Oh Hello.
Are you looking for some chocolate-y goodness? Look no further than these super scrumptious cupcakes.
People have been raving about chocolate stout cake/cupcakes forever, but I’ve steadfastly refused to try it. I am not what you would call a beer fan. If we’re being totally honest, I super duper hate beer. There’s something about the bitterness and the hoppiness that just doesn’t work for me, I’d much rather have a cocktail. So you can see why I’d be reluctant to try chocolate stout cupcakes. I mean, why mess with an already delicious thing, right? Wrong. I was so totally wrong. These cupcakes were amazingly good. And luckily for me, they didn’t actually taste like beer. At all.
I had been worried that the stout would make the cupcakes very dense, but these were actually really light and fluffy. This is perfect since I already have a go-to fudgy chocolate cupcake recipe and I’ve been searching for a fluffier version. The stout added a very subtle malty bitterness that really enhanced the chocolate. It tastes like a delicious chocolate cupcake, but with a slight twist. Like many chocolate cake recipes, the chocolate flavor became more intense after a day and I actually preferred it on day 2.
I decided to top the cupcakes with a standard cream cheese frosting, and I thought the flavors paired really well. This would also be delicious with a simple chocolate ganache or even an irish cream frosting. If you’ve been curious about chocolate stout cupcakes, or even if you’ve never thought about it, give these a try, they are excellent chocolate cupcakes!
Chocolate stout cupcakes with cream cheese frosting
Makes 20-21 cupcakes.
Adapted from the Barrington Brewery, Great Barrington, MA via Bon Appetit
Cupcakes
- 1 cup Guinness (or other stout)
- 1 cups (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (preferably Dutch-process, the higher quality the better)
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ tablespoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup sour cream
Frosting
- 16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
- 2-3 cups confectioners’ sugar (to taste)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
To make cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pan with paper liners.
Bring the Guinness and butter to simmer in heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add the Guinness-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add the flour mixture and beat just briefly on slow speed.
Use a spatula to gently fold the batter until completely combined. This recipe needs a light touch, so be sure not to over beat and fold gently. Divide the batter equally into cupcake liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake until a tester inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, about 17-20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to rack; cool 10 minutes then remove from pans and cool completely.
Frosting:
Place room temperature cream cheese and butter in a large bowl (or use a standing mixer). Beat on high speed for 3-4 minutes, until mixture is light and fluffy and well blended. Add vanilla and beat for another 30 seconds. Slowly beat in confectioners sugar until frosting is desired consistency and sweetness. This recipe makes a lot of frosting! You can cut back if you’re planning to use a lighter touch with the frosting.