 tablespoons milk

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Insert 24 liners into a cupcake pan.

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes with a stand mixer. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the liqueur, water and milk. Mix well.

4. In a third bowl, thoroughly combine flour, baking powder, and salt.

5. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, alternating with the liqueur mixture. Beat on medium speed for approximately 2 minutes.

6. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for about 25 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. (NOTE: The cupcake liners can be filled a little over the suggested 3/4 full, they don't fluff up as much as expected.)

Bailey's Irish Cream Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons (maybe more) Bailey's Irish Cream

Directions

1. Cream the butter on high speed for approximately 3 minutes.

2. Add the bailey's and mix thoroughly. Slowly add the powdered sugar until well blended.

3. If necessary, add more Bailey's to thin or more sugar to thicken it to desired thickness.

Chocolate Dirt Cupcakes

Again I needed a yummy dessert and I went directly to Paula Deen. Everything she makes is delish and these cupcakes were no exception! I wanted to try something new and these looked great for my friend Allison's birthday celebration. This recipe will be fun with kids too because they can decorate them with the gummy worms and oreo crumbles.

Chocolate Dirt Cupcakes

Paula Deen

Makes 36

Ingredients

Cupcake:

8 ounces sour cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/4 cups sugar

2 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup strong brewed coffee

1 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

Chocolate Fudge Frosting:

1 cup sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream

5 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate

10 tablespoons butter

1 cup confectioners' sugar

Topping:

30 to 40 chocolate sandwich cookies ( I used double stuffed)

36 gummy worms

Directions

For cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 3 cupcake pans with cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.

For the frosting:

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and cream. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat, and simmer for 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; add chocolate and butter, stirring until melted and smooth. Let cool for 10 minutes. Whisk in confectioners' sugar. Let mixture cool until it reaches a spreadable consistency, then top cooled cupcakes with frosting .

For the topping:

Place the cookies into a resealable plastic bag. Crush cookies with hands to make a "dirt" consistency. Sprinkle frosting with cookie crumbs, top with gummy worm and enjoy.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I always thought red velvet cupcakes where good until I tried this recipe from Paula Deen.....amazing! Now I am looking for events to make them for. The are really easy and the icing can be used for anything. They honestly melt in your mouth!

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Paula Deen from www.FoodNetwork.com

Makes 24 Cupcakes

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 tbsp red food covering

1 tsp white distilled vinegar

1 tsp vanille extract

For the Cream Cheese frosting

1 lb cream cheese, softened

2 sticks of butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 cups confectioners' sugar

chopped pecan or fresh raspberries for garnish, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy. Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry if desired. Cook's Note: Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a big star tip.

I recently made these for my friend Lori's 30th birthday they looked great on the cupcake stand.