Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

These moist Guinness chocolate cupcakes are full of a deep chocolate flavour with a hint of Guinness beer flavour. They are topped with a creamy chocolate Guinness buttercream. These are perfect for St. Patrick's Day!

         ½ cup cocoa powder          1 cup all purpose flour          ¾ tsp baking powder          ¼ tsp salt          ½ cup unsalted butter          1 cup granulated sugar          2 large eggs          ½ tsp vanilla extract          ½ cup Guinness beer          ¼ cup shortening          ¾ cup unsalted butter          8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate          3 tbsp cocoa powder          3 cups powdered sugar          pinch of salt          5-6 tablespoons Guinness beer 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir the melted butter and sugar together. Add the eggs, stirring after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and Guinness beer.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined.

Fill the cupcakes liners ¾ full with the batter. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in their muffin tin until cooled.

For the frosting, beat the shortening and butter together until light and fluffy.

Add the melted chocolate and mix until well combined, scraping down the sides of your bowl when needed.

Add in cocoa powder and mix until well combined.

Add in half of the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of Guinness beer and mix until well combined. Mix in remaining powdered sugar and salt. Add remaining Guinness beer until you get the right consistency of frosting.

Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. I used Wilton 1M tip. Store these at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days.