Guinness, Baileys, and Whiskey Cupcakes

Another St. Patrick's day (themed) dessert that I attempted to bake. Who can refuse Guinness infused chocolate cupcakes filled with whiskey chocolate ganache, and topped with Baileys cream frosting? I know I can't...

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

• 1 cup Guinness beer
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Guittard dark chocolate powder)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream

For the chocolate ganache:

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2-3 tablespoons Irish whiskey

For Baileys frosting:

• 4-5 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 6-7 tablespoons Baileys

Directions:

• To make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake tins with liners. Bring 1 cup Guinness and 1 cup butter to simmer in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
• Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl to blend. Using a mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add Guinness butter mixture to the egg mixture and continue beating until just combined. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on low speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into centers comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on wire rack completely. 
• To make the chocolate filling: Chop the chocolate and transfer to the heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work). Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined.
• To fill the cupcakes: Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes). Meanwhile, using your 1-inch cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom - aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.
• To make Baileys frosting: Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer for several minutes. You want to get it light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time. When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys and whip it until combined. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag with the wide tip. Pipe the frosting onto the top of the cupcakes.

Make 24 cupcakes.

Recipe is adapted from Smitten Kitchen