Mudslide Cupcakes

I was brainstorming ideas for cupcakes for a couple's shower the other day and I thought it would be fun to make some boozy cupcakes. Since the couple is getting married in Las Vegas, the hostess chose to make The Hangover the theme of the shower. I wanted to do a chocolate cupcake and non-chocolate cupcake for some variety. Eventually I decided on chocolate Kahlua mudslide cupcakes with Bailey's Irish Cream buttercream frosting and Strawberry Margarita cupcakes. (Stay tuned, I'll post the recipe for those soon.)

I also wanted to decorate the cupcakes with something "Las Vegas-y" so I made some little cupcake toppers with fondant. I layered circles of black and red fondant and then made little white fondant dice squares - adding the numbers with a black edible marker. I baked the cupcakes in red foil liners and overall, I thought they turned out really cute.

Chocolate Kahlua Mudslide Cupcakes
Adapted from Worth the Whisk

3 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup strong coffee, at room temperature
3/4 cup Kahlua

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cupcake pans (24 cupcakes) with paper liners. (You may get a couple extras out of this - I did.)

Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a clean mixing bowl, beat egg whites until frothy with whisk attachment. Slowly add in sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Set aside. Cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition. Measure coffee, vanilla and Kahlua and stir together in measuring cup. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the batter and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Add 1/2 the Kahlua mixture, mix until incorporated and repeat alternating flour and Kahlua, ending with flour mixture. Gently fold in egg whites.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full and bake approximately 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool about 10 minutes and transfer to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.

Bailey's Irish Cream Buttercream

1 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 lbs powdered sugar

Beat butter on medium speed until smooth. Add Bailey's and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add powdered sugar, 2 cups at a time, mixing on low speed until frosting is the desired consistency. Pipe onto cupcakes as desired. I piped these with a large star tip.