Guinness Stout Chocolate Cupcakes with Baileys Buttercream Frosting

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Beer? Yes. Cupcakes? Yes. Beer and cupcakes? YES!

Vertical image of cupcakes with chocolate/green sprinkle garnishes on a cookie sheet.

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.

Vertical top-down view of cupcakes with chocolate/green sprinkle garnishes on a cookie sheet.

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…

Vertical top-down image of cupcakes with buttercream frosting and chocolate/green sprinkle garnishes on a gray wooden surface with more garnishes.

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

Square image of chocolate cupcakes with chocolate/green sprinkle garnishes on a cookie sheet.
Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Baileys Buttercream Frosting
Votes: 10
Rating: 4
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Love beer? Love dessert? Our Guinness stout chocolate cupcakes with Baileys buttercream will satisfy your craving for both.
Servings Prep Time
24 cupcakes 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20-25 minutes 15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
24 cupcakes 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20-25 minutes 15 minutes
Square image of chocolate cupcakes with chocolate/green sprinkle garnishes on a cookie sheet.
Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Baileys Buttercream Frosting
Votes: 10
Rating: 4
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Love beer? Love dessert? Our Guinness stout chocolate cupcakes with Baileys buttercream will satisfy your craving for both.
Servings Prep Time
24 cupcakes 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20-25 minutes 15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
24 cupcakes 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20-25 minutes 15 minutes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
  • 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
For the Frosting:
  • 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
Servings: cupcakes
Units:
Instructions
For the Cupcakes:
  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease or line two 12-cup muffin trays.
  2. Place a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and melt completely, stirring occasionally.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the sour cream, beating until just combined.
  6. 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.
For the Frosting and Assembly:
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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!
Recipe Notes

Original recipe by Ashley Martell.

Nutritional Information*

Nutrition Facts
Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Baileys Buttercream Frosting
Amount Per Serving
Calories 391 Calories from Fat 153
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 17g 26%
Saturated Fat 11g 55%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1g
Monounsaturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 66mg 22%
Sodium 251mg 10%
Potassium 100mg 3%
Total Carbohydrates 57g 19%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Sugars 39g
Protein 4g 8%
Vitamin A 12%
Vitamin C 0.01%
Calcium 2%
Iron 9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

Cooking by the Numbers…

Step 1 – Prep and Gather Ingredients

Horizontal top-down image of a mixture of baking ingredients, some in bowls, on a gray wooden surface.

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

Horizontal image of a metal whisk dipped in a dark brown liquid mixture in a saucepan on a gray wooden surface.

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

Horizontal image of a stand mixer bowl filled with cake batter and a paddle attachment dipped into it on a gray wooden surface.

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

Horizontal top-down image of brown batter in muffin tins, with a scoop on a plate on a gray wooden surface.

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.

Horizontal top-down image of baked brown cupcakes in muffin trays on a gray wooden surface.

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

Horizontal image of a metal bowl with icing and a white paddle attachment on a gray surface.

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

Horizontal top-down view of decorated cupcakes with white buttercream on a cookie sheet on a gray wooden surface with a piping bag filled with buttercream on the side.

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.

Horizontal image of a brown cupcake topped with white buttercream and chocolate/green sprinkle garnishes on a white plate with more garnishes, and bottles in the background.

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:


Don’t forget to Pin It!

A collage of photos showing different views of cupcakes made with Guinness Stout and chocolate along with a creamy icing made with Bailey's liquor.

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.

7 thoughts on “Guinness Stout Chocolate Cupcakes with Baileys Buttercream Frosting”

  1. 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

    Reply
  2. 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!

    Reply
    • 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!

      Reply
    • 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.

      Reply

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