Bailey’s is one of my favourite alcoholic drinks, so when the time came to make cupcakes for CupCakeCamp held at Skepticamp in Sydney, I decided that I needed to do something with Baileys. So here’s my Chocolate Bailey’s Mini Cupcakes, adapted from Ellie’s Lovely Lemon Cupcakes and Maison Cupcake’s Chocolate Bailey’s Cupcakes with Chocolate Bailey’s Buttercream Icing.

Chocolate Bailey’s mini cupcakes recipe

Time required: 90 minutes including cooling time and decorating

Serves: 48 mini muffins

Ingredients

For the cupcake bases:

• 180g butter, softened
• 400g caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 450g all-purpose flour
• 25g cocoa powder, sieved
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons Baileys or other Irish cream liqueur

For the buttercream:

• 225g unsalted butter, softened
• 6-8 cups icing mixture (use icing mixture instead of icing sugar, otherwise it will be too sweet)
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 100ml Bailey’s or other Irish cream liqueur to taste (I didn’t really measure this – I kept adding, tasting, adding, tasting and so on)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 175 degrees C, and cream together your butter and sugar till creamy.
2. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, salt and baking powder and continue beating till the mixture is light and fluffy.
3. Add your milk and flour in 3 alternating batches, beating well after each addition. Once all the milk and flour has been added, beat at top speed for about 30 sec – 1 minute or till the mixture is smooth and shiny.
4. Line your cupcake baking tray with cupcake liners and fill each liner about 1/2 – 2/3 full.
5. Place your lined and filled cupcake tray into the oven, and bake for about 10 minutes. When the cupcakes are done, a toothpick inserted into each cupcake will come out clean. DO NOT overbake the cupcakes.
6. Leave to cool in the tins for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before covering with icing.
7. For the icing, beat the butter till it is creamy, then add 3 cups of sugar, milk, vanilla extract and Baileys and beat at high speed for 5 minutes. Gradually add the rest of the sugar, adding 1 cup at a time and beating for 5 minutes after each addition.
8. Taste the icing – if needed, add more Baileys. Once all the sugar has been added, continue beating at high speed till the mixture is extremely pale, light and very fluffy.
9. Fill a pipping bag about 1/2 full. Pipe it onto the cupcakes in spirals.
10. Eat and enjoy!