• Preheat the oven to 350°F
• Line cupcake pans with 24 cupcake liners.
• Cream the unsalted butter until creamy.
• Add in the granulated sugar until combined well.
• Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.
• Slowly beat in the cocoa powder
• In a separate bowl, add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
• Add half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
• Slowly pour in the Irish Cream and the buttermilk*.
• Slowly beat in the remaining dry ingredients and combine well.
• Evenly distribute the cupcake batter among 24 cupcake liners.
• Bake for 16-18 minutes or until the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
• Cool completely before adding the filling.

Irish Cream Filling

• Wait until the cupcakes are completely cool before filling.
• Beat together the room temperature butter and the shortening.
• Add the salt and the confectioner's sugar.
• Pour in the Irish Cream and beat until a smooth and creamy filling forms.
• Add the filling to a piping bag fitted with an open tip piping tip or Bismark.
• Puncture the center of a cupcake and stop ¾ of the way down.
• Gently squeeze the filling into the cupcake while lifting up and away from the cupcake.
• Stop squeezing when you see the filling rise to the top of the cupcake.

Irish Cream Buttercream

• Beat the unsalted butter until creamy.
• Add in the confectioner's sugar. It will become thick.
• Add the salt and Irish Cream.
• Beat until well combined and creamy.
• Add the milk a little at a time to make the frosting easy to pipe.