On my first ever trip with the Mathlete, we went to San Francisco for a wedding.  He had a few friends living there and almost every day we ended up in an Irish bar drinking Irish coffee.  Now, I love my lattes so the idea of Irish coffee wasn’t that appealing to me but it turned out to be so delicious.  Since that trip, I don’t think I’ve had any Irish coffee but I still think about those flavors from time to time.  With St. Patrick’s Day approaching, I decided to turn that drink into a delicious cupcake by making Irish Coffee cupcakes and then topping them with whipped cream frosting.

These cupcakes start with a basic boxed mix because I am just not a good enough baker to start from scratch. Or maybe it is that I am too impatient. One will definitely keep me from discovering if the other is true!  Add a few things to the cake mix and then brush the finished cupcakes with a delicious Irish coffee syrup before icing and you have a cupcake that is totally amazing.

There are a few steps to this recipe so I will give you the full recipe card below but I’m also going to type out instructions so you can see the associated pictures with each step.

Cupcakes
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 1/8 cup strong coffee
2 Tbsp whiskey
Vegetable oil or butter per package
3 eggs

Coffee Syrup
1 cup strong coffee
1/3 cup water
2 Tbsp whiskey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar

Whipped Cream Frosting
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp coffee
2 cups heavy cream

1)  Preheat oven per package directions.  {I have nonstick pans so it was 325 degrees. Regular pans are 350 degrees usually}  Line muffin tins with paper liners.

2)  Mix cake mix, eggs, coffee, 2 Tbsp whiskey and butter or oil in a large bowl.  Mix on low for 30 seconds.  Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. 

3)  Divide batter equally among cupcake cups.  Bake according to package directions.  Let cool completely.

4)  While cupcakes cook, prepare the coffee syrup.  In a small pan, combine 1 cup coffee, 1/3 cup water, 2 Tbsp whiskey, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 white sugar.  Stir well and then bring to a boil over medium heat.  Simmer for about 15 minutes or until the syrup coats the back of a spoon. 

Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes.
Brush the tops of the cupcakes with the coffee syrup.

6)   In a mixer bowl, beat cream cheese, using the whisk attachment, on medium speed until smooth.  Add in sugar and beat well.  Add in vanilla and coffee and beat for 2 minutes on medium.  With the mixer on low, whisk in the heavy cream.  {Note: the frosting will not be very thick at this point.}

Add frosting to frosting bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Frost cupcakes and serve.

I topped each cupcake with a little chocolate gold coin before serving but that is totally optional.

Do you like to try different kinds of cupcakes?  Are you a fan of Irish coffee?

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Irish Coffee Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Frosting

Servings: 20

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 1 box chocolate cake mix
• 1 1/8 cup strong coffee
• 2 Tbsp whiskey
• Vegetable oil or butter per package
• 3 eggs

Coffee Syrup

• 1 cup strong coffee
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 Tbsp whiskey
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar

Whipped Cream Frosting

• 8 oz cream cheese softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp coffee
• 2 cups heavy cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven per package directions. {I have nonstick pans so it was 325 degrees. Regular pans are 350 degrees usually} Line muffin tins with paper liners.
2. Mix cake mix, eggs, coffee, 2 Tbsp whiskey and butter or oil in a large bowl. Mix on low for 30 seconds. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.
3. Divide batter equally among cupcake cups. Bake according to package directions. Let cool completely.
4. While cupcakes cook, prepare the coffee syrup. In a small pan, combine 1 cup coffee, 1/3 cup water, 2 Tbsp whiskey, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 white sugar. Stir well and then bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until the syrup coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Brush the tops of the cupcakes with the coffee syrup.
5. In a mixer bowl, beat cream cheese, using the whisk attachment, on medium speed until smooth. Add in sugar and beat well. Add in vanilla and coffee and beat for 2 minutes on medium. With the mixer on low, whisk in the heavy cream. {Note: the frosting will not be very thick at this point.}
6. Add frosting to frosting bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Frost cupcakes and serve.