Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Irish Cream Frosting

 Happy St. Patrick's Day

I wanted to make something festive for St. Patrick's day and so I made these cupcakes. The cupcakes were good but the real winner here is the frosting. This is probably the best frosting I have ever had. I was originally going to use Bailey's but the liquor store does not close at 8pm on weeknights, as I had previously thought. It actually closes at 7pm, 30 minutes before I got there. So instead I used the syrup for flavoring coffee. It seemed to work wonderfully though. I don't like my frosting to be super sweet so I tend to use less powdered sugar.

I did not use Guinness; I used Young's Double Chocolate Stout, which is my favorite stout.  I know it isn't Irish, but it tastes delicious so you'll have to forgive me. 



May your glass be ever full.  May you always have a strong roof over your head.  And may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead.

Chocolate Stout Cake Recipe

1 cup stout or dark beer, such as Guinness
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1. Place the stout and butter in a large, heavy saucepan, and heat until the butter melts. Remove the pan from the heat, and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs and sour cream.
3. Add the stout-cocoa mixture, mixing to combine.
4. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and mix together at slow speed.
5. Line the cupcake tin with paper cupcake liners and scoop in one heaping tablespoon of batter for each cupcake.
6. Bake for 11-13 minutes in a 350°F oven.
Cake recipe from the King Arthur Flour website

Irish Cream Frosting Recipe

1 8-oz package cream cheese
½ cup butter
2 - 3 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp Irish Cream flavored syrup

1. Place room temperature cream cheese and butter in mixing bowl and beat until smooth.
2. Add powdered sugar and syrup slowly, mixing as you go, until the frosting has desired sweetness and consistency.
3. Using a piping bag, pipe a swirl of frosting onto each cupcake and sprinkle with green sprinkles.

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