Guinness Cupcake Recipe

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This Guinness cupcake recipe isn’t your average beer cupcake! A rich chocolate batter and boozy cream cheese frosting make these beer cupcakes the first to go at a Saint Patrick’s Day party!

It’s finally here!!! The Guinness cupcake recipe so many of you have asked me for since I started blogging. I’ve e-mailed this recipe out to multiple people every year, especially since posting the beer cake recipe, but it just took a while to get it posted. Mostly because the cupcakes always disappeared before I had a chance to take pictures!

And I’m not sure why I feel the need to clarify how they “disappeared” but I do. The cupcakes would always disappear to the Godfather’s office. I promise we don’t eat 2 dozen cupcakes in the span of a few days between 2-4 people. We like to share dessert.

Anyway, these Guinness cupcakes are super fun to share, especially if you know some dark beer lovers. In fact, when I made them with the bakery, I didn’t just limit the recipe to a seasonal offering. Guinness cupcakes would appear periodically throughout the year and they were always of the first things to sell at the farmer’s market.

And now I’m sharing all my secrets to making THE BEST Guinness cupcake recipe… ever. In my totally biased opinion, of course. Very, very biased. But if you like chocolate cake and you like cream cheese frosting, these cupcakes should be right up your alley too. 😉

Isn’t this a car bomb cupcake recipe?

Well, technically, maybe? I did take inspiration from the car bomb drink for the flavor combination. For those of you who don’t know, a “car bomb” drink is when you take a shot of 50/50 Irish whiskey and Irish cream, drop it into a glass of Guinness, and try to chug it before it gets all gross looking. Somewhere, someone decided this was a good idea for some unknown reason. Not my thing, but I’m all about the flavor combo for this cupcake, so thanks?

So what makes this Guinness cupcake recipe unique?

Brown butter, yo. Well, that and a tip I share about beer selection in the video above the recipe card. Anyone can add a bottle of beer to batter, but if you’re going to make Guinness cupcakes, let’s really get into showcasing all that flavor! Browning butter adds a depth of flavor here and that extra “something” to make these stand out.

The second thing I feel makes these Guinness cupcakes unique is the cream cheese frosting. I don’t know of many chocolate cake recipes that call for cream cheese frosting, but it’s perfect here! To really show off the bittersweet chocolate and stout flavors in the cake, you need a frosting that isn’t super sweet and has almost a savory element as the perfect compliment. Cream cheese does the trick, and it’s a great base for the Irish cream and Irish whiskey.

I really hope you enjoy this Guinness cupcake recipe! It’s the only Saint Patrick’s Day cupcake recipe I’ve made to date, and it’s a tried and true favorite!

Don’t forget to watch the video for a few more tips:

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Guinness Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

This Guinness cupcake recipe isn't your average beer cupcake! A rich chocolate batter and boozy cream cheese frosting make these beer cupcakes the first to go at a Saint Patrick's Day party!

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Ingredients

Cupcake Batter

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting if desired
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 11.7 ounce bottle Guinness beer (or any 12 ounce bottle of stout beer)
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Boozy Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1/2 pound butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 pound confectioner's sugar, sifted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Irish whiskey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Irish cream liquor

Instructions

1. Place the butter in a skillet over medium low heat and cook until brown flecks appear. Remove from heat and transfer to a heat-proof container to cool to room temperature.
2. Heat your oven to 350 F and place liners into pans for 2 dozen cupcakes. Set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer or another large mixing bowl, combine the browned butter, vanilla, and sour cream. Stir in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the entire bottle of beer. Mix until mostly smooth.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in 3 batches and stir until just combined.
6. Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake tins, filling each well about 3/4 full. Bake for 18-22 minutes on the center rack of your oven. If your pans are on 2 separate racks, rotate the pans at the 12 minute mark. The cupcakes are done when the dome of a center cupcake springs back when lightly touched.
7. Allow to set in the pan 5 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack.
8. While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, or the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the confectioner's sugar in batches, stirring at low speed.
9. Stir in the liquors after all the confectioner's sugar has been added to the frosting. Adjust as needed.
10. Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and top with a dusting of cocoa powder if desired.
11. For maximum freshness, store in the refrigerator up to 3 days in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Recommended Products

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