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Bailey’s Irish Banana Cupcakes

Bailey’s Irish Banana Cupcakes are a boozy sweet treat! Bailey’s Irish Cream in the frosting and the ganache! 

Bailey's Irish Banana Cupcakes

Today was my day to handle lots of annoying phone calls and general bookkeeping boring-ness.

I know, right? Blah.

But I got it all taken care of and everything was fine except I came to one very serious conclusion: I really can’t stand the term “boyfriend”. Especially in reference to my significant other. No one takes us seriously. There has got to be a better way.

Bailey's Irish Cream Cupcakes

You might have noticed that I refer to Chad on this blog pretty often, and always by his first name. I do this because there are seriously no words in the English language that encompass a serious but “legally” unofficial relationship. We share a home, we share our lives. We share finances and families and schedules. We parent together.

Chad and I function as a unit, just as most couples do, and our lives are intertwined in a pretty great way.

But technically he is my boyfriend. And “boyfriend” just doesn’t really cover it.

Today, for instance, I was handling all this boring but necessary household stuff. You know, all those annoying phone calls that need to be made, but you just really don’t feel like doing it, and then you put it off, and one call turns into 15?

Like random charges that appear on phone bills and requesting itemized statements from the doctor’s office and then pausing to internet shop for spring shoes at Target because you realize that it’s almost 70 degrees and you have nothing cute to put on your feet … you get the point, right?

Right.

So I, the notoriously terrible liar, make these phone calls and get tripped up by the girlfriend card every single time.

Banana Cupcakes with Bailey's Irish Cream Frosting

The conversations go like this:

Company Representative:”Can I have your full name please?”

Me: “Uhm… well my name is Heather but the name on the account is Chad. Here let me be super helpful and give you the account number. And yes I can verify all of the important I-am-not-an-identity thief things.” (Note— why will these people not take money from me without the third degree? Like what if I was just a secret millionaire and I wanted to go around paying people’s bills? That can’t actually be a crime, right?)

Company Representative: “And what is your relation to Chad, ma’am?”

Me: (I swear they get me on this question every. single. time. And I know it’s coming!!! So annoying.) “I’m his uh… er… I’m his girlfriend.”

In that second I go from a thirty-two-year-old grown up that handles all the grown up things to a gum popping seventeen-year-old that needs a permission slip for life.

And then the wall goes up.

They tell me every single time that they are sorry, but they can’t tell me anything blah blah blah. And in my head I’m screaming, “I already know all the answers!! I don’t need you to tell me anything!! Just help me! Okay?!”

I know in my head that I could just lie. I could drop the big “wife” bomb and Company Representative is probably never gonna know the difference. It’s not like she’s gonna put me on hold and try to Google a marriage license. But it’s just too big, you guys.

Bailey's Irish Banana Cupcakes

I can’t do it.

I can’t even tell the tiniest fib about being married or even engaged (can any of you say the word fee-yon-say and take yourselves seriously? I mean, we’re not engaged– I couldn’t lie about that to a stranger either– but when you use that word do people behave as if you have a grown up relationship?).

Someone get me Goldie Hawn’s phone number, please? I have so many questions.

Bailey's Irish Banana Cupcakes
Yield: 12

Bailey's Irish Banana Cupcakes

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Bailey's Irish Banana Cupcakes are a boozy sweet treat! Bailey's Irish Cream in the frosting and the ganache!

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 4 medium very ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Frosting:

  • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur (plus more if needed to reach desired consistency)

For the Ganache:

  • 2 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (or about 6 ounces of good melting dark to semi-sweet chocolate)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line a standard muffin pan with paper liners.
  2. In a large bowl whisk together the melted butter, sugar, and eggs. Add the bananas and vanilla and then mix until combined.
  3. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  4. Stir the dry mixture into the wet a little at a time.
  5. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 prepared muffin cups.
  6. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  7. In a large bowl beat together the cream cheese and butter until whipped and smooth. Beat in the powdered sugar (one cup to start, adding more late on to reach the desired consistency if necessary), starting on low and slowly increasing the speed to medium until it's incorporated.
  8. Add in the salt and vanilla. Beat for about a minute.
  9. Then beat in two tablespoons of the Bailey's Irish Cream until smooth. Add more powdered sugar to thicken if necessary.
  10. Frost the cooled cupcakes.
  11. In a small saucepan heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of Bailey's over medium heat. Add the chocolate chips and stir frequently until melted. Spoon the Bailey's flavored chocolate over each frosted cupcake or dip each cupcake top in to coat.
  12. Let the chocolate cool before serving- you can refrigerate the cupcakes to speed this process a little.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 480Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 80mgSodium: 221mgCarbohydrates: 60gFiber: 2gSugar: 43gProtein: 4g

Quick note on these cupcakes: I used Martha Stewart’s Banana Cupcake Recipe and adapted the method just slightly. It’s a really simple recipe and they always turn out full of banana, moist and delicious BUT!!!! If you follow her original recipe do not bake those babies for the called for 25 to 30 minutes!! It dries them out. Please do yourselves a favor and check them at 18 to 20 minutes. That is plenty. I also like to bake my cupcakes at 325, but my oven is a zillion year old freak of kitchen appliance so take that with a grain of salt.

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proBAKE

Thursday 8th of March 2018

These are going to be great for St. Patrick's day! Chocolate, banana and Bailey's -It doesn't get much better than that!

Krista @ Joyful Healthy Eats

Friday 28th of February 2014

All I have to say is... Wow! That just sounds incredible Heather! Pinned this ready to make! YUM!

Heather

Tuesday 4th of March 2014

Thanks so much for pinning Krista! :)

HelloMyNameIs

Wednesday 13th of March 2013

I love Goldie!! Do you think you guys will ever get married?? A woman I worked with dated a guy for 25 years...of course that ended badly, not that yours will, but the point is she used to hate calling him her 'boyfriend.' She said it made her feel young and stupid haha You could just call him your lover! haha That would really throw those representatives!!! Or just tell him he's your b*tch hahahaha that would get people talking...have a little fun with it!!! Meanwhile if it makes you feel better when I think of Chad I was think of him as your 'man' not your 'boyfriend' sounds much cooler, don't you think? haha

Heather @ Sugar Dish Me

Thursday 14th of March 2013

I don't know if we'll ever get married? Both of us had a bad experience with marriage at a young age so I think that if we ever get there everything will need to be just exactly right. No rushing you know what I mean? The commitment isn't the issue at all, it's more about wanting to do things the way we wanna do them. In the meantime we handle loans and insurance and everything jointly and I have no idea how to refer to him. I'd love to say something obnoxious or crass because it would be super funny, but I think the reps on the phone would be less inclined to help me.

Rutabaga the Mercenary Researcher

Wednesday 13th of March 2013

Come to my house - make me these cupcakes! Martha Stewart will not mind at all if you do...she reads my analysis - so I'm good with her.

Heather @ Sugar Dish Me

Thursday 14th of March 2013

I've made 2 Martha recipes in the last few weeks and I've had to tweak them both to make them right! I have to think that her staff must be responsible for the problems because I get the feeling that Miss Martha would FAH-REAK out about dry cupcakes, right? She reads your analysis? For your work? What? Are you being serious or did I miss a joke (serious lack of coffee today)?

Choc Chip Uru

Wednesday 13th of March 2013

Who needs a title when it comes to relationships - I think you have something special that is enough :) Lovely looking cupcakes today! I would eat them in a second1

Cheers Choc Chip Uru

Heather @ Sugar Dish Me

Thursday 14th of March 2013

Thanks! I don't need the title, but the bank people do, so... Maybe I should bribe them with cupcakes?

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