What could be better than Bailey's in a cupcake with a Bailey's chocolate truffle frosting? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Trust me on this one. This is the perfect adult cupcake, and you should make it for St. Patrick's Day and every other day when you need a kick. I had to remind myself to not taste the cupcake batter too much, because you definitely could get a buzz from that batter. The frosting will harden after it is piped or spread on the cupcakes, so the best way to eat these is to warm them slightly in the microwave for a few seconds until the frosting is a little softer. They're still very delicious without heating them up though.
This cupcake recipe is adapted for high altitude, and this is my go-to vanilla cupcake recipe, just slightly adapted. The addition of the vanilla pudding mix helps to keep them moist, a problem I have at my altitude. I have included the recipes for both low and high altitude, so make sure you're following the correct one! I've never made the low-altitude recipe at sea level, so I'm assuming it works based on where I found it and the comments that were made on that blog. The original recipe makes 24 cupcakes, but I rarely need that many, so I halved it.
High-Altitude Bailey's Cupcakes (5280 feet)
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Makes 12-14 cupcakes
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons butter
1 cup minus 3 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs plus 1 egg white
1/2 cup Bailey’s Irish cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and instant vanilla pudding mix and set aside. In the bowl of your mixer, cream the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Combine the buttermilk and Irish cream. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and liquids in two additions, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix on low until incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and mix for another 10-15 seconds. Divide the batter into the prepared muffin liners. You want to fill each liner about 2/3 full.
Bake at 375 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes and then remove to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.
Low-Altitude Bailey's Cupcakes
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Makes 12-14 cupcakes
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs plus 1 egg white
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon Bailey's Irish cream
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon buttermilk
Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In the bowl of your mixer, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Combine the buttermilk and Irish cream. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and liquids in two additions, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix on low until incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and mix for another 10-15 seconds. Divide the batter into the prepared muffin liners. You want to fill each liner about 2/3 full.
Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes and then remove to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.
Bailey's Truffle Frosting
Makes enough for at least 12 cupcakes
8 oz good semisweet chocolate (I used E. Guittard)
1/2 cup Bailey’s Irish cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter
In a saucepan, mix together the Irish cream, sugar, and corn syrup. Heat over medium until sugar has dissolved and mixture is very hot. Pour over chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes, giving the chocolate time to melt. Stir until chocolate has melted, add the butter, and stir until melted. If the chocolate won't fully melt, you can heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Let the frosting sit for about 10-20 minutes, stirring periodically. It will firm up as it cools. If it hardens too much, simply reheat for about 10 seconds until it's spreadable again. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.
Source: Cupcakes adapted from Annie's Eats, who adapted it from Confections of a Foodie Bride. Frosting is a She Makes and Bakes creation.
This cupcake recipe is adapted for high altitude, and this is my go-to vanilla cupcake recipe, just slightly adapted. The addition of the vanilla pudding mix helps to keep them moist, a problem I have at my altitude. I have included the recipes for both low and high altitude, so make sure you're following the correct one! I've never made the low-altitude recipe at sea level, so I'm assuming it works based on where I found it and the comments that were made on that blog. The original recipe makes 24 cupcakes, but I rarely need that many, so I halved it.
High-Altitude Bailey's Cupcakes (5280 feet)
Print this recipe
Makes 12-14 cupcakes
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons butter
1 cup minus 3 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs plus 1 egg white
1/2 cup Bailey’s Irish cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and instant vanilla pudding mix and set aside. In the bowl of your mixer, cream the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Combine the buttermilk and Irish cream. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and liquids in two additions, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix on low until incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and mix for another 10-15 seconds. Divide the batter into the prepared muffin liners. You want to fill each liner about 2/3 full.
Bake at 375 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes and then remove to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.
Low-Altitude Bailey's Cupcakes
Print this recipe
Makes 12-14 cupcakes
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs plus 1 egg white
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon Bailey's Irish cream
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon buttermilk
Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In the bowl of your mixer, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Combine the buttermilk and Irish cream. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and liquids in two additions, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix on low until incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and mix for another 10-15 seconds. Divide the batter into the prepared muffin liners. You want to fill each liner about 2/3 full.
Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes and then remove to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.
Bailey's Truffle Frosting
Makes enough for at least 12 cupcakes
8 oz good semisweet chocolate (I used E. Guittard)
1/2 cup Bailey’s Irish cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter
In a saucepan, mix together the Irish cream, sugar, and corn syrup. Heat over medium until sugar has dissolved and mixture is very hot. Pour over chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes, giving the chocolate time to melt. Stir until chocolate has melted, add the butter, and stir until melted. If the chocolate won't fully melt, you can heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Let the frosting sit for about 10-20 minutes, stirring periodically. It will firm up as it cools. If it hardens too much, simply reheat for about 10 seconds until it's spreadable again. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.
Source: Cupcakes adapted from Annie's Eats, who adapted it from Confections of a Foodie Bride. Frosting is a She Makes and Bakes creation.
