Beer? Yes. Cupcakes? Yes. Beer and cupcakes? YES!
You don’t need to convince us. Not at all. We love cooking with wine for dinner, so incorporating alcohol into the dessert course is a brilliant idea. Every beer enthusiast, and everyone with a sweet tooth, will be gobbling up this treat – our Guinness chocolate cupcakes!
Guinness stout is thick and creamy, with notes of malt, coffee, chocolate, and toffee.
In other words, it belongs in a dessert!
We add a hefty cup of this beer to chocolate cake batter. The end result? An indulgent, moist cake with huge flavor that will make you go crazy.
As crazy as the rowdiest St. Paddy’s Day celebration.
The stout will not be a noticeably strong flavor in this dessert. Much like when a little bit of coffee is added to sweet recipes to amplify the chocolate flavor, like in our classic chocolate cake and coffee-infused warm chocolate cakes, the stout acts as this complementary ingredient.
It’s subtle, dark, creamy, rich…
Oh, I nearly forgot about the frosting! A base as decadent as this one needs an even more outrageously delicious topping. We flavor a classic buttercream with – no surprise here – Baileys Irish cream.
Double the kiss-me-I’m-Irish flavor. Double the fun.
The Recipe
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 24 cupcakes | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 20-25 minutes | 15 minutes |
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Love beer? Love dessert? Our Guinness stout chocolate cupcakes with Baileys buttercream will satisfy your craving for both.
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- 1 cup (two sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 cup Guinness stout (or your favorite dark Irish stout)
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated Sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter room temperature
- 4 cups Powdered sugar
- 1 pinch table salt
- 1/4 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream (or your preferred Irish cream liqueur)
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream
- Heat oven to 350°F. Grease or line two 12-cup muffin trays.
- Place a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and melt completely, stirring occasionally.
- Once the butter is melted, whisk in the beer, cocoa powder, and brown sugar. Stir often until the brown sugar has melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat, and let cool to room temperature.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer, sift together the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt. To the dry ingredients, add the cooled Guinness mixture. Mix with the paddle attachment for one minute at medium speed.
- Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the sour cream, beating until just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly among the 24 cups in the prepared muffin tins. You can use a large ice cream scoop to achieve even amounts. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Take them out of the oven, and let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before removing them onto wire racks to cool completely.
- While the cupcakes cool, prepare the frosting. In a clean bowl of a stand mixer, whip the butter at a medium speed with the paddle attachment until fluffy, 2-3 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add one cup of powdered sugar at a time. Add a pinch of salt.
- Once all of the powdered sugar has been incorporated, whip on high speed until thick and fluffy. Add the Baileys. If the buttercream is too thick, add a tablespoon or two of heavy cream.
- Pipe the buttercream on the cooled cupcakes, or simply spread on with a knife for a more rustic look. Top with sprinkles, chocolate shavings, or ganache. Enjoy!
Original recipe by Ashley Martell.
Nutritional Information*
Cooking by the Numbers…
Step 1 – Prep and Gather Ingredients
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease or line two 12-cup muffin tins. Prepare a stand mixer with a bowl and paddle attachment.
For the cupcakes, measure the stout, cocoa powder, brown sugar, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and sour cream. Crack both eggs in a bowl. Set out the butter.
For the icing, set out the butter, and measure the confectioner’s sugar, salt, Irish cream, and heavy cream.
Step 2 – Heat the Stout Mixture for the Cake
In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Once it is completely melted, whisk in the Guinness, cocoa powder, and brown sugar. Continue whisking until the brown sugar has completely dissolved, and the mixture is smooth.
Remove from the heat and let cool at room temperature.
Want even more dynamic flavor? Before adding the other ingredients, let the butter continue cooking until browned, but not burned. It will add a toasty, nutty flavor to the dessert. Learn our technique for successfully browning butter!
Step 3 – Make the Cake Batter
In the bowl of the stand mixer, sift together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt.
Add the chocolate mixture, and mix on medium speed with the paddle attachment for about a minute. It will become a thick, uniform batter.
Add the eggs one at a time on low speed, waiting to add the second egg until the first is fully incorporated.
Add the sour cream, and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
Step 4 – Divide and Bake
Using a spoon, or a cookie scoop for more even portioning, distribute the batter amongst the 24 cups of the prepared muffin tins. The batter should fill each cup about 3/4 of the way full.
Place the tins in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, with just a few dry crumbs clinging to it.
Immediately remove the trays from the oven. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the trays for about 5 minutes before transferring to cooling racks to cool completely.
Step 5 – Make the Icing
As the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the icing.
In a clean bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy. On low speed, add one cup of powdered sugar at a time. Add the salt.
Once all of the sugar has been incorporated, beat the mixture on medium speed until thick and fluffy. Add the Baileys and continue mixing. If the buttercream is too thick, add about 1 or 2 tablespoons of heavy cream.
Step 6 – Decorate and Serve
Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, decorate with the frosting. You can use a piping bag or an offset spatula to smear the icing on top.
Garnish as desired, and serve!
Bring Your Favorite Brew to the Dessert Course!
The next time you’re craving a pint and something sweet, reach for one of these cupcakes.
While they’re great for your Saint Patrick’s Day party, these handheld sweet delights are perfect any time of year. We’ll certainly be enjoying them as often as possible!
Top them off with sprinkles, chocolate chunks, or even a drizzle of ganache. And we won’t stop you if you want to enjoy them alongside an additional pint of Guinness…
Want to get even more boozy information? Read up on the complete newbie’s guide to beer, or check out the best beer and food pairings.
And if you already know you’re a fan of Guinness, we have other sweet and savory recipes for you try that feature this malty brew., as well as all of our St. Patty’s Day favorites, like our easy Irish soda bread.
What do you think of this brew-tastic version of a chocolate cupcake? And how about that delicious buttercream frosting? Let us know if you’ll be making these soon in the comments below!
If that sweet tooth won’t quit, make a few of our other cupcake recipes we love:
- Paleo Carrot Cupcakes
- Pancake Cupcakes with Maple Syrup Frosting
- Pomegranate Chocolate Cupcakes
- Vegan Vanilla Coconut
- Double Chocolate
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Photos by Nikki Cervone, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details.
*Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Nikki Cervone
Nikki Cervone is an ACS Certified Cheese Professional and cheesemonger living in Pittsburgh. Nikki holds an AAS in baking/pastry from Westmoreland County Community College, a BA in Communications from Duquesne University, and an MLA in Gastronomy from Boston University. When she's not nibbling on her favorite cheeses or testing a batch of cupcakes, Nikki enjoys a healthy dose of yoga, wine, hiking, singing in the shower, and chocolate. Lots of chocolate.
Can’t wait to try these out!
These were so tasty. I found them to be a tiny bit on the dry side and plan to try adding a little bit extra sour cream in next time. But I will DEFINITELY be making them again. Thanks
I made this again using coffee in place of the stout and this is now my go to chocolate cupcake recipe! It’s so rich and flavorful! (I prefer the stout/original recipe, but I know not everyone would be ok with alcohol) I can’t wait to try it as a cake!
Can you freeze these cupcakes?
Yes, you certainly can! While you can freeze the entire decorated cupcake, I’d freeze the cupcakes and frosting separately, and frost them once they are thawed and ready to serve. Less risk of damaging the final pretty decorations!
How long do you bake these for mini cupcakes?
Hi, Tarah! Great question – I would start checking them at the 12-minute mark. If they still need more time, continue baking in 2-minute increments.