Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone!

Yesterday, after I had begun to settle in at work, a tweet came through the Twitter lines from KegWorks itself; "Can anyone think of a more appropriate way to celebrate St. Patty’s at work than with Guinness cupcakes? (hint hint…you know who you are)"

Indeed, I do know who that was directed at, and it was a hint I couldn’t help but take. And so, I whipped up a batch last night and upon entering work this morning, Tom (and I have a sneaking suspicion he might have had something to do with the hint) says to me, "Nearly half of the company called in today, and all I could think was, ‘More cupcakes for me!’"

That made my day :)

Adding Guinness to the cupcakes does not make them bitter. Instead, I find these cupcakes to be ultra-moist and balanced – not too sweet. Without further adieu, I bring you my homemade Guinness Cupcakes recipe:

Guinness Cupcakes
1 cup Guinness Draught or Guinness Extra Stout
1 stick, plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter
¾ unsweetened cocoa
2 cups brown sugar
¾ cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2½ tsp baking soda

Glaze Frosting
8 z cream cheese
1¼ cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a muffin tin or line with muffin paper.

Combine Guinness (I prefer the Extra Stout for more Guinness love in every bite) and butter, chopped into chunks, in a large saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until butter is melted. Remove from heat. Whisk in cocoa and brown sugar.

In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Add this to the beer mixture and mix well.

In another dry bowl, sift together flour and baking soda. Fold the flour mixture into the batter.

Pour into muffin molds and bake 20-25 minutes (until an inserted toothpick comes out clean). Let stand 10 minutes and then remove cupcakes from tin and cool on a rack.

Once you’re ready to frost these mini Guinness creations, whip the cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat. Add milk and beat until smooth. Spread over cooled cupcakes.

If you’re looking for more Guinness in each bite, substitute Guinness for milk in the glaze frosting. Delicious!

TAGS [ GUINNESS | GUINNESS CUPCAKES | ST. PATRICK'S DAY | GUINNESS RECIPES | GUINNESS CUPCAKE RECIPE ]