GET READY. This dessert is good. Chocolate, ganache, cream cheese frosting, and Guinness stout. Decadent, yes. But, perfect for after a half-marathon. Or a full day of St. Patty-ing it up. Also great after a weekday run club (shout out to Marathon Sports Run Club in Boston. I’ll be bringing these (if they last) to this week’s post-run club party!).
So, these cupcakes have made the round on food blogs, but these are a tad different since I used Nigella Lawson’s stout cake recipe as the basis, and turned that into cupcakes. They turned out great, but to me, cupcakes are a lot of work compared to a straight-up cake. Portioning out all those individual cupcake liners and filling them one at a time…anyone has a good tip on how to fill them faster?
Enjoy these cupcakes (or cake) as you sip your Guinness on Tuesday. I already enjoyed mine after my half marathon (first one in over a year! Check our Instagram @firsttimefoods for photo evidence), so now I’m set for a month in terms of chocolate dessert. They are so decadent, so enjoy them in moderation. But do enjoy! Sláinte!
Guinness Ganache Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
A Guinness ganache cupcake decadent enough to enjoy after a great accomplishment.
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 18-20 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Yield: 24 regular-sized cupcakes or 12 jumbo-sized or 1 9-inch single-layer cake
Ingredients
Batter:
- 1 cup Guinness stout
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 3/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups sugar
- 3/8 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
Chocolate Ganache:
- 2 1/2 ounces bittersweet (or semisweet) chocolate
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons Irish Whiskey
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 1/4 cups powdered/confectioners’ sugar
- 8 ounces of cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2-3 tablespoons milk (your choice of dairy or almond or coconut)
Instructions
For the batter:
- Preheat oven to 350* F.
- In a large saucepan, combine butter and Guinness. Heat over medium-low heat until butter melts, then remove from heat.
- Add cocoa and sugar, and whisk well to blend.
- In a bowl, combine sour cream, eggs, and vanilla and mix well to combine. Add to Guinness mixture.
- Add flour and baking soda to the Guinness mixture, and whisk again until smooth.
- Pour into cupcake liners, and leave ~1″ of room from the top.
- Cook for 18-20 minutes, or until a knife pushed into such a cupcake comes out dry.
- Cool the cupcakes thoroughly on a cookie sheet.
Cook the ganache:
- Transfer the chocolate to a heatproof bowl and finely chop it.
- Heat the heavy cream in the microwave or on the stovetop until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute.
- Using a rubber spatula, stir until smooth.
- Stir in the butter and whiskey until well mixed.
- Let the ganache cool until thick, about the consistency of chocolate pudding.
- Cut out the centers of the cupcakes (save the crumbles for cake pops!) and fill them with ganache. Fill with a piping bag or a spoon.
For the cream cheese frosting:
- Using a stand mixer, whisk cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and blend until smooth. Add milk, and mix until smooth.
- Frost the tops of the cupcakes. Garnish with cocoa powder – use a mesh strainer to sift the cocoa gently over the tops of the cupcakes.
- Enjoy!