Chocolate Stout Mini Cupcakes

Have any of you ever had an Irish Car Bomb before? Admittedly, I am so terrible at taking bomb style shots. I’m awful at chugging, and frankly, I’m way too old to be pounding beers in under 10 seconds. This particular bomb shot needs to be taken at a speedy pace or else the stout and cream start curdling, and who wants that? GROSS! With that being said, I do truly appreciate the flavor profile the creator of the Irish Car Bomb was trying to accomplish, even if the name of the drink is offensive. Stout, cream, and some Irish whiskey is a winning combination, and that’s why I’ve created these Chocolate Stout Mini Cupcakes. No chugging required, I promise! Unless you want to. 🙂

The chocolate cupcakes are baked with a stout of your choice. I picked a coffee stout because those are my favorite, and I thought it would compliment the other flavors in this bite-sized treat. Feel free to get creative and pick a stout that’s going to bring some extra flavor to the cupcakes. Who knows, maybe there will be some stout left over to help you wash a few of these down later! The buttercream frosting is the cream and whiskey element and really ties everything together.

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes, makes 24 regular cupcakes or 48 mini cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

1 egg

1/3 cup canola oil

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups flour

2/3 cup white sugar

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 cup stout, slightly warm

Whiskey Buttercream:

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons Irish whiskey (I used Jameson)

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine together the flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, and baking soda.

Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the buttermilk mixture. Once everything is incorporated, gradually beat in the warm beer. Make sure to beat or whisk until all lumps are gone. The batter will be a little thin, but don’t fret! The finished product is light and airy.

Coat pans and cupcake liners with nonstick spray, then fill cupcake liners slightly over halfway full with batter. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on a cooling wrack.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make the buttercream. Beat the butter until creamy. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating on medium to high speed. Once it’s all incorporated, add in the vanilla and whiskey, and beat on high for an additional 3 minutes, until the frosting is light and fluffy.

When the cupcakes are done cooling, fill a pastry bag with the buttercream and pipe on top of each cupcake. I added some green sprinkles to be extra festive, but you can decorate them however you like.

These cupcakes are terrific! They are super fun to make and even better to enjoy. The cake is light and airy but rich from the chocolate and stout, and the buttercream is fluffy with the perfect hint of whiskey. I had so many I had to bring them to work and share them with everyone so I didn’t eat them all myself. Trust me—I totally could have! These are perfect for your next party and upcoming St. Patricks Day. I can’t think of anything better than a little booze in my sweets, and I’m excited to come up with more cocktail cupcakes. Cheers everyone and happy baking!