Old Ruby Saves the Day - Old Ruby Chocolate Cupcakes with Carolan's Irish Butter Cream Frosting

Booze, it makes you smile a little longer, dance a little closer, and it helps your food taste quite a bit better, unless of course you do it wrong, which in that case is your fault.
Please fix that.

I was craving something sweet the other week before St.Patty`s day and when I saw the following bottle in the liquor store I knew what had to be done …

Old Ruby Chocolate Cupcakes with Carolan's Irish Butter Cream Frosting

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Cake

• 1 cup stout (I went with Ale. Old Ruby came through)
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream

 Preheat your oven to 350°F. The Smitten recipe says to line 24 “cupcake cups” with liners, but in my case my pan only made about a dozen.

Bring the booze and butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Whisk the eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and using a rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes.

 Carolans Irish Butter Cream Frosting

• 3 to 4 cups confections sugar
• 1/2 cup or unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 to 4 tablespoons Carolans Irish Cream

Start with the butter at room temperature. Use a fork, or whatever you like, to mix the butter around until it is smooth and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.  When the icing starts to get a little thick start slowing adding the Irish cream to loosen it up. Don’t worry if you end up adding more than the recipe calls for. Booze is good. Mix until you are happy with the results.
 

Then bring a few over to your friends' house for dinner ....

.... and hope for a few extra vowels next time around.