Bailey's Irish Cream Cupcakes

I don't normally need a holiday as an excuse to buy Bailey's, but when this time of year comes around, I definitely stock up. Bailey's on the rocks is probably my favorite way to enjoy it, but whipped up into a cupcake with rich buttercream is a close second. I literally had to restrain myself from eating all of the frosting before it made it onto the cupcakes, it's that good! I actually made these along side my Red Hot Cupcakes from last week -- I used the same white cake base with Bailey's substituted for the buttermilk and a little cinnamon mixed in. The taste doesn't come through that strongly since most of the alcohol gets baked out, so I also brushed some Bailey's on the tops of the cupcakes as well. Doesn't really matter though, the white cake is still delicious and the Bailey's definitely comes through in the buttercream.

I also wanted to use this post as an opportunity to share how easy and fun it is to use scrapbook paper, lollipop sticks, and some ribbon to totally transform the look of your cupcakes. I have invested more money than I'd ever like to admit on scrapbooking supplies (my other major hobby, makes me a super cool 24 year old, huh?), and it's nice to put them to good use! I found these pages in a old stack from a few years ago, and I love how spring-y the colors are. Granted the juxtaposition of pastels fit for a baby shower and alcohol-laden cupcakes is a little mismatched, I was just making use of what I had. Here's the link for the template I used for the cupcake wrappers from Skip to my Lou, and I used hot glue to seal the seams. Use any paper you want, scalloped scissors, decorative stickers -- the possibilities are endless! Many times the true beauty of a cupcake wrapper gets lost once all the grease from the cupcakes seeps through, and this is a great way to ensure your cupcakes are colorful and clean looking. It's a little extra work, but I think totally worth it!

Bailey's Irish Cream Cupcakes

For the Bailey's cupcakes:
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
12 tbsp butter, at room temperature
2 whole eggs + 2 egg whites, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup Bailey's Irish Cream

For the Bailey's buttercream:
1 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp Bailey's Irish Cream

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with 24 cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add eggs and egg whites one at a time, beating on low between each addition. Add vanilla.
- Add flour slowly in 3 additions, alternating with Bailey's, starting and ending with flour.
- Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake 15-17 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the frosting, beat butter in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, until completely mixed. Add the Bailey's and beat until well combined.
- Poke holes in the tops of the cupcakes and brush some Bailey's on each before frosting.
- Load frosting into a piping bag fit with a large tip and decorate as desired.

Same disclaimer as last time, if you want to frost all 24 cupcakes with as much frosting as I've pictured above, you'll want to double the frosting recipe.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!! Here's another festive idea from the site last year if you're craving brownies instead: Guinness Brownie Bites with Bailey's Cream Cheese Frosting