Mini Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

I made these for a Super Bowl party, but why not make them for your man for Valentines Day? Just tell him it's a "manly cupcake." I'm sure it will go over well and no matter what they are DE-licious, such a fun concept and a great excuse to pair beer with dessert.

I originally saw this on a wonderful blog, Dying for Chocolate and kept the recipe the same except for substituted vanilla paste (which is like a thick vanilla extract but with incredible flavor and beautiful specks from the ground vanilla beans. It can be substituted for vanilla extract or vanilla bean in equal amounts.)

Guinness Cupcakes

Amy Berman, Chef, Co-Owner, Vanilla Bake Shop

Ingredients

• 1 cup Guinness
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened chocolate (4 1/2 Baker's squares)
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp baking soda
• 3/4 Tsp Salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sour cream (I used reduced fat)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cupcake papers in pan and set aside.

Bring stout and butter to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat. Do not boil. Add unsweetened chocolate chunks to hot stout/butter mixture. Whisk until chocolate melts. Turn heat off and let cool. Add sugar to chocolate mixture and whisk to combine.

Sift flour, baking soda and salt.

In a mixer with a whisk attachment, combine the eggs and sour cream on medium speed.

Add stout-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and combine on medium-low speed until incorporated.

Slowly add flour mixture in thirds to chocolate mixture with whisk attachment until just combined.

Fill cupcake pan about 2/3 of the cup full.

Bake for 18-24 minutes or until the tops are firm to the touch, and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the cupcake.

Let cool on wire rack before frosting.

Guinness Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 2 1/2 cups sifted powder sugar
• 1/4 cup milk (I used skim)
• 1/2 whole scraped vanilla bean & 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract (I substituted 1 tbsp vanilla paste, or do 1 tbsp vanilla extract, or 1 whole scraped vanilla bean)
• 1 Cup Guinness

Directions
In a sauce pan, simmer Guinness on low heat for 10-15 min, until stout becomes reduced and thicker in consistency. Similar to a syrup ( Mine boiled down to about 1/4 cup but was not syrup-consistency, it was still very thin.)

In a mixer, cream the butter for 1 minute. Slowly add the powder sugar in thirds, alternating with a little milk each time till mixture is creamy.

Add vanilla. Slowly add reduced Guinness a little at a time. Taste test to desired flavor. You may not use all the Guinness reduction. (I used ALL the Guinness!)

Frost the cupcakes and enjoy them with a cool (but not cold) Guinness!