These Guinness chocolate cupcakes are sneaky good, like best chocolate cupcakes ever good. They’re full of that deep chocolate flavor with a hint of Guinness…which only makes the chocolate taste even better. It also makes these cupcakes incredibly moist! Topped with silky smooth salted caramel buttercream, these chocolate cupcakes need to be at the top of your “to bake” list!
What makes Guinness cupcakes so good?
It’s one of those things that’s hard to explain and you just know when you try it. You might not think Guinness and chocolate go together…especially in cupcakes…but trust me, it’s AH-MA-ZING.
If you’re thinking, “Can you actually taste the beer?” the answer no but yes. The Guinness is definitely there, but it’s a flavor you can’t quite put your finger on. There is the slightest HINT of stout flavor but because it goes so well with the chocolate, it just tastes like a really rich and luxurious chocolate cupcake.
The best part is that the Guinness makes these chocolate cupcakes SUPER moist. Each bite just melts in your mouth with delicious and rich chocolate flavor.
The carbonation also helps to lighten the cake so it’s not terribly dense. It’s the perfect balance of light and fluffy but also rich and moist.
DELICIOUS salted caramel buttercream
These Guinness cupcakes consist of a super rich chocolate cake, so it’s only natural to match it with a luscious salted caramel buttercream.
I absolutely love this caramel buttercream recipe because of how incredibly silky smooth it is. It starts with my tried-and-true salted caramel recipe that I’ve used in SO many of my desserts. Seriously, it never fails! Just to name a few:
After the caramel has had time to cool and thicken, it’s time to make the buttercream. The first step is the most magical because the caramel is whipped into light and fluffy perfection. Since caramel contains a large portion of heavy whipping cream, it whips very easily.
Then the butter is mixed in, followed by the powdered sugar and more heavy cream. By this time the buttercream will appear very thick, but this will change. One of my FAVORITE tricks to achieve incredibly smooth buttercream is to scoop out about one cup of the buttercream, microwave to melt, then mix it back in.
The slight warmth and liquid consistency of the melted buttercream blends seamlessly into the rest of the batch to create the silkiest and creamiest buttercream you’ve ever had – while still remaining stable enough to pipe on top!
How to frost cupcakes with salted caramel
To achieve the same look as the cupcakes shown in these photos, you will need two items:
Fitted with the large round tip, fill the bag with all of the buttercream.
Then, pip tall swirls on top of each cupcake, circling around the cupcake 3 full times before pulling up at the tip.
To create a cavity for the salted caramel to sit, use a small offset spatula or the tip of a butterknife to dig into the very tip of the frosting and swirl down into it.
Fill the deep swirl with extra salted caramel and watch it gloriously drip down the sides. Top with a pinch of flaky sea salt for even more flavor!
A couple things to know before baking these Guinness chocolate cupcakes:
- Make sure to use Guinness Extra Stout. This will give you that bold flavor as opposed to the Draught version.
- Don’t substitute the Dutch process cocoa powder for regular unsweetened cocoa powder. The two have every different levels of acidity so swapping the two can throw off the texture of these cupcakes.
- MAKE SURE YOUR CARAMEL IS COOLED TO ROOM TEMPERATURE BEFORE USING. Otherwise your buttercream will melt.
- The batter is very thin so don’t be alarmed. It also might not seem very smooth but it will bake up very nicely.
- These cupcakes bake pretty flat so don’t be alarmed if yours didn’t get much of a rise.
With these tips, you’re on your way to making the best chocolate cupcakes you’ll ever have.
For more delicious cupcake recipes, check out my:
- Toasted S’mores Cupcakes
- Roasted Strawberry Cupcakes
- Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Lemon Cupcakes
Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram if you make these Guinness Cupcakes. I love seeing my recipes come to life in YOUR kitchen! To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
Watch how to make these guinness chocolate cupcakes:
Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 cupcakes
Description
These Guinness chocolate cupcakes are so incredibly moist and topped with a silky smooth salted caramel frosting. The Guinness adds a delicious flavor that you can’t quite put your finger on, but it definitely helps enhance the chocolate flavor and create an incredibly light but moist cake.Â
Ingredients
Homemade Salted Caramel
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp and cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup (60g) heavy cream, warm
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes
- 3/4 cup (105g) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (30g) dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1 tsp instant espresso powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup (110g) unsalted butter, room temp
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream, room temp
- 2/3 cup (170g) Guinness extra stout
Salted Caramel Buttercream
- 1/2 cup chilled salted caramel
- 1 cup (220g) unsalted butter, room temp
- 2 cups (200g) powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinklingÂ
Instructions
Homemade Salted Caramel
- First, make sure your butter is at room temperature and the cream is warm (microwave for 1 minute). This is very important!
