Irish Coffee Cupcakes

Chocolate, coffee and Irish Whiskey. That’s how I like my coffee when I am on vacation, but why wait for a special occasion to enjoy this blend of flavors?!?! These gluten free Irish Coffee Cupcakes are a delight any day of the year!  The moist chocolate cake has an extra layer of chocolate from mini chips and just a hint of coffee. Then it is topped with Irish Whiskey and espresso spiked whipped cream. A delicious way to finish off a meal anytime or to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.  

Rich Chocolate Cake

Making the gluten free chocolate cake that serves as the base for this fabulous dessert is super simple.  Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and bake! That is it. There are two things to keep in mind for the best result though.  One, is to make sure that you don’t over bake them. Once they have risen and are set in the center, take them out of the oven. They will continue to cook after you remove them.  Over baking makes them dry and crumbly. We don’t want that! They should be super moist and rich in chocolatey goodness. The second thing is to serve them at room temp. Since the topping is made with dairy, it needs to be kept cold until serving, but you don’t want to put the cupcakes in the fridge.  That will make them crumbly. Store the cupcakes and topping separately and put the Irish Coffee Whipped Cream on just before serving.

Cream+Espresso+Whiskey

Think of this topping like a little cloud of creamy goodness on top of the moist and rich chocolate cake.  The Irish Coffee Whipped Cream has more of the coffee flavor in it than the cupcake and all of the whiskey!  Such a wonderful flavor combination. It is also very easy to pull together. All of the ingredients go in the bowl and fire up the mixer to high speed until it reaches stiff peaks.  Make sure to taste the mixture before you get to stiff peaks so that you can make any adjustments to the flavor (if needed) without over whipping the cream. Once it is ready, it can be stored in the fridge until you are ready to top the yummy cupcakes.

More Gluten Free Cupcakes

Here are more cupcakes to check out: Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting (can be GF/Vegan), Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Crunch Frosting, Peanut Butter, Banana, Chocolate Chip Cupcakes, Praline Cream Cupcakes, Not So Vanilla Cupcakes and Chocolate Toffee Peanut Butter Cupcakes… to name a few!

Irish Coffee Cupcakes

5 from 3 votes

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Servings: 20 cupcakes

Calories:

Ingredients  

2x3x4x

For the Cupcakes:

• 1 ¼ cups gluten free flour blend with xanthan gum - I use Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Flour
• ¾ cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup instant espresso powder - I use Cafe Bustelo
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup mini dairy free baking chips - I use Enjoy Life brand
• ¾ cup canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cups vanilla creamer or dairy free creamer - I use So Delicious brand

For the Topping:

• 2 cups heavy cream - sub 2 containers Truwhip, thawed for dairy free
• ¼ cup Irish Whiskey
• ¾ cup powdered sugar - add slowly for dairy free, adjust to your taste
• 2 tablespoon instant espresso powder

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place liners in your cupcake tins.
• Combine all dry ingredients for cupcakes in a medium bowl.
• Combine all wet ingredients in a large bowl. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until all are fully combined. This can be done by hand or with a mixer.
• Using a ¼ cup measuring cup or scoop, fill lined cupcake tin with batter. Bake for 15-20 minutes, watching very closely after 15 minutes. Once they have risen and are set in the middle, they are done. Don’t wait for the dry toothpick test or let them over-bake because they will get dry and crumbly very quickly. Remove from oven and let cool completely before topping. Cupcakes are best at room temp, so don’t top with the Irish Coffee Whipped Cream until you are ready to serve them.

For the Irish Coffee Whipped Cream Topping:

• Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and whip at high speed until it reaches soft peaks. Store topping in the fridge until ready to top the cupcakes.
• If making dairy free, thaw frozen topping and stir to combine remaining ingredients slowly. Taste as you go along until you reach the flavor you like. Since it is already sweetened, you most likely will not use much or all of the powdered sugar.

Notes

Store the cupcakes without Irish Coffee Whipped Cream Topping at room temp in a sealed container for 2-3 days.  Storing the cupcakes in the fridge will dry them out and make them crumbly.