These delicious Guinness cupcakes are moist, chocolatey, and boozy. They are topped with a maple cinnamon cream cheese frosting and salty crunchy pretzels.
I’m going to start off by saying that what I love about this recipe is that you can really taste the beer in these cupcakes. I mean, that’s the whole point of adding booze to a dessert, right? And this is coming from a person who doesn’t even like beer, but the stout adds a interesting depth of flavor to this dessert. There is a soft subtle bitterness from the hops, a natural sweetness from the malt, and a smooth bite from the alcohol. Also, the dark roasted coffee notes from the draught beer complement the rich chocolate flavor oh so nicely.
The cupcake is soft and tender in texture, bold and chocolatey in taste. The frosting on top is sweet and tangy with a smokey maple flavor and hint of spice. The mini pretzel on top is not only for decoration, but the salty crunchiness along with the sweet creamy frosting is amazing on your taste buds.
Whether you are a beer fan or not, you are going to love these Guinness cupcakes because of all their unique bold flavors. You’ve got the sweet and salty, chocolate and full-bodied dark beer, maple and spice, and everything nice.
This dessert is perfect for any St. Patrick’s Day celebration, backyard barbecue or social gathering because nothing says party like beer and cupcakes!
PrintChocolate Guinness Cupcakes with Maple Cinnamon Frosting
These delicious Guinness cupcakes are moist, chocolatey, and boozy. They are topped with a maple cinnamon cream cheese frosting and salty crunchy pretzels.
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 1 & 1/2 dozen
- Category: dessert
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (50g) cocoa powder (I used dutch-processed)
- 3/4 cup (188ml) Guinness draft beer, poured and settled before you measure
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (125g) sour cream
- 1 1/4 cups (155g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups (250g) sugar
- 1 tsp (5g) baking soda
- 1/4 tsp (1g) salt
Frosting
- 1/2 cup (114g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1–250g pkg cream cheese, softened
- 2 tbsp (30ml) maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 cups (390g) powdered sugar
- 18 mini pretzels
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2 muffin pans with 18 paper liners.
- In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Remove from the heat, stir in the cocoa powder until smooth, then stir in the stout. Let cool for 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and the sour cream. Add the cooled chocolate mixture, mixing well. Add the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt, and whisk until smooth.
- Divide the batter amongst the prepared muffin cups, filling about 2/3 full.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.
- Using an electric or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese together. Add the maple syrup and cinnamon, mix again. Then add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing well in between until smooth and creamy. Frost as desired and top each cupcake with a mini pretzel.
Notes
Top the cupcakes with the mini pretzels the day you plan to serve. Otherwise the moisture from the frosting will make the pretzels soft.
Keywords: Guinness chocolate cupcake recipe, chocolate stout cake, maple cream cheese frosting
Cupcake recipe adapted from Serious Eats.
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I made thses for an event this weekend and the first batch did not rise. I thought I did something wrong. So I made a whole new batch and they did the same thing.
★★★
Hi Denise,
I’m so sorry to hear that this recipe did not work out for you. It’s very concerning to me that the cupcakes didn’t rise, though I can’t think of why it didn’t work. There is enough baking soda and beer in the batter to give it a good rise. I will try to make it again in a few days to see if I can better figure what went wrong.
The frosting tastes absolutely amazing! I am obsessed!
★★★★★
Can anyone tell me if it’s safe to leave the icing overnight and not serve until the afternoon the next day (no refrigeration at all)??
Hi Sydney,
It is recommended that you refrigerate cream cheese frostings. However, I have left cakes and cupcakes made with cream cheese frosting out overnight and never had any issues. Just make sure its stored in a cool place.
Does the Guinness add any bitter taste at all? They look and sound wonderful!
yes, there is a slight bitterness from the beer. It adds a lovely depth of flavor and pairs really well with the chocolate.
These cupcakes sure bring together many interesting flavors and textures. would have loved to taste it. Happy FF!
I love the addition of the maple cinnamon frosting and the pretzels. These look so good! Thanks for hosting FF this week as well.
I already love chocolate guinness cake – but I’m falling in love all over again with the addition of that Maple Cinnamon Frosting – amazing!
I made a version of these yummy cupcakes last year so I know they are good. Thanks for co-hosting this week 🙂
These ar sinful Lily!! So so good. I am doing things with beer now .. Wish I had seen this earlier though!
You are an amazing baker, Lily! These look completely to die for! I wish I had your baking prowess! 😀
★★★★★
Yum–a great combination of sweet and salty with the pretzel on top! 🙂
Wow, loving these chocolate guinness cupcakes. It looks rich, moist and flavorful, and just in time for St. Patrick’s Day :). Thanks so much for co-hosting this week’s Fiesta. 🙂
These moist and gorgeous cupcakes scream “Party”!! 🙂 Happy Fiesta Friday, co-host!
This is my idea of a perfect cupcake! Chocolate AND beer 😀 It looks absolutely delicious and that frosting looks so creamy too! Love the flavors in it 🙂
Thanks Dini, it’s awesome! Have a great weekend:)
Beer and chocolate? What more does one need? These cupcakes look moist and delicious! Thank you for co-hosting FF this week too. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
These cupcakes look very fun and delicious! I have heard that the combination of chocolate and Guiness is really good–I have not tried it yet, but I really want to! With St. Patrick’s Day coming up, I have a good reason to try to make these! Your photos are beautiful too.