- Measure out all of your ingredients and set them next to your stovetop.
- In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the sugar in an even layer and melt down over medium heat.Â
- Using a rubber spatula, nudge around the sugar occasionally at first, as it will take about 3-5 minutes to see any changes. As clumps start to form, gently stir until it’s completely melted down (about 5 minutes, or longer if using an electric stove top).
- Once melted, it should be golden in color (if it is already a dark amber color, skip this step). Stop mixing and allow it to caramelize and darken. It will only take about 30 seconds for it to turn a rich amber color. Don’t step away from the stove as this happens quickly.
- Remove from heat and quickly whisk in the butter all at once. Whisk for about 30 seconds (it may not fully combine but that’s OK).
- Quickly pour in the heavy cream and whisk again. Keep whisking until it’s smooth and fluid. If yours clumps up, simply return the caramel to medium heat and keep whisking until it smooths out.
- Last, whisk in the vanilla and salt.
- Pour into a heat safe container and place the caramel in the refrigerator to chill while we make the cupcakes.
Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350F and place 12 cupcake liners inside a cupcake tin.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand or stand mixer with the paddle, mix together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. About 3-4 minutes.
- Mix in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla and sour cream.
- Mix in half of the dry ingredients then scrape down the bowl. Then mix in the Guinness, followed by the rest of the dry ingredients.
- Evenly distribute the batter between your 12 cups and bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let them rest for 10 minutes then remove the cupcakes and place on a cooling rack. NOTE: the cupcakes bake flat on top so don’t be alarmed if yours deflate a bit out of the oven.
Salted Caramel Buttercream
- Using a hand or stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add the caramel and whip on high speed until it forms soft peaks and lightens in color (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add the butter and whip again until smooth.
- Scrape down the bowl and whisk in the powdered sugar one cup at a time.
- Then mix in the heavy cream.
- The frosting should be rather thick and fluffy at this point. Scoop about a cup of buttercream into a heat-safe dish and microwave for 30 seconds to melt.Â
- Pour the melted buttercream back into the rest of the batch and mix until smooth. This is a really great trick I like to use to make incredibly smooth buttercream.
- Frost the cupcakes when they’ve completely cooled. Drizzle the remaining caramel on top and finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt. Enjoy!Â
Notes
STORAGE – Keep the cupcakes in an air tight container in the refrigerator. They’ll stay nice and moist for up to 5 days.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cooling Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
This was so delicious. I’m talking buy at a bakery delicious. I got a little confused (my error) and just used all the caramel in the icing and then made another batch to drizzle on top. I love the tip about how to smooth out the buttercream. I made a batch yesterday and my family devoured them so I’m seriously considering making another batch today.
Thank you so much!
These are SO yummy! I was pinched for time and decided to use a devils food cake mix as my base. I used 4 eggs, 1/3 cup of oil and 1 1/4 cup of Guinness. This made 2 dozen so I then doubled the recipe for the frosting and they were AMAZING! I handed them out to friends and family for St Pattys Day and everyone loved them!
Found this recipe just in time for St. Patrick’s day and it was perfect. These are some of the best chocolate cupcakes I’ve had & they pair so nicely with the salted caramel buttercream.
These are so good! So glad I have them a try. We will make these again next year!
Hi, again 🙂 I tried making the frosting but the caramel just wouldn’t whip even after 15 mins of high speed whipping. Do you have a suggestion on the reason it wouldn’t whip?
It won’t whip as much as heavy cream would, but it should still thicken and lighten in color. Could it be that the caramel was too warm? It should be pretty chilled before whipping.
my butter/sugar/egg/sour cream mixture curdled, I think maybe from cold sour cream! may want to add that as a room temp ingredient too 🙂
I used chilled ingredient and didn’t have this issue but I guess some fridges are colder than others 🙂 I’ll make a note.
This recipe is delicious! I could drink the caramel sauce it’s so good!
I’ve tried many recipes from this site and have not been disappointed – well developed, easy to follow, delicious results!!
Thank you!
Hi! does it make more than enough frosting? I am tripling this recipe and wondering if I need to triple the frosting or if doubling is enough for the frosting and caramel… thanks!
The frosting is just enough for the batch so that will need to be tripled as well 🙂