Decadent chocolate cupcakes filled with an Irish creme liquor caramel filling and topped with a Bailey’s cream cheese frosting, these Bailey’s cupcakes are the perfect boozy treat!
Key Components
Chocolate Cupcakes
Light but with a deep chocolate flavor, these cupcakes come together quickly in just half an hour. Dark or semisweet chocolate, espresso powder, Dutch-processed cocoa powder and Irish crème liquor give these cupcakes their distinctive flavor. A few tips:
- I highly recommend using Dutch-processed cocoa powder. You can read more about the process that goes into making this type of cocoa powder here, but because of the way the powder is alkalized, the flavor is softer and more mellow than other cocoa powders.
- Using good quality chocolate like Guittard (my personal favorite) or Ghirardelli makes a difference in terms of taste.
- Do not over mix! When adding the dry ingredients, mix until just combined. Over mixing may lead to a sunken top during baking.
- Filling each cupcake mold only about halfway up is just the right amount needed to have the cupcakes rise to the top of their liner. Filling up the molds 3/4 or all the way up will create a large domed top (think muffins) rather than a smooth, flat cupcake top.
- Make sure you let the cupcakes cool to room temperature after baking and before frosting them (about 45 mins of cooling time).
Irish Creme Liquor Caramel
This is a variation on my bourbon caramel that I use in my Best Banana Bourbon Bread recipe, Bourbon Pecan Coffee Cake and in my Pumpkin Caramel Scones. For this version, the process is the same except for the addition of Bailey’s or any Irish creme liquor instead of bourbon. Leave covered in the fridge for 30 minutes to cool and use for filling the cupcakes.
Irish Creme Liquor Frosting
This not-too-sweet Bailey’s-infused frosting is the perfect topping for these cupcakes. Simply mix butter, a little cream cheese, and powdered sugar on high along with a tablespoon or two of Bailey’s for a thick but delicious frosting. Spread on cupcakes using an offset spatula or place in a piping bag to decorate cupcake tops.
Assembling the Bailey’s Cupcakes
To fill the cupcakes with the caramel sauce, use a treat or cupcake corer (I use a Wilton one pictured below that they don’t make anymore, but you can find similar ones online!) to carve out a thin tube of cupcake. You can also use a sharp knife to carefully carve out a roughly half inch circle into the baked cupcake. Make sure the hole you carve or core out only goes about halfway or 3/4 of the way down the cupcake, not all the way through it. Pipe the caramel sauce into the cupcakes until it reaches the top. Frost the tops of the cupcakes to cover the hole. Top with sprinkles and enjoy!
Storage Tips:
Frosted Bailey’s cupcakes keep in the fridge (in an airtight container) for 2 days. Alternatively unfrosted cupcakes can be baked, cooled, and frozen for up two two weeks.
Bailey’s Chocolate Cupcakes
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer or handheld mixer
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 4 oz chopped chocolate
- ½ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 tsp espresso powder
- ½ cup boiling water
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup Greek yogurt, plain
- ¼ cup oil
- 2 tbsp Bailey's or Irish creme liquor
- ⅔ cup light or dark brown sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
Bailey's-Infused Caramel
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 4 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp Bailey's
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp butter, room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
Bailey's Frosting
- 8 tbsp butter
- 3 oz cream cheese
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp Bailey's or Irish creme liquor
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Take two muffin or cupcake pans and line with 16 cupcake liners. Preheat oven to 350°.
- In a large bowl, add in the chopped chocolate, espresso powder, and cocoa powder. Pour in the boiling water and gently stir so that the chocolate melts and turns into a smooth mixture. Let cool for 5 minutes.
- Add in the yogurt, oil, eggs, Bailey's, and vanilla and stir until smooth.
- Add in the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, salt) and mix until just combined (don't overmix!)
- Pour batter into lined cupcake molds, filling each to about halfway up. Filling the molds with more batter will create a domed top whereas for cupcakes we want a smooth, flat top.
- Bake for 17-18 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted inside comes out clean.
- Let cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove and cool on a wire rack for at least 45 mins.
Irish Creme Liquor Caramel
- In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Heat at medium heat and let it boil– do not stir. The mixture will go from clear to light brown. Once brown, turn the stove off and remove the pan from heat. To the sugar mixture, pour in the room temp heavy cream. This will cause the mixture to boil profusely but keep stirring (but be careful!).
- Once mixed, add in the butter and mix until melted into the caramel. Add in the Irish creme liquor, salt, and vanilla extract and stir until incorporated. Set aside.
Bailey's Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer, mix the butter until fluffy then add the cream cheese and Bailey's. Mix until combined then add in the powdered sugar cup by cup. Mix until a uniform thick mixture forms.
Assembly
- If filling cupcakes with the caramel, take a treat or cupcake corer to carve out a slender hole in the cupcake (not all the way through the cupcake). You can also take a knife to carve out a half inch hole in the cupcake (again, about halfway or3/4 way down, not all the way through). Fill the hole with the caramel until it reaches the top. You can fill with a small spoon or with a piping bag.
- If frosting cupcakes, either spread frosting with an offset spatula or place in a piping bag and decorate cupcakes. Top with optional sprinkles and enjoy!