Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes

OMG these cupcakes are fantastic.

I'm really not a fan of beer let alone Guinness, but I had to try this recipe. And I'm so glad I did! I made them for James and his friends the Wednesday or maybe the second Wednesday after St. Patrick's day and I'm pretty sure they loved them. Beer and cupcakes... what's not to love?

Ingredients:

• 1 (12-ounce) bottle Guinness Stout
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the Guinness, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the sour cream.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, flour, and baking soda. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet Guinness mixture.
• Butter 24 muffin tins and divide the batter among the muffin tins.
• Bake 25 minutes, until risen and set in the middle but still soft and tender. Cool before turning out of the tins.

Got the cupcake recipe from My Baking Addiction. They have a recipe for the vanilla frosting but I like this vanilla buttercream frosting by Glorious Treats better!


Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter (salted, or unsalted)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (best quality available)
• 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream, half and half or milk.

Directions:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, beat butter (on medium speed) until completely smooth (30 seconds to a minute).
• Add salt (if needed).
• One cup at time, add 2 cups of powdered sugar, beating after each addition.
• Add vanilla, and beat to combine. 
• Add about 1 tablespoon of cream, and continue beating.
• Add the remaining 2 cups powdered sugar, one at a time.
• Add an additional 1-2 tablespoons cream until desired consistency is reached. If you want to pipe the frosting on cupcakes, the frosting should be nice and thick. Continue to beat another minute or so. The frosting should now be smooth and fluffy.

*Don't put this frosting in the fridge (unless it's very warm or has too much liquid and only do for about 10 minutes)! It gets too hard and you can't pipe it onto the cupcakes!