Fluffy, soft, chocolatey, and boozy – just a few words to emphasize how delicious these Boozy Chocolate Cupcakes with Baileys Buttercream Frosting are. With chocolate curls and a green clover on top, they are also a gorgeous and festive treat to make for St. Patrick’s Day!
Recipes used for the chocolate cupcakes and Baileys buttercream:
The Chocolate Cupcakes: The Best Chocolate Cupcakes recipe by Cupcake Project. After making Stefani’s vanilla cupcakes for Valentine’s Day and absolutely loving the result, I knew I had to try out her recipe for chocolate cupcakes and it did not disappoint! These will now be a go-to recipe of mine.
The Boozy Buttercream – Be prepared to want to eat this one straight from the bowl. This Baileys Buttercream recipe by Sweet Mouth Joy is everything I was hoping it would be. The Baileys flavor is present but not overwhelming and meshes so well with the chocolatey cupcake base.
About the Chocolate Cupcakes:
Why is this chocolate cupcake recipe by Cupcake Project so darn good?
Well, if the descriptive words at the beginning of this post didn’t convince you, let me tell you that this recipe includes both cocoa powder and melted chocolate to satisfy all of your chocolate cravings, along with additional ingredients like extra egg yolks, butter and oil, and sour cream to produce a cupcake that is simultaneously delicate and decadent.
Another significant mention is that this recipe also won a showdown by Kitchn. Three other chocolate cupcake recipes by some of the biggest names in the industry went up against this one and it is clear why it came out on top.
If you are a true vanilla cupcake fan and want to make a lighter base, check out my Valentine’s Day Teddy Bear Cupcakes for a fantastic vanilla cupcake recipe.
Tips for making the chocolate cupcakes:
Cocoa Powder: The recipe suggests there are various types of cocoa powder you can go with. For simplicity and to use what I had on hand, I chose the tried and true Ghirardelli 100% unsweetened cocoa powder.
Selecting the chocolate bar: There are also a wide range of chocolate bars you can select from to melt down and incorporate into the batter. You only need 2 oz and can choose from milk or dark varieties, and chips or bar form. I went with Baker’s Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate Bar.
Dispensing the batter: You can use a cookie scoop to dispense the batter, however I have found I love to pour the batter into liquid glass measuring cups and distribute it among the cupcake tins this way.
Bake time: The recipe advises to check the cupcakes at 18 minutes, however mine were done (passed the clean toothpick in the center test) at 17 minutes. Keep a close eye on them!
About the Baileys Buttercream Frosting:
If you’re a Baileys Irish cream lover, or even just a fan of delicious buttercream – I can assure you that you’ll go crazy over this recipe by Sweet Mouth Joy.
What makes this Baileys frosting SO fantastic?
- Baileys Irish cream is made with Irish whiskey, cocoa, and cream which means the frosting is infused with all of these delectable flavors
- It’s easy to whip up
- It only requires 5 ingredients
Tips for making the Baileys buttercream frosting:
Double the Recipe: I chose to double this recipe after reading a note that a single batch would be enough for about 10 cupcakes. Doubling it gave me exactly enough to frost 17.
Add the Salt: Salt is listed as optional, however I can’t emphasize enough how much adding it enhances and rounds out the flavor.
Room Temp Ingredients: Make sure your butter is at room temperature before starting to whip it up – you’ll get a much fluffier texture.
Sift the Powdered Sugar – Sifting the powdered sugar ensures the buttercream has a smooth consistency and beautiful appearance when piped.
How to decorate and frost the cupcakes:
- Bake the chocolate cupcakes and ensure they have fully cooled.
- Whip up the Irish cream infused frosting.
- Pipe the Baileys buttercream frosting onto the cooled chocolate cupcakes using a Wilton 1M star tip.
- Place your green clover off-center on the top of the cupcake.
- To achieve the green hue, I used white chocolate Ghirardellhi melting wafers and colored them with the Wilton Garden Candy Color Set adding in the green color until I reached the desired effect.
- I only filled the silicon clover mold (similar one linked here) about halfway, to ensure the clovers would be lightweight and not weigh down the frosting.
- Sprinkle the buttercream with chocolate shavings or curls.
A quick and easy way to make chocolate curls:
The curls can be achieved by using just a chocolate bar and vegetable peeler! I’m linking an in-depth post here, however so long as you have the temperature of the chocolate correct, making curls is so much easier than you’d think.
Remember, when using the peeler on the chocolate:
- Chocolate that is too cold will result in shavings
- Chocolate that is too warm will be messy and won’t curl
Tips for decorating with chocolate curls:
- Handle the curls with care as they are fragile and break easily.
- Refrigerating or quickly popping the curls in the freezer before decorating will help them hold their shape.
- You can use a toothpick to delicately place a few chocolate curls on the frosting to ensure they don’t break.
I can’t think of a better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than with these drool-worthy Boozy Chocolate Cupcakes with Baileys Buttercream Frosting. I don’t know about you, but if I had the choice between a cocktail or an Irish cream infused dessert – I’ll be picking the cupcake! There is no doubt in my mind that you’ll be the popular neighbor on the block if you decide to share these. If you make these cupcakes and also adore them, please let me know!
I’m already daydreaming of other uses for this Baileys buttercream.
Cookie sandwiches…a Baileys cake…frosted brownies…?
If you like this recipe, I think you’ll also love:
- Green and Gold Sugar Cookies with Chocolate Clovers
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookie Sandwiches with Mint Chip Buttercream
- Strawberry Curd Filled Cupcakes with Baileys Buttercream
- Black Cocoa Neapolitan Sundae Cupcakes
Boozy Chocolate Cupcakes with Baileys Buttercream Frosting
Course: Boozy Desserts, Cupcakes, Desserts, Festive Treats, St. Patrick’s DayCuisine: American16
cupcakes30
minutes17
minutesThese Boozy Chocolate Cupcakes with Baileys Buttercream Frosting are fluffy, soft, decadent, and beautiful to make for St. Patrick’s Day!
Ingredients
1 batch of The Best Chocolate Cupcakes by Cupcake Project
2x batch Bailey’s Buttercream Frosting by Sweet Mouth Joy
- For the chocolate curls:
- For the chocolate shamrocks
Shamrock silicone mold (I found mine by Wilton at JoAnn Fabrics – similar one linked here)
Directions
- Bake one batch of The Best Chocolate Cupcakes by Cupcake Project and allow them to fully cool.
- Make a double batch of the Bailey’s Buttercream Frosting by Sweet Mouth Joy. Using a Wilton 1M piping tip, pipe a swirl of frosting onto the cupcakes.
- Using a vegetable peeler, make chocolate curls by running the blade against the side of the chocolate bar. If the chocolate won’t curl and comes off in shavings, pop the chocolate into the microwave for a second or two to soften it.
- Melt the white chocolate and mix in green coloring to it until you reach the desired hue to make the chocolate shamrocks.
- Pour the green colored chocolate into the clover silicone mold using a piping bag or ziplock bag. Allow the chocolate to harden at room temperature before removing from the mold.
- Decorate the cupcakes with the clover and chocolate shavings and dig in!
Notes
- Check the cupcakes early in the oven. Mine were done at 17 minutes.
- Double the frosting to ensure you have enough to pipe tall swirls.
Pin for later!
If you make this dessert or have any questions, please leave a comment below! I absolutely love hearing when others are inspired to step into their kitchen and try out something new.
Happy Baking!
XOXO,
