Baileys & Coffee Cupcakes
Total Time
3 hours (includes cooling)
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Rating
4.7 out of 5 stars
(27)
Ingredients
14 cupcakes
- 1 and 3/4 cups (207g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (80g) sour cream or plain yogurt, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60ml) strong black coffee, cooled to room temperature
- 1/3 cup (80ml) Baileys Irish Cream
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (for buttercream)
- 4 cups (480g) confectioners’ sugar (for buttercream)
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (optional, for buttercream)
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) Baileys Irish Cream (for buttercream)
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons strong black coffee, cooled to room temperature (for buttercream)
- Pinch of salt (for buttercream)
- Optional for garnish: chocolate sprinkles
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Preparation
Chef’s notes
Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions:
Cupcakes can be made ahead 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Frosting can also be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using. If frosting is too thick, beat in 1 Tablespoon of Baileys or room temperature black coffee to thin out. Frosted or unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Special Tools (affiliate links):
Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Piping Bag (Disposable or Reusable) | Ateco 808 Piping Tip | Cupcake Carrier (for storage)
Cake Flour:
Real cake flour is ideal in this recipe. However, in a pinch and if you can’t get cake flour, use this homemade cake flour substitute. I suggest doing this twice, mixing it all up in 1 bowl then removing 1/4 cup since you need 1 and 3/4 cups in this recipe.
Espresso Powder & Coffee:
I use both espresso powder and strong black coffee in the cupcake batter and buttercream. For the cupcake batter, you can add the espresso powder with the dry ingredients like I do (it dissolves just fine in the batter) or stir into the black coffee before pouring in. What would also work is just using 1/4 cup room temperature brewed espresso instead of both coffee AND espresso powder. The espresso powder is optional in the frosting, but I recommend it for more flavor. And in the frosting, you could also use 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons room temperature espresso instead of the coffee AND espresso powder.
What to Do with Leftover Egg Yolks? Here are all of my recipes using only or extra egg yolks.
Baileys:
You can use regular Baileys or any flavors that this Irish cream comes in. I know there’s salted caramel and espresso flavors that would be great here!
Alcohol Free:
You can skip the alcohol completely for plain coffee cupcakes and coffee buttercream. To do so, replace the Baileys in the cupcake batter and buttercream with strong black coffee—7 Tbsp of coffee total in the cupcakes and 4-5 Tbsp in the buttercream.
Cake:
This recipe would be a delicious cake. Use this batter and frosting and follow my 6-inch cake recipe instructions. For a 9 inch layer cake, I recommend using my white cake recipe. Reduce sugar down to 1 and 1/2 cups (300g). Add 1 Tablespoon espresso powder with the dry ingredients. Instead of 1 cup of milk, use 1/2 cup (120ml) Baileys, 1/4 cup (60ml) strong room temperature coffee, and 1/4 cup (60ml) whole milk. This amount of frosting should be plenty for the cake.
Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking the BEST cupcakes before you begin!