Irish Coffee Cupcakes in a Jar!

Hi guys!  Do you have something green to wear on Saturday?  Do you have your corned beef?  Green beer?  Good, then you are all set.  I think you just need a yummy St. Patty’s Day dessert.  I’ve got one for you….Two actually.  The first is from last year.  It is a recipe for a flourless espresso chocolate cake with an Irish Cream glaze.  Here is the blog post: http://gourmetrooster.blogspot.com/2011/03/leprechaun-brought-irish-whiskey.html.  This year, I am going to show you something that is similar….but much easier, and much more kid friendly.  I will show you how to make Irish Coffee Cupcakes.  The cupcakes are a delicious mocha flavor (made from a mix!) and the frosting is a creamy Irish Cream buttercream.  You will be surprised to see what I use in the frosting to get the Irish Cream flavor without any booze.  I will also show you a super cute way to package the cupcakes.

Sneak peak:

Let’s get to it.

For the cupcakes, I used a chocolate cake mix.  You can use milk chocolate, chocolate fudge, etc.  It doesn’t matter.  I also used eggs and oil like the box told me to do.  Instead of water, I used espresso made with instant espresso and water.

Instant espresso is easy to find in any grocery store, but you could totally substitute really strong coffee.  Like triple strength coffee.  It should be almost the texture of sludge. 

I dissolved a full quarter cup of the espresso powder into 1 and ¼ cup hot water.

I dumped all the ingredients into a large bowl and mixed it with a hand mixer, again….just like the box told me to do.

Smooth, yummy batter.  The espresso goes so well with chocolate, and it isn’t over powering.  Paisley licked the beaters and didn’t complain about the presence of espresso.  She did, however, run around in circles for a full 45 minutes after though.

I didn’t bake these in cupcake liners.  Instead, I sprayed each well with cooking spray.  I want these to come out easily when they are baked.

I baked these according to the box directions…about 18 minutes at 350 degrees.

While I waited for the cupcakes to cool, I made the frosting.  Again, super easy and fast.

For the frosting, I used a stick of softened butter, powdered sugar, and Bailey’s Irish Cream coffee creamer.  Weird, right?  But think about it….it has the flavor that I am looking for, and it is rich, smooth and creamy.  It is perfect to make frosting with!

FYI- real Irish Cream is a cream liquor, based on whiskey, cream, and sometimes coffee.

I beat together all three ingredients with a hand mixer.  Paisley licked the beaters for this too.  She liked it….and she is 4.  So that tells you that the Irish Cream flavor is not too strong.  It is a mellow flavor that works perfectly with these cupcakes.

When the cupcakes were cool, I sliced them in half, horizontally.  I will be using little  8 ounce Mason jars to package my cupcakes. 

I put the bottom slice in the bottom of the jar.  Then, I piped in frosting.  Spooning it in works well too.  Then, I put another flat piece of cupcake in.  I topped that with more frosting, and finally, the top slice of a cupcake….and more frosting.

If you are doing the math, it will take 3 cupcakes to fill 2 jars.

See how cute it looks already?

I tied some green ribbon onto my jars and called them done.  This whole process didn’t take that long at all.  It is such a cute alternative to regular cupcakes, and such a great idea for a gift!  Who wouldn’t want to get an Irish Coffee Cupcake in a jar?  I certainly hope my kid’s teachers want one…..because they are getting one tomorrow;)

To actually give them as a gift, I put the lids on.  I also tied a plastic spoon onto each jar.  You have to eat these with a spoon.  There is no getting them out of the jar, otherwise.

I hope you try this recipe.  If you like Irish Coffee, you will love these cupcakes.  I always think that frosting is the best part of any cupcake, and these little babies have a ton of frosting!

Have a great St. Patrick’s Day….and don’t drink too much green beer!

Irish Coffee Cupcakes

One box chocolate cake mix

3 eggs

1/3 cup oil

¼ cup espresso powder dissolved in 1 ¼ cup hot water

Frosting:

1 (1/2 cup) stick butter, softened

1 ¾ lbs. powdered sugar

¾ cup Bailey’s Irish Cream Coffee Creamer

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray muffin tins with cooking spray.

Blend all cake ingredients in a large bowl with a hand mixer.  Beat for 2 minutes, scraping sides with a spatula.

Fill muffin tin wells ¾ the way full.  Bake for about 18 minutes at 350 degrees, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.

Let cupcakes cook.

While the cupcakes cool, beat together softened butter, powdered sugar and coffee creamer together in a large bowl (with a hand mixer).

Frost when cupcakes are completely cooled.

Makes 18 cupcakes or 12 jarred cupcakes.