Sunday, March 15, 2009

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

My parents have had a big bash to celebrate St. Patrick's Day for over 10 years now. It consists of 50 or more people enjoying good food, plentiful drinks, and friendly company at their house, with the dancing usually starting around midnight. :) It's always a fantastic time and I wouldn't miss it!

In recent years, my brother Brian has started the car bomb tradition, which consists of a shot glass half-filled with Jameson and half-filled with Bailey's Irish Creme dropped into a glass of Guinness. The trick is to drink it as fast as you can before the mixture curdles. Sounds like fun right? Well, there are usually about 10 or 12 people doing this at a time, at multiple points in the evening.

So when I saw this recipe, I decided it would be a neater, sweeter way to enjoy the elements of the car bomb. They consist of chocolate-based cupcakes made with Guinness:

then filled with chocolate ganache made with Jameson (or other Irish whiskey):
I was able to cut out the middles just using a paring knife and making a circle.

and finally iced with a buttercream icing rich with the taste of Bailey's:

These were certainly a hit - everyone loved them! I didn't make any adjustments from the original recipe so I am just going to link you to it here at Smitten Kitchen.

Next time I will most likely increase the amount of Jameson in the ganache to a tablespoon or two - many people reported that they couldn't even taste the Jameson in there at all. I also ended up having to make another half batch of icing - so start off make 1 1/2 times the recipe. Slainte!

And special thanks for Meg for icing!

17 comments:

  1. OH YUM! talk about the hit of a party! These look absolutely fantastic! And i love the pics!!

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  2. Yum!! This Irish girl is definitely making these for my Irish husband. :)

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  3. I am tucking this recipe, with your revisions, away for next year when my sister has her annual St Pattys after parade party. I know they will be a hit!!

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  4. These look great. Just wanted to pop in and tell you I really enjoy your blog! Great recipes :)

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  5. Those look like the perfect way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day!

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  6. Yummy festive sweet treat! The filling makes these cupcakes extra special, 2 desserts in one :).

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  7. Your cupcakes look beautiful, very festive too! I don't think you can ever go wrong with cupcakes, but these are especially good :)

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  8. All of my favorite things in one little cupcake! What a great way to celebrate the Irish (although I think the shots would also be fun)!
    Thanks for the tips, it always helps.

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  9. When I saw these on SK, I knew I had to make them. You beat me to it, but now at least I know they're good! :)

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  10. Happy St Patricks Day! I can't wait to try these.

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  11. They look so good! And what a fun party.

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  12. Not sure if I could could drink that shot, but the cupcakes are a definate yes!

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  13. These look awesome! The party sounds like so much fun too!

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  14. These look so great!

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  15. I love this concept! Much tastier than traditional irish car bombs, that's for sure :P They look great.

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