Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey’s Cream Frosting

When my husband was 23 he announced to his parents that he was moving to Ireland for an internship with the government.  They tried everything possible to talk him out of it, but he was stubborn enough to resist and moved anyway.  Since then he has had an affinity for all things Irish.  One year I took him on a trip to Dublin to celebrate his birthday.  Since flying to Dublin for a weekend isn’t as easy as it once was, this year for his birthday I made these cupcakes.  It was a pretty fair trade.

These are probably not the most family-friendly recipe, but without a doubt they would be the hit of any grown-up party.  The combination sounds a little like a gimmick at first, but the result is a really, really delicious cupcake.  (If you’ve ever had an Irish car bomb – Guinness beer with a shot of Bailey’s in it – then you already know it’s a good combination.)  While you can definitely taste the beer flavor in the cupcake itself, it’s not overwhelming at all.  The frosting is the star of this show though – creamy and sweet like frosting should be, with most of its flavor coming from the Bailey’s.  You can go heavy or light handed when adding the liquor though, so it’s easy to control how strong you want that flavor to be.  These were devoured by everyone in seconds, followed by lots of wows and requests for more.  I’m pretty sure these Guinness cupcakes are now a birthday tradition in our house.

Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey’s Frosting

makes 24 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness beer
2 sticks unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
For the Frosting:
1 stick unsalted butter
4 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted (to remove lumps)
5 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream (or to your taste)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line two cupcake pans with 24 cupcake liners.

Combine the butter and Guinness in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts.  Add cocoa powder and whisk until smooth.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Mix together with a whisk.  In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs and sour cream.  Beat just until combined.  Add the beer mixture to the eggs and beat again, just until combined.  Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until combined.

Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full with batter.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean – about 20 minutes for my oven.  Let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting:  Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Slowly add the confectioner’s sugar to the bowl and continue beating until completely incorporated.  Add the Bailey’s and mix until smooth, adding more if necessary to get the desired consistency for frosting.  Frost the cupcakes as desired.

Recipe slightly adapted from Annie’s Eats

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