Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are a delicious dessert that’s perfect for St. Patrick’s or any occasion, really. These fluffy, moist cupcakes have a deep, chocolate flavor enhanced by the Guinness stout and are topped with a smooth, delicious cream cheese frosting.
Saint Patrick’s Day is quickly approaching and these cupcakes will definitely be making an appearance. I have been making these cupcakes for over a decade now for St. Patty’s day as well as other occasions including Father’s Day. These Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting have always been a hit with everyone I have shared them with, whether they were fans of Guinness beer or not.
Don’t worry if you are not a fan of Guinness because, although it does contribute to the tastiness of baked goods, the end result does not taste just like the stout. Instead, Guinness stout, serves to enhance the flavors of the other ingredients while adding a touch of malty flavor. The chocolate and coffee notes in Guinness beer serves to intensify the natural chocolate flavor, making it deep and rich.
The other great thing about adding Guinness beer to your cupcakes? It makes them wonderfully fluffy and moist!
I love topping these delicious chocolate Guinness cupcakes with a smooth and creamy cream cheese frosting. I will use pretty much any opportunity to top cakes with cream cheese frosting including my Pumpkin Cupcakes, Carrot Cake Cupcakes, Triple Berry Cake, and Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes.
You really can’t go wrong with pairing these deep, chocolatey cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting. If you aren’t a cream cheese fan, however, this Whipped Chocolate Ganache Frosting is another winner!
Why we love Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes
- Chocolate Guinness cupcakes make a great dessert for St. Patrick’s Day and Father’s Day, among many other occasions.
- They have a deep and delicious chocolate flavor with hints of the stout’s flavor coming through (but not overpowering the dessert).
- Guinness beer gives the cupcakes an extra lift, making them fluffy.
- They are incredibly moist.
- The cupcakes aren’t overly sweet.
- You only need one bowl to make them, so clean up is a bit easier.
- These cupcakes are always a hit at parties!
- They are downright delicious.
Ingredients in Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Butter: softened unsalted butter is used in the cupcakes as well as the frosting.
- Sugar: regular granulated sugar, brown sugar, and confectioner’s sugar (aka icing sugar) are used.
- Egg, vanilla extract, baking soda.
- Greek yogurt: helps contribute to the moisture in these cupcakes.
- Guinness beer: You wouldn’t have Guinness cupcakes without it, of course! The stout makes these chocolate cupcakes flavorful, fluffy and moist.
- Cocoa powder: unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Flour: all purpose flour.
- Cream cheese: Softened cream cheese is used to make the frosting.
- Milk: for the frosting.
**Note: Ingredient quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.**
How to make Chocolate Guinness Cupcake
For the cupcakes:
- Prep your cupcake tin. Preheat oven to 350F and line a 12 cup cupcake tin with cupcake liners.
- Cream the butter and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the wet ingredients. Add the egg and vanilla extract, and Greek yogurt and beat to combine. With the mixer running on low, add the Guinness slowly.
- Add the dry ingredients. Once it is incorporated, add the baking soda and cocoa powder and incorporate well. Finally, add the flour and mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is mixed well.
- Bake. Spoon batter into the muffin liners, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for approximately 20-22 minutes or until the toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
- Frost: In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, cream cheese, and confectioner’s sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly add as much milk as needed to give it a nice consistency. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe onto cupcakes.
Tips for making the perfect Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes
- Make sure your butter and cream cheese are completely softened.
Softened butter is essential to ensuring you can perfectly cream it with the sugars for the cupcake batter! If it is still a bit too hard, it won’t break down and become smooth! Also, softened butter and cream cheese are a MUST for making a smooth frosting! The last thing you want is lumps in your frosting and that’s exactly what you will get if your ingredients are cold (or even slightly cold).
- Don’t over mix your batter.
As with all baked goods, over-mixing your batter will create a denser final product. In order to keep these cupcakes light and airy, once the flour is added to the batter, mix only until it is incorporated and then stop.
- Use the toothpick test.
To ensure the cupcakes are baked all the way through, use the toothpick test. Insert a toothpick or a thin wooden skewer into the center of a cupcake and pull it back out. If the toothpick comes out clean and free of batter, you know the cupcakes have been baked all the way through.
- Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting.
If warmed, the cream cheese and butter in the frosting will begin to melt and lose its structure. Therefore, its important to allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting them. If your kitchen is warm, you may want to store the frosted cupcakes in the fridge to prevent the frosting from going flat or drooping off the sides.
Storing the cupcakes
These cupcakes should be covered (with a cupcake carrier works well or a different airtight container) and stored in the refrigerator. They will keep for a few days stored this way.
Can you freeze these cupcakes?
Leftover cupcakes can be frozen for storage. Unfrosted cupcakes can be cooled completely and then stored in a freezer bag in the freezer. You can freeze frosted cupcakes, however, you run the risk of smushing the frosting when storing them in the freezer. You may wish to use a freezer safe container that is tall enough for the frosted cupcakes to help preserve their look.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! If you love Guinness, I highly recommend making a meal of Irish Beef Stew with Guinness to enjoy and follow it up with these tasty cupcakes! It also makes a great meal for St. Patrick’s Day.
Happy baking!
-Cathy
Are you a fan of chocolate desserts? You may also like:
Chocolate Greek Yogurt Cupcakes
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Souffle
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Oreo Truffles
Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup Guinness beer
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup flour
For the frosting:
- 250 g cream cheese (1 brick or 8oz)
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 2 cups confectioner's sugar
- milk
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a 12 cup cupcake tin with cupcake liners.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract, and Greek yogurt and beat to combine.
- With the mixer running on low, add the Guinness slowly. Once it is incorporated, add the baking soda and cocoa powder and incorporate well. Finally, add the flour and mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is mixed well.
- Spoon batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for approximately 20-22 minutes or until the toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
For the frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, cream cheese, and confectioner’s sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly add as much milk as needed to give it a nice consistency. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe onto cupcakes.
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
