Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey's Irish Cream Frosting

It's almost St. Patrick's Day and nothing says St. Patrick's Day to me like Guinness! I visited a friend in Dublin in college and a required part of that trip was a visit to the Guinness Factory.   When I found a recipe for Guinness Cupcakes a few years ago, I knew I had to make them. Now they are a St. Patrick's Day tradition in the Pink Apron House.  I think Mr. Apron starts asking me about them just after New Years.  He even requests other chocolate cakes to be made with Guinness he likes it so much. 


The Guinness add a nice tang to these chocolaty cupcakes and they are topped off with Bailey's Irish Cream Frosting.  The combination of the Guinness and Bailey's make these cupcakes the perfect St. Patrick's day treat!  And if you like the shamrock cookies in the photo, stay tuned, I'll be posting about those soon! 

Guinness Cupcakes

1 cup of Guinness Stout

1 cup 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


2/3 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly. 

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.


Bailey's Irish Cream Frosting
3 to 4 cups confections sugar


1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys

Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, for several minutes, until light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.  Add in Bailey’s to desired thickness. 

Adapted from  Smells Like Home