Chocolate stout cupcakes

My friend Angie was kind enough to bring over a bunch of clams and halibut -- dug and caught, respectively, in Homer and we had some people over to my place for a great big clambake, complete with mimosas and baked corn and asparagus and white wine and strong coffee served in fancy cups and saucers.

The clams simmered in a big pot of white wine with butter, shallots, and garlic. The halibut was coated with blackening spices and then roasted in the oven.

I should have taken photos but you know how it is at feasts like this. Time flies and the mimosa (er, mimosas in my case) goes straight to your head and the food has a way of disappearing just like that.

I contributed some sloppy gloppy chocolate stout cakes made with Guinness:

The cake part is rich and chocolate-y and begins with a bottle of Guinness and some butter simmering in a copper pot on the stovetop. As you stir, the Guinness fizzes and puts off the loveliest yeasty bread smell. The glaze is drizzled on top of the warm cupcakes.

These are so sloppy that everyone ate them with forks.

Oh so good. I had every intention of making these a few days ago for entering in this month's Cupcake Hero mingle calling for cupcakes made with liquor. My mocha cupcakes with walnuts were crowned the queen last month, thank you very much, but I just didn't make the deadline this time around.

The original cake recipe is here, concocted by the Barrington Brewery in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Rather than a layer cake (three layers!) I really liked the idea of chocolate-drizzled cupcakes. I cut the recipe in half and it yielded 16 cupcakes. Perfect for a crowd and, lucky me, I still have five bottles of Guinness gracing my refrigerator door.

Here's my version:

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

Yields 16 cupcakes

1 cup stout (such as Guinness)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup sour cream

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with paper cups.

Bring stout and butter to simmer in saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a 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 equally among cupcakes cups. Bake until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer cakes to rack; cool 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make icing. Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Refrigerate until icing is spreadable, stirring frequently, about 2 hours. Drizzle over cupcakes and enjoy.

Comments

[Gretchen Noelle]

These look fabulous - worth a bookmark! And in case you hadn't heard, the deadline was extended until Monday!

[Monika K]

Wow, I'm speechless...these look outstanding! I made your ginger cookies this weekend and gave you props on my blog, just FYI. Happy Sunday!

[Gigi]

Maybe late for Cupcake Hero, but early for St. Patrick's Day! Lovely recipe. :)

[Nina]

I am most definitely trying these today still - I think my family will be amazed. Will keep you posted on the results.

[laurie]

Your actually not late, I extended the deadline until today bc I was away for the weekend. They sound awesome. Beer and cupcakes, brilliant!

[Tempered Woman]

Yeah! I'm glad you made the deadline after all~ these look quite good. But to be honest I'm stuck obsessing over the "clams simmered in a big pot of white wine with butter, shallots, and garlic." Damn am I hungry right now!

[steph]

I was just going to write to tell you the deadline was extended but it seems MANY others beat me to it! These sound AMAZING! I'll have to try them :)

[Nina]

I tried your cupcakes and they were fantastic.

Ps I send you an award - hope you're pleased.

[molly]

Nina, glad you found the cupcakes, liked them, and them found them again! Thanks for the mention in your post.

[Amy @ Memoirs of a Mommy]

My husband doesn't have a big sweet tooth, but he does love Guinness, so maybe this will turn him to the dark side. ;)

Thanks for the great recipe.

[kelly]

Awwwww, clam bake? Now I really miss home. And those look DELISH! I'd like to see more on the Joy of Cooking With Guiness.

[Sheryl]

Thank you so much! These are probably the best cupcakes I have ever made. A few changes: I added one tablespoon of Bailey's to the frosting (WOW!) and second, my frosting came out spreadable, not drizzled... keeping it in the fridge the full two hours made it the consistency of regular cake frosting (your pics look much more goopy, but still delicious of course). :)

Thanks again!

[suzi]

I made these today for St. Patrick's Day - amazing! They have a lovely chocolatey flavor, and a delicious lightness of texture without being too light (like a box mix would be). My icing was spreadable, not drizzle-able, too. I halved the recipe and made six extra-large cupcakes. Delightful. They're officially a favorite cupcake recipe for me - and I won't be able to wait til next St. Patrick's Day to have them again!!

[molly]

Yes -- if you're the patient sort who can sit and wait for your runny frosting to cool off and thicken up -- my hat is off to you. I'm more of a scarfer, willing to devour my dessert before it's perfectly perfect. The Bailey's sounds like a great addition!