Chocolate Stout Irish Cream Cupcakes

Cupcakes: 
1 cup stout beer
1 cup unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cup all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 and 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Ganache: 
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (chopped)
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp butter (softened)
2 tsp Irish cream

Icing:
8 tbsp butter (softened)
3 cups confectioners sugar
5-6 tbsp Irish cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with 24 cupcake liners. In medium saucepan over medium heat combine stout and butter, add cocoa powder and whisk till smooth. Allow to cool. In mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In stand mixer combine eggs and sour cream and beat. Slowly add in stout mixture just until combined. Add in flour mixture on low setting, just until combined. Fill cupcakes 2/3 full and bake for 16-18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes and let cool completely on wire rack. 

Meanwhile, heat the whipping cream in small saucepan till simmering. Pour simmering heavy cream into bowl with bittersweet chocolate. Let sit for one minute, until chocolate is melted, and whisk. Add butter and Irish cream and whisk heavily till smooth. Let mixture cool slowly while stirring every 10 minutes. Once the ganache is cooled and thick, pipe into each cupcake. I used the Wilton method of filling a cupcakes and filled a bag with the cooled ganache and with tip # 230. You do not cut into the cupcake at all, just insert the tip about one inch into the cupcake and squeeze out the filling while slightly pulling up. The inside will look like a cone of ganache (before you dive into it).





For the frosting, beat the softened butter and powdered sugar on medium for at least 3 minutes (it may form a puff cloud of powdered sugar, I just place a damp paper towel over the stand mixer to prevent this). Slowly add in the Irish cream until it is a good piping consistency. Wait for the cupcakes to be cooled completely and filled, then begin icing. For icing, I used the large Wilton tip 1M, the wide star. To obtain the swirl look, start icing at the outside of the cupcake and slowly move in to the center, stop pressure and pull tip away.

Sweet Cream Brownies

Cheesecake filling:
6 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature
4 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp irish cream 

Super Chewy Brownies: 
1/3 cup dutch-process cocoa
1 and 1/2 tsp instant espresso
1/2 cup and 2 tbsp boiling water
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup and 2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 and 1/2 cup granualted sugar
1 and 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chunked

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and move oven rack to lowest position. Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray, this will help you get the super chewy brownies out of the pan without crumbling them. Combine cream cheese, butter, sugar, egg, and irish cream and mix until smooth, set aside. 

Whisk together cocoa, espresso powder, and boiling water until the chocolate is melted. Whisk in melted butter and oil. While continually whisking, add in eggs, yolks, and vanilla until mixture is smooth. Add in sugar until completely mixed in. Slowly add in flour and salt, then chocolate chunks and mix with spatula until combined. 

Pour brownie batter into prepared pan. Drop spoonfuls of cheesecake filling into brownie mixture. Using a knife, swirl the brownie batter and cheese filling together. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until edges of brownies have browned. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Lift brownies out of pan and refrigerate till chilled. Cut brownies into however you can handle it and serve chilled.