Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Bailey’s Cream Cheese Frosting

The ingredients that make up these cupcakes do an amazing job at grabbing everyone’s attention…even better, they completely live up in taste to their name and after you try them you will not be forgetting about them anytime soon!  The Guinness is great for pairing with chocolate because of it’s inherent chocolate and coffee undertones.  While it gets mostly baked out of the cake, it leaves it with a pretty light texture but one that still packs a good chocolate punch.  I wanted to follow the rest of smitten kitchen’s recipe for the chocolate whiskey and beer cupcakes, but I ended up being too lazy/busy to make the whiskey ganache filling.  I also decided I loved her Bailey’s buttercream frosting idea, but since I’m a firm believer that there are very few things that bring as much satisfaction in life as cream cheese frosting, I decided to make it this way, adding in Bailey’s at the end.  The end result was pure perfection.  The cake was chocolaty but not too sweet and went great with the rich creamy frosting.  They’re also the manliest cupcakes I can think of…the birthday boy that I made these for was one happy camper and more than happy to enjoy his Guinness and Bailey’s in cupcake form!

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

Recipe from smitten kitchen

• 1 cup Guinness
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups all purpose flower
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream

1) Preheat oven to 350F. Line 24 cupcake cups w liners.  

2) Bring 1 cup Guinness & 1 cup butter to simmer over medium heat.  Add cocoa powder & whisk till smooth. Cool slightly. 

3) Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, & 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl.  

4) Beat eggs & sour cream in another large bowl with an electric mixer. 

5) Add Guinness mixture to egg mixture & beat just to combine. 

6) Add flour mixture & beat briefly on slow speed. Use spatula to fold everything in.

7) Fill cupcake liners 2/3 to 3/4 of the way.  (Will end up with 20-24 cupcakes). 

8 ) Bake about 17 minutes (test with toothpick to make sure they are done)

9) Cool completely before frosting. 

Bailey’s Cream Cheese Frosting

adapted from smitten kitchen

• 1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 1pound box confectioners sugar
• 3 Tb Bailey’s

1) With a mixer beat cream cheese on medium speed until light & fluffy. Gradually beat in heavy cream (can use a bit less than the 3/4 cup if you want the frosting to come out thicker). 

2) On low speed mix in confectioners sugar till smooth.  Add in Bailey’s. 

3) Refrigerate till it thickens up for prettiest frosting results.  Otherwise it might be a bit soft & runny, but still delicious.