There are about a zillion recipes for Guinness brownies out there. Some use store bought brownie mix, some go from scratch. This year I put all that aside when I saw the Guinness chocolate cakes with Irish Cream filling in SWEET by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh. Without the recommended mini loaf pans, I turned them into Guinness chocolate cupcakes with Irish Cream filling.
As usual with an Ottolenghi/Goh recipe, every step is worth the effort and the approach is well thought out. Mascarpone filling punctuates moist cake and the lot is dipped in a rich ganache. The mascarpone sets them apart from the usual whipped cream or cream cheese cupcakes. A heavy layer of Irish cream frosting on top of a brownie has never been my thing. These little cakes prove just a little bit of mascarpone kissed with Irish cream is all you need.
Rather than reduce the Guinness, the Ottolenghi/Goh recipe melts the butter with the Guinness. I assumed it helped distribute the Guinness flavor throughout the mix, but the effect wasn’t the same when I tried it with the Ghiradelli brownie mix. Obviously, there’s no comparison between a box mix and a well-developed from scratch recipe, but I wanted to see if the technique applied elsewhere would deliver good results. Bottom line, the Ottolenghi/Goh recipe strikes a balance of flavors without being a sugar bomb.
I made these long before St. Patrick’s Day, but they’re a lovely way to celebrate. I just may make another batch using Jameson whisky in place of the Baileys.
If you have the US first edition of Sweet, Ten Speed Press has posted an errata page, updating and correcting several recipes. The first edition had a number of issues with the conversion from metric to Imperial (the US system). The Guinness cake recipe in particular didn’t have any issues. The publisher is also offering replacement copies to those who purchased the first US edition. To receive a replacement copy when they are available in the Spring, email sweet@tenspeed.com for more information.
Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Irish Cream
Ingredients
- CUPCAKES
- 1/2 c. Guinness beer (I used the Extra Stout versus the Draught)
- 8.5 T. unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/3 c. Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1 c. granulated sugar
- 1/4 c. sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 2 t. vanilla extract
- 1 c. all-purpose flour
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1 t. baking soda
- 70% cacao dark chocolate, shaved for garnish
- BAILEYS IRISH CREAM FILLING
- 1/2 c. mascarpone
- 3 T. Baileys Irish Cream
- 1/4 c. plus 1 T. confectioners sugar, sifted
- CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- 3.5 oz. 70% dark chocolate, chopped into 3/4 in. pieces
- 1/2 c. heavy cream
- 1.5 t. light corn syrup
- 1.5 t. unsalted butter, at room temperature
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375F. Put paper cupcake liners in a 12-cup muffin tin and set aside.
Sift together the cocoa powder and sugar over a piece of parchment or waxed paper and set aside.
Over another sheet of parchment or waxed paper, sift together the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and Guinness over medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted, making sure not to let it boil. Whisk in the sifted cocoa powder and sugar, then transfer to a medium bowl.
In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg and vanilla extract, then whisk it into the Guinness mixture. Add the sifted flour into the Guinness mixture, whisking until smooth and evenly combined.
Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners and bake for 20 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing them from the pan. Set on a wire rack and let cool completely.
To make the Irish Cream filling: Using an electric hand mixer, combine the mascarpone and Baileys Irish Cream. Add the confectioners sugar and beat on low until fully combined. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the cream is thick enough to spread.
To make the Chocolate Ganache: put the chopped chocolate into a food processor and process until fine.
In a small sauce pan, combine the cream and corn syrup and place over medium heat. Once bubbles just begin to appear, remove it from the heat. Do not allow it to boil. With the food processor running, add the hot cream in a steady stream and process for about 10 seconds. Add the butter and process until the mixture is shiny and smooth. Transfer the ganache to a bowl to cool. It will thicken as it sits at room temperature. Keep in mind, you may be using this bowl to dip the cupcakes in.
When you're ready to assemble the cupcakes, make a cut in the center of each cupcake using a paring knife, or a filling tip. Fit a piping bag with a 2/3 in. plain tip. Put the Irish cream mixture into the piping bag and slowly fill each cupcake to the top. You'll see the top of the cupcake heave slightly when you're near the top. Dip each cupcake in the ganache and garnish with the chocolate shavings.
Notes
Once assembled, the cupcakes can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. I opted to keep the cupcakes unfilled and undipped in a plastic container and they stayed moist even longer. Adapted from SWEET by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh. The original recipe is available in the Google Books preview of SWEET: https://books.google.com/books?id=r-j1DQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=sweet+by+ottolenghi&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjduZ-0y-rZAhVOzWMKHfdiDE0Q6AEIKTAA#v=onepage&q=guinness&f=false
