“Death by Leprechaun” Chocolate Cupcakes with Irish Cream Buttercream

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This is the chocolate cake and icing of my dreams.

My dear friend, who thought she’d be able to save some cupcake for her mother

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These decadent dark chocolate cupcakes are filled with a dollop of Chocolate-Irish Cream truffle and topped with Irish Cream Buttercream icing. They are rich, indulgent, and absolutely deserving of their name – “Death by Leprechaun.”

The hunt for the perfect chocolate cake

Last year, I happened upon a chocolate cake recipe by Smitten Kitchen and was immediately, well, smitten. The only problem was that it made SO MUCH CAKE (two 10-inch round cake pans). I rarely make cakes that large – I bet most of you don’t either. So whenever I made this recipe, I found myself baking for hours to get through the batter with my small cake rounds and then would have tons of extra cake leftover. And I don’t know about you, but if there’s extra cake just sitting around, that’s a dangerous situation for my waistline!

So with St. Patrick’s Day approaching and my desire to create something combining my favorite liqueur, Bailey’s Irish Cream, with chocolate, I decided it was the perfect time to modify the Smitten Kitchen recipe and make about half the batter of the original.

I cut most quantities in half, made a few tweaks here and there, and am happy to say that the cake flavor and texture I so loved is still there. But now the recipe results in a much more manageable final volume of cake batter.

The best cupcakes have hidden surprises

Have you ever bitten into a cupcake to find a surprise filling in the middle? Did you do a little happy dance in this moment? When trying to figure out the kind of cupcakes a Leprechaun might make, I decided that little green sprite would most definitely hide a treat inside. In this case, that treat would be a soft chocolate truffle – spiked with some Irish Cream liqueur, of course.

This truffle really isn’t difficult to make – you don’t even need a candy thermometer. You do however, need to keep a watchful eye while you’re heating the cream that will eventually melt the chocolate chips. You want to heat the cream until just the point before it would start to boil. And then add the chocolate and give it a minute to do its melty magic before you start to stir. At this point, you’ll just need some patience. As Mary Berry often says, “chocolate melts in a child’s pocket.” So be willing to spend a few minutes stirring and allow the melting to happen. If you still see lumps, return the saucepan over low heat for a few seconds at a time, and then stir again. Once smooth, the chocolate mixture is ready to be whipped into its truffle destiny.

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Easy, boozy buttercream

Even easier than the truffle, is this Irish Cream-spiked American Buttercream. Make sure your butter is really nice and soft (but not microwaved or melted) and do whip it for a good five minutes. Then gradually sift in your powdered sugar – especially if you plan to pipe the icing – as this will help keep it smooth. Again, whip this for a few minutes until nice and smooth.

Now, for a typical American Buttercream, this is the stage to add flavoring like some vanilla extract and either some heavy cream or milk (a tablespoon at a time) until the icing has reached your desired consistency.

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When you’re adding booze to icing, I recommend taking a similar approach. Add a tablespoon at a time, mix well and do a quick taste test until you reach your personal preference for “boozy-ness.” If you reach the level of flavor you want, but the icing is still too stiff, then switch to adding a splash of milk or cream until you reach the right consistency. For me, three tablespoons of Irish Cream liqueur was all I needed to hit both my flavor and consistency goals, but I highly encourage you to experiment with what works for you.

And that’s it! Once you have all your components made, just follow the assembly instructions in the recipe below. Add some flair with sprinkles or shaved chocolate on top. Throw in some variety by icing some of the cupcakes with a whipped combo of the truffle filling and buttercream (see recipe notes below) if you wish. And then share these decadent cupcakes with friends to show them what’s really in that “pot o’ gold” at the end of the rainbow.