A chocolate cupcake and cream cheese frosting recipe with Guinness in the batter and frosting. Perfect for an Irish celebration!
For a long time, I resisted making these Guinness cupcakes because I didn’t think I would like the taste of them! But after seeing many recipes with positive reviews, I used an adapted vintage recipe to bake them. The result: Guinness Stout was so good in both the cupcakes and the cream cheese frosting! Maybe I was resistant to making these cupcakes because I associated Guinness with cooking a savory dish like Irish beef stew. It was a pleasant surprise that stout beer was also delicious in this sweet chocolate dessert!
Stout Beer
I think I was a little skeptical of stout beer in cake because these cupcakes contain 12 ounces of beer! That seemed like a lot to me, and I was afraid the beer taste might be overwhelming.
To my surprise, the cupcakes were delicious. While you can taste the stout beer a little, it doesn’t seem like too much. Instead, it is just enough to make the cupcakes have an interesting flavor. Furthermore, the stout beer enhances the chocolate taste of these cupcakes.
Stout Beer Brands
I used Guinness brand of stout beer, but you can use other brands if you would like. However, whichever one you use, don’t reduce the amount of stout beer in these cupcakes because it can mess up the ratio of liquid to dry ingredients.
Now I am looking forward to trying other things with versatile stout beer!
Storage
Store these cupcakes in the refrigerator to preserve the cream cheese frosting and to keep them fresh tasting. Set them out two hours before serving. They do not heat well in the microwave because the frosting melts.
Prep Time | 20 minutes |
Cook Time | 20-25 minutes |
Servings |
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- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 12 ounces stout beer (Guinness used)
- 24 cupcake liners
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
- (1) 8-ounce cream cheese package, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 - 3 cups confectioners' sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons stout beer
Ingredients
Cupcakes
Frosting
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- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place 24 cupcake liners in muffin tins.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and eggs just until incorporated. Add the sour cream and beat until mixed.
- Slowly add the stout beer to prevent excessive foaming. Mix. Then add the flour mixture a little at a time until all is added and mixed. The batter will be a little runny.
- Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, dividing it evenly between them. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. After 5 minutes of cooling, transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Then beat in vanilla, sugar, and 2 tablespoons of stout beer. If the frosting is stiff, add another tablespoon of beer. If needed, continue adding a small amount of beer until you reach the desired consistency.
- Pipe or spread the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. If the frosting is too soft, place it into the refrigerator for a while to harden.
Variation
These cupcakes are also delicious with chocolate frosting. Turn the vanilla cream cheese frosting into chocolate cream cheese frosting by adding 1-2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder.