It’s March! And with March come shamrocks, leprechauns, St. Patrick’s Day and all things green and Irish.
Soooo, I made a mistake when making these and didn’t realize it until I explained the treat to my mom.
I stuffed shortbread in the middle of them, thinking that it would enhance the already Irish cupcakes with even more Irish flare. Wrong. Shortbread is not Irish, it’s Scottish. Whoops. After some research I did find that there is such a thing as Irish shortbread, but it is made specifically with Irish butter, which I did not use. At least it was a tasty mistake.
These cupcakes taste almost like brownie batter. They are rich, dense and perfectly moist, unlike many chocolate cupcakes. The shortbread inside of them makes the texture even more delightful (and tasty).
Irish Cream liquor is blended into the buttercream frosting to give it a smooth, sweet and unique flavor.
It is hard to resist eating these before they were frosted, but tasting all of the flavors together is so worth waiting…or not waiting and eating multiple. No judgement.
These are perfect for your St. Patrick’s Day. Just look at that gooey, Irish cream-filled, chocolatey goodness. The Irish know how to do it.
Chocolate Irish Cream Cupcakes with Shortbread Centers and Irish Cream Frosting
Cupcake Ingredients
½ cup Irish Cream liqueur, or two mini bottles
1 egg, well-beaten
½ teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup flour
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup strongly brewed coffee
Shortbread Ingredients
½ cup flour
1/8 cup confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks and softened
For the cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with 6 large muffin papers. Do not skip the muffin liners; your cupcakes will not come out of the pan with just non-stick spray.
In a cup, vigorously beat together the Irish Cream liqueur, egg, and vanilla with a fork. Set aside.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the butter and the liquid mixture and beat with the mixer on low speed until the dry ingredients are moist. Add coffee and beat again until well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat well again.
For the shortbread:
In a small bowl, mix the flour, confectioners’ sugar, and butter with your hands until the ingredients are completely incorporated.
Divide cupcake batter between muffin cups. Press a small ball of shortbread dough in the center of each cupcake. The dough does not have to be covered by the cupcake batter, as long as it is mostly surrounded.
Bake the cupcakes for 25-27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the most central part of the cupcake (not the shortbread) comes out clean. Cool completely before icing.
Irish Cream Frosting
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons Irish cream
½ teaspoon vanilla
Combine butter and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on low speed until just combined. With the mixer on low, gradually add in the Irish cream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in vanilla. Beat on a high speed until the icing is light and fluffy. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large tip and pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes.
These are great on their own or topped with chocolate shavings or chocolate sauce. Enjoy!
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