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These chocolate Guinness cupcakes are chocolaty and delicious, with dark and tasty Guinness in both the cupcake and the buttercream frosting!
Looking for an elevated chocolate cupcake?
These chocolate Guinness cupcakes have a rich chocolatey flavor, and a subtle hint of the famous Irish stout topped with a creamy and fluffy chocolate Guinness frosting.
If you’re not a fan of drinking Guinness, don’t worry!
The reason Guinness works so well in these Guinness chocolate cupcakes is that it has deep, rich, roasted coffee and caramel flavors, which pair beautifully with dark chocolate.
Whether you’re a Guinness lover or a chocolate lover, these cupcakes are sure to impress and become a new favorite in your recipe collection.
Ingredients for chocolate Guinness cupcakes
For cupcakes:
- Guinness stout – This stout is going to intensify the chocolaty flavors of our cupcakes.
- Vegetable oil – This vegetable oil will help keep the cupcakes moist.
- Whole milk – Whole milk will add fat and moisture to the cupcakes.
- Eggs – Eggs will emulsify all of the ingredients together.
- Vanilla extract – Vanilla extract will give a sweet vanilla flavor to the cupcakes.
- Granulated sugar – Granulated sugar will add sweetness.
- All purpose flour – All purpose flour is a common baking ingredient that will become the structure of the batter.
- Unsweetened baking cocoa – This will add chocolaty flavor to our cupcakes.
- Baking powder – Baking powder will keep our cupcakes light and fluffy.
For Guinness syrup:
- Reduced Guinness – This reduced Guinness will add a strong Guinness flavor to the syrup.
- Granulated sugar – This will add sweetness and thickness to the syrup.
For the chocolate buttercream:
- Butter – A classic fat of choice for traditional buttercream.
- Semisweet chocolate – A not-too-sweet chocolate for the frosting.
- Powdered sugar – Powdered sugar will dissolve instantly for the frosting and add sweetness.
- Reduced Guinness – This will add tons of Guinness flavor to the frosting.
- Vanilla extract – Vanilla extract will give a sweet vanilla flavor
How do you reduce Guinness?
Reducing the Guinness helps intensify and concentrate the flavor, and also gets rid of any extra water that might change the consistency of what we’re adding it to.
To reduce Guinness, simply pour the bottle into a small saucepan set over medium-low heat.
Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced to about ½ cup (it takes about 15-20 minutes).
Stir so it doesn’t bubble over or stick.
Let cool completely before use.
Toppings
Here are some fun ideas for toppings to add on top of the buttercream:
- Caramel drizzle
- Chocolate shavings
- Chocolate sprinkles
Storage and leftovers
Any leftover chocolate Guinness cupcakes can be stored at room temperature on the counter, covered, for up to 3 days.
If it’s humid and warm where you live, you can also cover them and pop them in the fridge for 3 days as well.
More cake recipes
- Love eating the rainbow? Try my Funfetti Cake
- Want a fun dessert to bring to parties? Try my Cherry Cheesecake Dip
- Looking for something special? Try my Strawberry Coconut Layer Cake
- Craving a classic? Try my Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake
Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
For chocolate cupcakes:
- 1 bottle, 12 ounces Guinness Stout
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1-¼ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened baking cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
For Guinness syrup:
- 3 tablespoons reduced guinness, see instructions
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
For chocolate buttercream:
- 1 stick, ½ cup butter, softened
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
- 2-½ cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons reduced guinness, see instructions
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Chocolate Cupcakes
- Place the Guinness in a small saucepan set over medium-low heat.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook it until it has reduced to about ½ cup. This should take 15-20 minutes. Make sure to stir occasionally so it doesn't bubble over. Once the Guinness has reduced, set it aside to cool completely before continuing.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla.
- Then, whisk in ¼ cup of the cooled reduced Guinness.
- Next, add the sugar and whisk to combine.
- Add the flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Whisk just until no large lumps remain. You don’t want to overmix!
- Divide the batter between the cupcake tins, filling each one ¾ of the way full.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cupcakes to a wire rack and cool completely before icing.
For the Guinness Syrup
- Place the reduced Guinness and granulated sugar in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Cook until the sugar has dissolved (about 5 minutes) and then set the syrup aside to cool.
For the Chocolate Buttercream
- Add the softened butter and melted chocolate to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until well combined– about 1 minute.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar has been incorporated, add the reduced Guinness and vanilla extract.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat until the buttercream becomes light and fluffy– about 1 minute.
- Transfer to a piping bag fitted with your choice of tip.
- To assemble, poke the top of each cupcake 5 times with a fork and pour over 1 teaspoon of the Guinness syrup.
- Pipe the frosting on top of each cupcake and garnish with chocolate shavings or sprinkles.
- Enjoy immediately and store any leftover cupcakes in the fridge for up to three days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
