I love cooking with beer, and that’s no exception when it comes to desserts. Of all beers, Guinness is the perfect one for desserts because of its distinct chocolate and coffee notes. Pairing it with actual chocolate is the obvious choice. These cupcakes are light in texture but heavy in the chocolate department. The white cream cheese icing reminds me of the creamy white head that Guinness is famous for. Try it with our easy Irish Coffee recipe.

This dish was featured as part of our St. Patrick’s Day Recipes.

  • Yields: 24 cupcakes
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total: 50 mins
  • Active: 25 mins

Ingredients (18)

For the cupcakes:

  • Unsalted butter, melted, for coating the muffin pans (optional)
  • 1 (11.2-ounce) bottle Guinness stout
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

For the frosting:

  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
  • Pinch fine salt
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 pound powdered sugar
  • Natural unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

Instructions

For the cupcakes:

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Place cupcake liners in two (12-well) muffin pans; alternatively, coat the wells with melted butter. Set the pans aside.
  2. Whisk together the Guinness, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla in a large bowl until combined. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until completely incorporated. Whisk in the sour cream.
  3. Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a second large bowl to aerate and combine. Gradually fold this mixture into the wet Guinness mixture. Divide the batter among the muffin wells.
  4. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Set the pans on a wire rack and let the cupcakes cool completely before removing from the pans.

For the frosting:

  1. Place the cream cheese and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, gradually beat in the heavy cream until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. With the mixer on medium speed, gradually mix in the powdered sugar until completely incorporated and smooth, about 3 minutes.
  2. Top each cupcake with a heap of frosting and dust with cocoa powder.