St Patrick’s Cupcakes: the best Irish Bomb and Grasshopper ☘️ 🇮🇪

What are Irish Bomb and Grasshopper cupcakes?
– St Patrick’s desserts, inspired by popular Irish cocktails, are delicious cupcakes with a chocolate-Guinness sponge and tasty fillings and icing: creme de menthe, whiskey, and Baileys.

Recipe Intro

Drawing inspiration from the popular Irish Bomb and Grasshopper cocktails, these surprise cupcakes offer a fun twist on traditional baking. With their delicious fillings, they’re definitely on another level compared to standard cupcakes. The Irish Bomb features a tempting ganache-style filling infused with whiskey and dark chocolate, adding a rich and indulgent touch, the Grasshopper cupcake offers a smooth filling made with white chocolate and creme de menthe, providing a refreshing and creamy surprise with every bite.
Ideal for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, they embody the essence of the holiday with their distinct colours and flavours.
Also suitable for any event where you want to add a bit of fun to your dessert table, not just for St. Patrick’s Day. Whether you’re raising a toast to the Emerald Isle or just want to try something new, these Irish Bomb and Grasshopper cupcakes promise a tasty experience for all palates.

How to prepare St Patrick’s Cupcakes

NOTE: From the listed ingredients, I got 20 mini cupcakes. These are NOT the standard-size cupcakes. If you want to make larger quantities or standard-size cupcakes, you’ll need to double all the ingredients.

Prepare Cupcake Batter

First, you have to prepare the cupcake batter (sponge). This batter is identical for both the Irish Bomb and the Grasshopper, but the filling and icing are different flavours.

1. Begin by whisking the eggs until they achieve a frothy consistency. This process aerates the eggs, resulting in a lighter texture for the cupcakes. Gradually add the sugar while continuing to whisk.
2. Melt the butter and incorporate it into the batter slowly. Butter adds richness and moisture to the cupcakes, enhancing their flavour and texture.
3. Gently mix in the flour, until just combined. Overmixing can lead to tough cupcakes, so it’s important to mix slowly.
4. As you add the flour, also pour the Guinness gradually. Guinness contributes a unique malty flavour and moisture to the cupcakes, resulting in a moist and tender crumb.
5. Put pieces of dark chocolate in a bowl and heat them in the microwave for 5-10 seconds until melted. Fold in the melted chocolate into the batter. Chocolate not only enhances the flavour but also contributes to the moisture content of the cupcakes.
   

Baking St Patrick’s Cupcakes

Once the batter for your Irish Bomb and Grasshopper cupcakes is ready, prepare your cupcake tray by inserting paper liners into each holder. Fill each cupcake liner with batter until it’s about half or two-thirds full.
Bake at 200°C for approximately 15 minutes. Use a wooden cocktail stick to check if done before you finish baking. If the stick comes out clean, without any wet batter sticking to the cocktail stick, the cupcakes are fully baked and ready to be removed from the oven. If there’s still wet batter clinging to the stick, it indicates that the cupcakes need more time to bake.
When baked, remove them from the oven and transfer them to a large plate to cool.

Prepare cupcakes for filling, you can use a teaspoon to carefully scoop out a portion from the centre of each cupcake. The scooped cake can be saved for other desserts. Alternatively, you can make a round cut in the middle of the cupcake, holding a small knife diagonally to lift a lid-like piece from the centre. Fill the cavity with your desired filling and then put the lid back onto the cupcake.

Irish Bomb

Filling
In a small pan, combine chocolate, butter, cream, and sugar. Heat over medium heat, stirring continuously until the mixture is melted and smooth. Then, add the whisked egg and stir for 30 seconds before removing from heat. Allow the mixture to cool slightly.
To add the filling to the centre of each cupcake, use a teaspoon to spoon the filling into the hole of each cupcake carefully.

Icing
To prepare the frosting for your cupcakes, combine softened butter, icing sugar, Bailey’s or Irish Cream, and vanilla sugar in a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer on high speed to beat the ingredients together until the frosting is smooth and creamy. Once the frosting reaches your desired consistency, transfer it into a piping bag fitted with a desired tip. This will allow you to easily pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes in a decorative manner, adding the perfect finishing touch to your delicious creations.

Grasshopper

Filling
As with the Irish Bomb filling, melt the chocolate and butter, then stir in the sugar until well combined. Remove from heat and add either mint liquer or creme de menthe. Spoon the filling into each cupcake.

Icing
For the icing, follow the same preparation method as for the Irish Bomb cupcakes

Serving & Storing Cupcakes

Serve these tasty cupcakes cold alongside your favourite cup of tea, coffee, or a glass of juice.

To keep cupcakes fresh, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to a week.
For freezing, wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe container for up to 2-3 months. Thaw frozen cupcakes overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

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