Decadent chocolate cupcakes infused with Guinness and topped with a luscious Irish cream frosting. A must for St. Patrick’s Day, or any day for the beer lover in your life!

Chocolate Guinness cupcakes with Irish cream frosting arranged on a board.

Friends, how do you feel about baking with beer? While the idea of a Guinness cupcake really speaks to me around St. Patrick’s Day, there’s no reason not to bake these year-round. Even putting aside the plain fun of baking with Guinness, they are, put simply, among the best chocolate cupcakes I’ve had.

Think rich chocolate flavor, complemented perfectly by the slight bitterness of stout beer and a warm hint of cinnamon. Butter adds more flavor still, while sour cream in the batter ensures each cupcake is moist and light.

And the frosting. Have mercy! Your basic sweet cream cheese frosting gets a lot more interesting when you add a generous glug of Bailey’s Irish cream!

Ingredients and shopping notes

This recipe yields 18 cupcakes, and can be ready to go in just about an hour, start to finish. Not too shabby! Here’s what you’ll need for the cupcakes:

  • Butter.
  • Eggs.
  • Sour cream or creme fraiche. (Greek yogurt works well, also.)
  • Guinness or another stout beer – I recommend the regular draught stout, it’s bitter but not overly so.
  • Vanilla extract.
  • Dutch-process cocoa powder. This adds a wonderful depth of flavor and is great in lots of chocolate baked goods. If you’re worried about using the rest of the package, here is a collection of recipes using Dutch cocoa powder.
  • Regular granulated sugar.
  • All-purpose flour.
  • Baking soda.
  • Cinnamon. 

Pro tip: you’ll only use 6 ounces of Guinness, probably about half of your bottle or can, so… bottom’s up! 🙂

How to make Irish cream frosting

The sweetness of Irish cream liqueur pairs perfectly with a cream cheese frosting, and together they make the dreamiest cloud to set off these rich chocolate cakes.

In fact, now that I look at it, it’s almost as if the cupcake is the beer and the frosting is the foam. Pinky swear that was not intentional. But I’m guessing it might be fun for the true beer aficionados out there! 😉

As written below, this recipe makes enough for a medium amount of Irish cream-flavored frosting to cover a batch of 18 cupcakes. If you want more or less, it’s easy to scale!

I frosted these cupcakes using a Wilton 1M open star tip – my go-to! (affiliate link)

A small plate filled with the best chocolate Guinness cupcakes with Irish cream frosting, with a bottle of Guinness in the background.

More cupcake recipes

More St. Patrick’s Day baking and sweets

Recommended Equipment

Wilton 1M open star tip.

Wilton 1M Open Star Tip

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Cupcake and muffin pan.

Cupcake & Muffin Pan

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Electric hand mixer.

Electric Hand Mixer

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If You Care large baking cups.

Paper Baking Cups

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If you try these Guinness Cupcakes, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. I love hearing how recipes turn out in your kitchen, and it helps other readers, too.

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A small plate filled with the best chocolate Guinness cupcakes with Irish cream frosting, with a bottle of Guinness in the background.
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Guinness Cupcakes with Irish Cream Frosting

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
Servings: 18 cupcakes
Decadent chocolate cupcakes infused with stout Guinness and topped off with a luscious Irish cream frosting. A must for St. Patrick’s Day, or any day for the beer lover in your life!

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

  • 6 tbsp. butter
  • 2 large eggs , at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sour cream or creme fraiche
  • 6 oz. Guinness , or another stout beer
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

For the frosting

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter , at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (4 oz.) cream cheese , cold
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • a pinch of kosher salt 
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp. Bailey’s Irish cream 

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C). Line cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside. 
  • Melt butter and set aside to cool slightly.
  • Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream or creme fraiche together at medium-high speed until well-combined. Add beer and vanilla, and mix again until mixture is even. 
  • Combine cocoa powder, sugar, flour, baking soda, and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Whisk or stir briefly with a fork to blend.
  • Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet batter, mixing continuously to blend. After all the dry ingredients are incorporated, add the melted butter and mix again until batter is evenly combined.
  • Pour batter into cupcake liners, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow pans to cool on wire racks for about 10 minutes, then remove cupcakes and let cool completely. 
  • To make the frosting, using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese. Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing until light and fluffy, then add the salt and vanilla. Beat well to combine, then add Irish cream, and beat again until frosting is a smooth consistency for piping. Frost cupcakes as desired.
Did you make this recipe?Leave a review below, then snap a quick picture and tag @nourishandfete on Instagram so I can see it!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: guinness cupcakes
Author: Monica | Nourish + Fete

This recipe was originally published on March 2, 2017, and updated as of March 5, 2019 with new photos, revised text, and adjustments to the volume of frosting. Cupcake recipe adapted from Pinch My Salt; frosting from My Name is Yeh.