Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I have a perfect treat for you. What better day to make chocolate ganache beer cupcakes than St. Patrick’s Day?! Yes, a beer cupcake! Believe me, as much as it might sound like a party snack, it is very decadent and elegant as well.
The inspiration comes from my friend Karmen. Of course, I had to ask for the recipe (even though I made some changes). I kind of had a feeling it would come handy one day. And here it is, the perfect day for chocolate ganache beer cupcakes is here.
Do you know the story behind St. Patrick’s Day? Who was St. Patrick? Why do we celebrate it today? St. Patrick’s Day is so much more than dressing in green, pots of gold, green hats, lucky charms, rainbows, pub-crawling and three-leaved shamrocks. St. Patrick was a bishop in Ireland, which according to a legend, brought Christianity to Ireland.
March 17th marks the day of his death and on that day people commemorate the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. There can be different celebrations around the country; silly, serious, religious and funny. Celebrations include parades, music festivals, drinking Irish beer or Whiskey, marching bands, fireworks and dancing.
This is one of those occasions where a delicious sweet treat with booze flavour is just perfect. Chocolate ganache beer cupcakes are incredibly tasty and easy to make. A lovely stout beer like Guinness is just the right choice for St. Patrick’s Day. However, you can pick any beer you like, but make sure it’s dark. And by the way, you can use beer in many other dishes as well. Check out this beer goulash recipe.
And let’s talk about the chocolate ganache. It is simply fabulous! With just three ingredients you can make a fluffy, decadent and perfect ganache. Moreover, in case you have some leftovers, you can store it in the fridge for some days. Besides decorating cupcakes, it is also great for pies, cookies, ice cream, ice coffee or for any pastry.
Ingredients for about 8 chocolate ganache beer cupcakes:
- 125 ml dark beer
- 110 g butter
- 25 g cacao powder
- 1 egg (beaten)
- 80 g sour cream
- 150 g flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- a pinch of salt
- 150 g sugar
For the chocolate ganache:
- 220 g chocolate
- 180 ml whipping cream
- a pinch of salt
I started by making the chocolate ganache. You know how it goes; the longer you keep it in the fridge, better and firmer it gets. As said, I made some slight changes. This ganache requires only three ingredients: chocolate, cream and salt.
Chop the chocolate and put it in a bowl. In a small saucepan heat up the cream, but don’t boil it. As soon as you spot a simmer, remove it from the stove and pour it over the chocolate. In order to cover all the pieces with cream, swirl the bowl and let it sit for 3 minutes.
Then add a pinch of salt and mix with a whisk starting in the middle of the bowl moving towards the outside. Whisk until glossy and smooth. Let it cool down to room temperature.
Since we are making chocolate ganache beer cupcakes, we are going to need a thicker chocolate ganache. The trick is after the ganache reaches the room temperature, cover it with transparent foil (lay it directly on the ganache) and place it in the fridge for at least 2 hours. I made it the night before and it turned out amazing.
Next, preheat the oven to 190º C and only when you put in the cupcakes turn it to 170º C. I learned this when making the Pavlova. When you open the oven, the heat escapes and the temperature goes down. Therefore it is always better to preheat it a few degrees higher.
For the beer cupcakes, cook the dark beer and butter on low heat until the butter has melted. Don’t forget to stir occasionally and be careful not to let it boil. Then remove it from the stove and stir in the cacao powder until smooth and no clumps are visible.
In a bowl whisk the egg, sugar and sour cream until well combined. Now slowly stir in the beer mixture. After everything is well combined, sieve in the flour mixture (flour, salt and baking powder). Mix until smooth.
Furthermore, divide the beer cupcake batter between the cupcake cups. I wanted the ones with polka dots but I found green-striped ones instead. They are perfect. The cupcake just slides out of the cup. I thought they would be perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. Fill a little more than 2/3 of each cupcake cup and put to bake for about 25-30 minutes. Do the toothpick check to be sure that the cupcakes are baked through. Once ready, take them out of the oven and let them cool down. I brush the cupcakes with beer that was left to give them more of the flavour. However, this is optional.
Once the chocolate ganache is firm, take it out of the fridge and mix it with a hand mixer on medium speed. This will make the ganache light and fluffy. Whisk it only before you pipe it and pipe it only when the cupcakes are completely cooled down.
Fill the piping bag with the ganache and pipe it on the cupcakes. I added a small, cute and green, not three but four-leaved shamrock. You can also use green sprinkles or even something golden will work great.
Serve these delicious and decadent chocolate ganache beer cupcakes on March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day, the “greenest” day of the year. A nice glass of Guinness would make a perfect combo with the cupcakes.
Enjoy and happy St. Patrick’s Day!
PS:
If you like the recipe, if you make the recipe or if you have any new ideas how to improve or change it, let me know in the comments section below or alternatively share your photos and reactions with me on Instagram (@Passionspoon), Facebook or Twitter (@PassionSpoon1). Simply use the hashtag #passionspoonrecipes in your posts. I would love to see them! (wink)
