Triple Irish Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon, blend well. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Add the sugars and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Then add the eggs and Baileys, continuing to mix until well incorporated. Slowly add the flour mixture into the bowl of the stand mixer, making sure to scrape down the sides as needed. Mix until well blended.

Place 16 cupcake liners into standard size muffin pans and equally divide batter into each cupcake liner, filling each about halfway full.

Put pans into the oven. Bake cupcakes for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely.

For the filling:
Place cream in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Stir in the chocolate until melted, then add the butter. Stir until well blended. Remove from the stove top and add the whiskey. Whisk mixture until smooth.

Allow mixture to cool to room temperature, then place in the fridge for 30 minutes to cool more. Mixture will thicken as it cools. While mixture is cooling scoop out the centers of the cupcakes and discard (or eat). I use the small end of a melon ball scoop.

Once mixture is ready, fill each cupcake with the chocolate filling. Then brush the remaining filling over the tops of each cupcake. Place cupcakes back into the fridge.

For the frosting:
Place beer in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 15 minutes, until beer is reduced to about 1/4 cup of liquid. Remove from heat and add the Ghirardelli baking chips. Stir until all the chocolate is melted. Then put it aside to cool off a little and thicken.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, place the powdered sugar and cocoa. Mix on low until well blended. Then add the shortening, vanilla, and beer/chocolate mixture. Mix on medium speed until frosting starts to come together. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until frosting becomes light and fluffy.

With a spatula or you favorite pastry bag and tip (I used Ateco #827) frost each cupcake.

Note: Cupcakes can be placed in the fridge if you are not eating them right away, but they are best eaten at room temperature. Enjoy!

Cupcake recipe adapted from Chocolate Chip-Irish Cream Cupcakes with Bailey’s Buttercream by The Recipe Girl. Filling recipe adapted from Chocolate Beer Cupcakes with Whiskey Filling and Irish Cream Icing by Meowthecow08. Frosting recipe adapted from Dark Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats by The Sweet Chick.