Beer Cupcakes (Yes Really !)

MarraMamba's Note:

Not as bizarre as it sounds, Guinness (or dark german ale) is great in dishes. Haven't tried it yet but sure plan to. When the men say "get me a beer" you can hand them a cupcake :) Found this on a bigcity blog, and the comments were raves.

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 12 cupcakes

• 1 cup Guinness stout
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• ¾ cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking soda

Glaze

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 ¼ cups confectioners' sugar
• 1⁄3; cup milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F; butter a muffin tin.
2. Combine the Guinness and the butter, chopped into 1-inch chunks, in a large sauce pan, and heat to melt the butter. Remove from heat, and whisk in the cocoa and sugar. In a bowl, whisk the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla, then add to the beer mixture. Sift together the flour and baking soda, and fold into the batter. Pour into muffin molds and bake for 25 minutes, or until inserted cake tester comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes, remove from muffin tin, and cool completely on a rack.
3. Using a mixer, whip cream cheese until smooth, sift in sugar, and beat. Add milk, and beat until smooth. Spread glaze over cooled cupcakes.
4. Note: make the glaze thicker or thinner by adding or subtracting milk.

Reviews

[Reeces Pieces]

I can't believe I held onto this recipe for 4 years before trying it out. It was a HUGE hit at our party last night. I paired it with this Cream Cheese Meringue Buttercream instead of the glaze: http://www.anediblemosaic.com/?p=5894. I actually wanted to make the frosting and needed something to put it on. These were a perfect match.

[okayjocelyn]

These are delicious! The recipe definitely makes at least 24 cupcakes. Mine baked in about 15 minutes, not 25 (seems like a looong time for cupcakes). They were fully cooked at that point but still nice and moist. I liked the glaze with them because the cupcakes really aren't very sweet themselves. I made the glaze with a little less milk, and added a pinch of salt and a splash of vanilla, and it was perfect. I also sprinkled a little nutmeg on top of the glaze...why not? My coworkers gobbled them up.

[PumpKIM]

I was just about to make these when I saw that my review from YEARS ago never posted! Anyway, I love these! I've been making them for a while now, but I make my own icing using:
½ Cup Unsalted Butter
6 Cups Confectioners Sugar
¼ Cup Reduced Fat Milk
2 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
Dash of Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
The cocoa makes the frosting look like the foam from the Guinness!