White Russian Cupcakes

For mature audiences only!

With the cupcake craze that's been sweeping the nation for the past several years, it's a mystery to me why cocktail cupcakes haven't been at the forefront. Finally, you can have your alcohol and eat it too!

One fateful day at work, a girl in my group introduced our team to Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes and there was no turning back from there. My mind immediately started racing, wondering how to make my own version of these alcohol-laced cupcakes. After a very productive brainstorming and googling session with one of my would-be-cupcake victims, I settled on the White Russian inspiration (runner up: Caramel martini cupcakes).

The recipe is undoubtedly very decadent, but the end result was so delicious. I'm sure my basketball teammates (the recipients) would vouch for them and would also maybe argue that I was a bit of a lush when it came to the Kahlua in the buttercream icing...oops!

The cupcake recipe in and of itself was pretty straightforward, but interestingly it called for instant pudding mix, which made the cupcakes extra moist and spongy (in a really good way).

Combining a few recipe ideas, I decided to fill the cupcakes using some newly purchased decorating tools. I settled on Irish Cream filling, which certainly did the trick, though I refuse to ever manually whip heavy cream into a solid state again without the help of an electric appliance. Despite my frequent trips to the gym, my arms just are not cut out for that.

The finishing touches were piping on the Kahlua buttercream icing and dusting with some chocolate shavings. Sugar coma accomplished.

The recipe:
Cake mix (Vanilla, 18.25oz)
Sugar-free, fat-free instant vanilla pudding (1.7oz)
1 c. vegetable oil
3/4c. milk
4 large eggs
1/4 c. vodka
1/4 c. kahlua + 2 tbsp.
1 tsp. vanilla

Irish Cream Filling:
8 oz. heavy cream
4 oz. Irish liquer (Bailey's)

Kahlua Buttercream Icing:
1 stick butter
3 c. powdered sugar
3-4 tbsp. Kahlua (or my preferred method, to taste)
Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix together all ingredients for the cake into a bowl, setting aside the 2 tbsp of Kahlua for later. Scoop about 1/3 c. batter into each cup (they should be about 2/3 full) and bake for 17-20 mins. Allow the cupcakes to cool for 5 minutes, then brush the tops with the remaining Kahlua.

Meanwhile, make the filling by whipping the heavy cream until it begins to thicken. Continue mixing and slowly add in the Bailey's. (This is all best served using an electric mixer of some sort).

Then make the icing by creaming the butter and adding in powdered sugar, salt and Kahlua.

To fill the cupcakes, use a pastry bag and long nozzle/decorating tip. Insert the tip and squezze in the filling while pulling the bag up away from the cupcake. Then, to ice the cupcakes, use a pastry bag again and squeeze out icing following a circular motion until the top is covered. Using a grater/zester, garnish the cupcakes with chocolate shavings.

Tips: Keep the cream filling and the icing refrigerated until you are ready to use them. Also, I would recommend refrigerating the cupcakes after so the alcohol doesn't cause the icing to start melting.