Vanilla Caramel Cupcakes with Baileys Buttercream

Short but sweet (literally) today. Busy week as I prepare for training seminars I am conducting in NY next week. But, I wanted to share these yummies before the green beer started pouring, Guiness cans opened, and corn beef and cabbage cooked. I am not a big St. Patrick's Day girl (since I am Italian, although I look Irish with my freckles and red hair). But, I do enjoy a little Bailys every now and again...

I needed a quick ½ dozen cupcakes this past weekend. However, I didn't feel like whipping out the mixer. Thank goodness for self-rising flour!

Coincidentally, it just so happened I had a good bit of green buttercream left over from the St. Patrick's Day Birthday Cake. I decided to add a bit of Bailys to give these little cuppies a kick right toward St. Patrick's Day next week. Yum!

Vanilla Caramel Cupcakes

1 ½ cups self-raising flour
½ cup sugar
½cup milk
6 Tbsp butter, melted, cooled
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
~ ½ -1 cup caramel sauce (or caramels unwrapped and melted)

Preheat oven to 350°C. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Combine flour and sugar in a bowl. Add milk, butter, eggs and vanilla to flour mixture. Using a whisk to combine. Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop batter into the prepared muffin pan. Carefully add the caramel to each cup, in a swirling motion. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Stand in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. *Sauce seized up on me when I added it to the batter, but worked out in the baking process...

In the meantime, make the icing.

Baileys Buttercream

3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream
¼ cup Bailys Irish Cream
coloring

In a mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together sugar and butter until well blended and light, smooth, and fluffy-like. Add coloring, vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 2 minutes more. Stop the mixer and add the Bailys. Continue to beat on medium speed for 2-5 minutes more adding more cream (or Bailys) if needed for spreading/piping consistency.