Irish Cream Cupcakes -- A Toast to the O’Brien Side of the Table

Spring is here and wedding planning is consuming everything. Megan has a binder. The binder has tabs. The tabs have sub-tabs. There is a spreadsheet. There is a Pinterest board. There is a shared calendar with color-coded entries. I am a man who makes beer and pierogi and I am now expected to have opinions about centerpieces.

The guest list is 180 people. Ninety from our side, ninety from the O'Briens. This seems like a lot of people until you remember that Polish families are large, Irish families are larger, and between the two we're related to or friends with approximately everyone in southeast Wisconsin. Tom's union buddies alone account for twenty seats. Patrick's firefighter friends account for another fifteen. Linda's church group is twelve. We're running out of tables.

The food is my department. This is where I come alive. We're doing the reception at the Polish Center, which has a kitchen I've cooked in before, and I'm working with the Center's catering team on the menu. Pierogi, obviously. Golabki. Kielbasa. Polish potato salad. But also: Colleen's soda bread, because this is a Polish-Irish wedding and both sides get representation. The caterer looked at my menu and said, "This is a lot of Polish food." I said, "This is a Polish wedding." She said, "The bride is Irish." I said, "The bride is adaptable."

Made a test batch of the wedding pierogi this week — I'm doing three fillings: potato and cheese (the classic), sauerkraut (tradition), and the turkey cranberry (crowd-pleaser). I'll need to make approximately five hundred dozen. This is an insane number. I will need help. Tom and Linda have volunteered. Colleen has volunteered. Mrs. Wojcik has volunteered. This pierogi army will be assembled. The wedding will have pierogi. Everything good in my life has pierogi.

I’ve been so deep in pierogi math — five hundred dozen, three fillings, one increasingly overwhelmed pierogi army — that I almost forgot Megan’s side of the table gets a say too. Colleen offered to make soda bread, and I love her for it, but I wanted something on the dessert side that gave the O’Briens a proper nod. Irish Cream Cupcakes felt exactly right: festive, a little indulgent, and just boozy enough to make you forget you still haven’t figured out the centerpieces. Consider these my peace offering to the other ninety guests.

Irish Cream Cupcakes

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup Irish cream liqueur (such as Baileys)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• For the frosting:
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur
• 1–2 tbsp heavy cream
• Pinch of salt
• Cocoa powder or chocolate shavings, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Heat your oven to 350°F. Line two standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.
2. Combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly blended.
3. Combine wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk both sugars, eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, Irish cream liqueur, and vanilla extract together until smooth and fully incorporated.
4. Mix the batter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not overmix — a few small lumps are fine and keep the crumb tender.
5. Fill and bake. Divide the batter evenly among the lined cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake for 18–20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.
6. Make the buttercream. Beat the softened butter on medium-high speed for 3 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the Irish cream liqueur, heavy cream, and salt, then beat on high for another 2 minutes until smooth and pipeable. Adjust consistency with a splash more cream if needed.
7. Frost and finish. Pipe or spread the buttercream generously onto each cooled cupcake. Dust lightly with cocoa powder or top with chocolate shavings if desired. Serve at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 282 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 39g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 158mg