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Family Kitchen
St. Patrick’s Day Sweets: Black & Tan Cupcakes
Although I’m not a beer fan, I’m pretty proud of this combo if I do say so myself. A classic black & tan is made with dark stout or porter (most often Guinness) and pale ale, the contrast creates a light bottomed, dark topped pint; the layering of the Guinness on top of the ale or lager is possible because the relative density of the stout is less than that of the ale.
These cupcakes are the reverse – dark on the bottom and golden on top – the Guinness chocolate cupcakes are dense and moist, and the frosting, also spiked with Guinness, doesn’t taste of beer but has a buttery, caramelly flavor that I found completely addictive – I couldn’t get enough of it.
Black & Tan Cupcakes
1/2 cup butter
1 cup Guinness or other dark stout
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. saltGuinness frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4-1/3 cup GuinnessIn a small saucepan, melt the butter with the Guinness over medium heat; remove from heat, pour into a bowl and whisk in sugar and cocoa. Whisk in the sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking soda and salt just until blended. Divide the batter between paper-lined cupcake tins and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes, until tops are springy to the touch.
To make the frosting, beat the butter, confectioners’ sugar and Guinness until you have a spreadable frosting. Wait until the cupcakes have cooled completely before frosting.
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26 Comments
[...] Original cake recipe from : Julievr [...]
67 down : 298 to go | A Schmiford Life commented on Jun 09 11 at 10:16 pmJennifer Jo commented on Mar 10 11 at 2:13 pmHow do you ice your cupcakes like that? I tried it last night and I couldn’t get the smooth-peak look.
JulieVR commented on Mar 10 11 at 2:18 pmI spoon the frosting into a zip-lock bag, snip off a tip, and pipe it out. Easy, and you can toss out the bag!
Lana commented on Mar 10 11 at 3:21 pmI am so TOTALLY making these for our St. Patrick’s Day party next Friday!! I LOVE it.
Just for planning sake, does one recipe make a dozen? We usually have about 75 people at this annual bash so I need to multiply..:)
Brenda commented on Mar 10 11 at 10:15 pmWhoa, yummy! I would love to see the look on my kids teachers faces if I sent these for St. Paddy’s day celebrations at school! :) Wouldn’t that be a sight to see…
Candice commented on Mar 13 11 at 3:23 pmI love that you incorporated beer instead of making something green!! And Guiness is my hubbys favourite!
Molly commented on Mar 13 11 at 7:47 pmMy husband is making a corned beef for this week. This will make the perfect dessert. Thanks!
Erica B. commented on Mar 14 11 at 1:00 amLove this! So glad to see they’re not green!
Julianne commented on Mar 16 11 at 11:44 amSame question as Lana — how many cupcakes in one batch? Thanks, Julie!
JulieVR commented on Mar 16 11 at 12:17 pmSounds like Lana got 1 1/2 dozen! I seem to recall close to 2 dozen, but it depends on how full you do your cups, and how big they are to begin with! Hope that helps!
sue commented on Mar 16 11 at 5:34 pmI got 22 cupcakes. My frosting separated and had a sort of curdled look, don’t know why?
Judy commented on Mar 16 11 at 10:27 pmOMG……are these ever tasty! My husband said these are his “new favorite” cupcake.
Thanks Julie
Michelle commented on Mar 16 11 at 11:09 pmMake sure to only fill the cups 3/4 full. Makes close to 2 dozen. Not stoked on the frosting. Curdled and weird….
JulieVR commented on Mar 16 11 at 11:34 pmWeird that some of you are getting separated frosting! mine was smooth and glorious…
Candice commented on Mar 17 11 at 4:33 pmMaybe I shouldn’t admit to this, BUT when the recipe said to “divide batter between tins”, I literally did that with 12 tins and now my oven is a mess :( Wish I would’ve read people’s comments before making them so I knew they made double that!
nicole commented on Mar 17 11 at 7:34 pmmy frosting turned out great! as did the cupcakes!!
Jean commented on Mar 19 11 at 3:51 pmGREAT recipe:) My family and friends LOVED them! My frosting was smooth and creamy when I made it that night, but the next morning it had separated. My guess is something with the Guiness (maybe carbonation) changed the frosting overnight. It still tasted good, but from now on, I will make the frosting right before I serve the cupcakes. Again, FABULOUS recipe:)
Leah commented on Mar 19 11 at 6:33 pmjust made these, I got about 1 1/2 dozen. I put a caramel frosting instead
Julianne commented on Mar 22 11 at 4:08 pmDoes the temperature of the Guinness make a difference, especially for the frosting (since some folks have experienced separation)? Julie, did you use it cold or at room temp?
JulieVR commented on Mar 22 11 at 4:13 pmRoom temp – I imagine it would solidify and not be spreadable if chilled!
Julianne commented on Mar 23 11 at 9:18 amAwesome — I am planning to make them tomorrow for a party so I will get my Guinness out of the fridge NOW! :-)
Katrina Olafson commented on Mar 26 11 at 4:36 pmEven though I cannot eat them because I cannot eat white flour I just made them for my friend’s Birthday. My hubby ate one & said it was super yummy. I did get a full two dozen. So far my icing seems good but I might have added a little to much guinness because it seems a little runny. I have iced the cupcakes, wrapped them up & put them in the fridge to maybe help the icing firm up a little. The cupcake part seems beautifully moist! Thanks I am so excited for everyone to have them tonight!
Katrina
Erin commented on Apr 03 11 at 5:58 pmPerhaps these could just be renamed Guinness cupcakes? There is no “tan” in either recipe and the black and tan reference can be offensive to some. I’ve had stout cake before so I am sure they are good but I think just Guinness would be good. :)
Dontella commented on Apr 03 11 at 6:01 pmThe frosting is tricky, but for those having problems with it, this might help.
I used 3/4 cup butter to 3 cups of powdered sugar.
Measure and allow Guiness to sit a few minutes, to reduce the foam. This helps alot.Cream the Butter and Powdered Sugar together first, until the two are well incoroporated. (Will be lumpy at this time.)
Add the Guiness slowly into the mix, a drizzle at a time. You will be able to see the frosting come together and watch the consistency. Adding too much at once will cause it to seperate and get the ‘curdled’ consistency.
Hope it helps!
CeeDubb commented on Apr 04 11 at 1:20 amGuinness Extra Stout or Guinness Draught?
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