Baileys Chocolate Cupcakes | Easy St. Patrick’s Day Dessert
Moist chocolate cupcakes with Baileys Irish cream and creamy frosting. Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or any decadent adult-friendly chocolate dessert!
Ingredients
Baileys Chocolate Cupcakes
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup Baileys Irish Cream
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs .. room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Cup Boiling water
Baileys Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup butter .. softened
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat and prep: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Proper prep is key to flawless Baileys St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups sugar, 1 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon espresso powder, and 1 teaspoon salt. Sifting the cocoa powder helps remove lumps and keeps your batter silky smooth.
- Combine wet ingredients: Add 2 large room-temperature eggs, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 cup Baileys Irish Cream to the dry ingredients. Use an electric mixer to beat until fully combined.
- Add boiling water: Carefully add 1 cup boiling water (microwaving for about 2 minutes works fine) and mix thoroughly. Your batter will be very thin — that’s exactly what you want for a moist, tender cupcake.
- Fill cupcake liners: Using a large spoon or small measuring cup, fill each paper liner just over halfway with batter. This ensures cupcakes bake evenly and don’t overflow.
- Bake: Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool: Remove from the oven and transfer cupcakes from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Cooling is crucial so your frosting doesn’t melt.
- Make Baileys buttercream frosting: In a large mixing bowl, beat 1 cup softened butter until creamy. Gradually add 5 cups sifted powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 2–3 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream. Beat until smooth and fluffy, adjusting Baileys to taste for your perfect boozy flavor.
- Frost cupcakes: Frost cooled cupcakes by hand with a spatula, or transfer the Baileys buttercream to a piping bag or zip-top bag fitted with a decorating tip. Decorate as desired — chocolate shavings, sprinkles, or green accents make them festive for St. Patrick’s Day.
- Serve and store: Serve immediately for maximum indulgence. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for a few days.
Notes
PRO TIPS FOR BAILEYS ST. PATRICK'S DAY CUPCAKES
- I love the rich flavor of using dark chocolate cocoa powder but if you only have regular cocoa powder on hand, don't make that extra trip to the store. Both flavors make amazing chocolate cupcakes.
- Sift that powdered sugar before adding it to your butter for your buttercream frosting. I know I say it every time.. trust your friend Heather!!! ... sift the powdered sugar or you will end up with lumps of sugar in your frosting and no one wants that!
- Don't have a large piping bag to make pretty whoop-whoop cupcakes? Grab a large zip top bag, snip a bit off the bottom corner, add a decorating tip and then fill that bad boy up with your frosting. I find if I push my bag into a tall tumbler glass, I can fill it a lot easier with a lot less mess. Keep in mind that big fancy frosting jobs take a ton of frosting to accomplish.. double that frosting recipe if you are getting fancy.
- Bring your eggs to room temperature before using them. Room temp eggs emulsify better and are fluffier than eggs right out of the refrigerator.
- A trick for bringing refrigerated eggs to room temperature quicker is to let them sit in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
- You want to make sure you are measuring your flour correctly. If you scoop out a measuring cup of flour directly from the bag, you will pack in way too much flour. To avoid this, spoon the flour into the measuring cup until its overfilled and then use the back of a butter knife to level the measuring cup at the top. Now you have the perfect flour measurement!
- Don’t over-mix your chocolate cupcake batter. Once run your mixer long enough to incorporate the ingredients to avoid tough or dense cupcakes.
- Use a small measuring cup to add your batter to your cupcake tins. This way your cupcakes are all the same size and save on (most) of the mess.
- Buy milk while you are at the store. Chocolate cupcakes needs to be eaten with a big glass of milk. Buy milk.