Boozy Irish Cream Coffee Cupcakes

I’m not remotely Irish, but I do have a cousin who lives there. (Hi, Laurie!) She went to study abroad in college, fell for a lovable Irishman, and has been back and forth ever since.

Laurie has experienced more than one St. Pat’s Day on the Green Isle. She swears that the holiday is a very much bigger deal in the U.S. than Ireland ever thought about. Go figure.

The weekend of overblown American debauchery is upon us. These days, I’m not much for Irish Car Bomb shots or green beer, but Bailey’s and coffee? Now that’s a celebration I can get behind!

These cupcakes are dense, rich and heavy-handed on the spirits, giving you a double dose of that yummy Irish liqueur, laced with swirls of coffee. Cocktail in cupcake form, anyone? They might just bring the luck of the Irish.

Boozy Irish Cream Coffee Cupcakes

For the batter

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/4 cup Bailey’s Irish Creme

1/2 cup milk or unsweetened almond milk

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

For the Coffee Swirl

2 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon finely ground coffee

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

 

For the Frosting

1/2 cup cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

2 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Creme

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy.

Add in the egg and beat until incorporated, then add the milk and Bailey’s.

Once everything is mixed well, sprinkle your flour into the batter, mixing in three additions. Mix until just combined, being careful not to over beat. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, make the swirl by combining the melted butter, coffee granules, brown sugar and cinnamon. (FYI, the butter for the cake and the butter for the swirl = 1 stick)

Carefully drizzle the swirl over your batter, then use a wooden spoon or spatula to pull it through. You want pockets of the brown mixture in your batter, not a thorough incorporation. See genius illustration below:

Pour the batter into 12 prepared cupcake liners and bake at 350 for 18 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, make the frosting by beating together to the cream cheese, butter and Bailey’s. Add in the confectioner’s sugar in about three additions, beating throughly each time. Ice the cooled cupcakes and store in the fridge.

Just a sidenote: Unless you reeeeeeeeally like frosting, this recipe will make much more than you need for the cupcakes. I had about 1 cup leftover and froze it in an airtight container. It’s perfect for cinnamon rolls! You can also use the leftover frosting as a fruit dip or as a spread for graham crackers. Use your imagination!