Gluten Free Irish Cream Cupcakes

I’m a tea drinker – any coffee and my heart thinks it’s part of a horse race and my brain bounces off ALL of the mental walls faster than tonight’s debate dissolved into absolute carnivalistic absurdity. So the coffee in the photo shoot for these cupcakes was, I’m sure, absolutely terrible, made from instant coffee granules (GREAT for baking) and promptly tossed out after the winning shots were captured. But! I do love a good coffee-infuse/flavored/enrobed baked good. Or coffee ice cream – I’ll take that any day before 6pm. These gorgeously indulgent cupcakes have not only a luxurious chocolate cupcake (with Irish Cream Liqueur), but they’re filled with – wait for it – coffee buttercream and topped with, yes, MORE buttercream, this time flavored with more of that Irish Cream Liqueur. The layers are melt-in-your-mouth and will induce both a sugar+alcohol haze and a bit of oomph from the coffee, so you’ll still be good to go if you down one of these at 8am before that first work call.

Little did I know before making these – Irish Cream isn’t traditionally Irish! As in, it’s not some tremendously ancient beverage crafted by the faeries themselves. It was first dreamed up by an innovative marketing team in 1973 (clearly, the world was missing out before then) in Dublin. It’s now reached full celebrity-spirit level, though, as it’s a “protected geographical indicator” product (thanks Wikipedia) that absolutely must be made in Ireland. Move over, champagne, we have a new belle of the ball (just kidding, bubbly will always hold the crown). In any case, I’m a big fan of cream liqueur and the Irish starlet does not disappoint either when imbibed or consumed in cupcake form. The combo of coffee, Irish cream, and chocolate cupcake? Outstanding, folks, I highly recommend.

If you’re looking for other spirit-graced baked goods, try our bourbon and butter pecan cupcakes, or these piña colada cupcakes (as a farewell to summer). And if coffee is your thing, check out these coffee-glazed chocolate shortbread cookies with cacao nibs, or these chocolate coffee cupcakes, of even this decadent chocolate coffee Swiss roll! Do what tastes good, folks.

Print Recipe

Gluten Free Irish Cream Cupcakes

These are a classic – dreamy chocolate cupcake filled with coffee buttercream and topped with Irish cream buttercream

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Cooling time5 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: buttercream, chocolate coffee, chocolate cupcakes, cupcakes, gluten free, irish cream

Servings: 24 cupcakes

Calories: 350kcal

Author: Amelia Farber

Equipment

• Cupcake pans
• Electric mixer

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 Cup canola oil
• 3/4 Cup sour cream
• 1/3 Cup Irish cream liquor
• 1 1/2 Cups white sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 Cup gluten free 1-1 flour mix with xanthan gum in it (if your mix does not contain xanthan gum add 1 tsp now)
• 3/4 Cup blanched almond flour
• 3/4 Cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Cup hot coffee

For the coffee buttercream:

• 3/4 Cup salted butter room temperature
• 2-3 Cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp heavy cream
• 3 tsp instant coffee granules

For the Irish cream buttercream:

• 2 Cups salted butter room temperature
• 5-6 Cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1/4 Cup Irish cream liquor

Instructions

• First, make your cupcakes! Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line two cupcake pans with paper liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, sour cream, Irish cream, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add in the flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and soda, and salt and whisk together until combined. Add the cup of hot coffee and whisk until smooth and glossy. Spoon the cupcake batter into the prepared cupcake pans (each cup should be about 3/4-5/6 full). Bake for 18-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
• While your cupcakes are baking, make your filling and topping. First, make the coffee buttercream. In a medium bowl, using the electric mixer, beat the butter with 1 cup of the sifted powdered sugar until smooth. Add two more cups of powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Then, in a small bowl, stir the instant coffee granules with the heavy cream until the coffee is dissolved. Add the cream to the buttercream and beat until smooth.
• Then, make the Irish cream buttercream. In a large bowl, using the electric mixer, beat the butter with 1 cup of the sifted powdered sugar until smooth. Add the rest of the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and beat until smooth. Add in the Irish cream liquor and beat until combined. If the frosting is too loose, add more powdered sugar, if it's too stiff, add more liquor (taste test first!).
• Let cupcakes cool completely before filling and frosting. Once cupcakes are cool, scoop the coffee buttercream into a piping bag and cut off a 1/2 inch opening. Use a knife, spoon, or other cutting implement to cut a 1 inch hole into the top of each cupcake to fill. Pipe the coffee buttercream into the hole. Then scoop the Irish cream buttercream into a new piping bag (with your choice of tip) and pipe on top of filled cupcakes. Then serve!

Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your cupcakes!

Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber