Stout Gingerbread Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting

Your home will smell like Christmas when you bake these dense, flavorful cupcakes. (Adapted from a recipe in Bon Appétit from November 2002)

• Ready In: 1 hr 25 mins
• Serves: 24
• Yields: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1  cup  guinness extra stout beer
• 1  cup  mild-flavored light molasses
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2  cups all-purpose flour
• 2  tablespoons ground ginger
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 3  large eggs
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 cup  packed dark brown sugar
• 3⁄4 cup  vegetable oil
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1⁄2 cup salted butter, room temperature
• 2  cups powdered sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F Place 24 cupcake liners in cupcake pans. Bring Guiness Stout and molasses to boil in heavy medium saucepan over high heat. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda. Let stand 1 hour to cool completely (or if you are in a hurry, refrigerate for 30 minutes).
2. Whisk flour and spices ingredients in large bowl to blend.
3. Whisk eggs and both sugars in medium bowl to blend. Whisk in oil, then stout mixture.
4. Gradually whisk stout-egg mixture into flour mixture.
5. Divide batter among 24 cupcake liners. Bake until tester inserted into centers of cupcakes comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool cupcakes. (Can be made 1 day ahead.).
6. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Chill frosting 30 minutes. Frost cupcakes.