Guinness-Gingerbread Cupcakes

Yields 12 cupcakes

by David Lebovitz
from Ready for Dessert
Last Edit Date: 3/14/2012 10:12:18 AM

These cupcakes, inspired by New York City pastry chef Claudia Fleming, are an intriguing combination of gingerbread and rich, malty stout. Topped with a bright-tasting lime frosting to complement the spicy cake, these cupcakes make a perfect grown-up treat for St. Patrick’s Day.

For the cupcakes:

1/2 cup stout beer, such as Guinness
1/2 cup mild-flavored molasses
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp.ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. table salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup finely minced candied ginger

For the frosting

4 Tbs. (2 oz.) salted or unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
2-1/2 Tbs. freshly squeezed lime juice, or more to taste
1 Tbs. whole milk

Strips of candied citrus peel or candied ginger, for garnish

Make the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.

To make the cupcakes, in a very large saucepan, bring the stout, molasses, and oil to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the baking soda until dissolved. (The mixture will foam up, then settle down.) Stir in the brown sugar, then let cool until tepid.

Into a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.

Whisk the eggs into the stout mixture, then whisk in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Don’t overmix. Gently stir in the minced candied ginger.

Divide the batter among the cupcake liners and bake until the cupcakes feel just set in the center, 22 to 24 minutes. Let cool completely.

Make the frosting:

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth, about 10 seconds. Decrease the speed to low and, with the mixer running, gradually add half of the confectioners' sugar. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl as needed to make sure the ingredients are being incorporated. Add the lime juice, then add the remaining confectioners' sugar. Once the sugar is incorporated, add the milk. Beat the frosting on high speed until completely smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Taste, and add a few more drops of lime juice, if desired.

Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Remove the cupcakes from the muffin tin. Pipe rosettes of frosting in the center of each cupcake. (If you don’t have a pastry bag, you can spoon a mound of frosting decoratively in the center.) Garnish each with strips of candied citrus peel or a piece of candied ginger.

Make Ahead Tips

The cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature.

Variations

For kids, feel free to use apple cider in place of the stout.

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by mojo_g, 3/19/2013Beautiful cupcakes (I made mini cupcakes)! Interesting flavours that really worked well together for our St. Patrick's Day feast! The only reason I gave this 4 stars (and not 5) was because the consistency of the icing went a bit funny when the lime juice was added. I made try the lemon cream cheese icing that is pair with the ginger mini cupcakes and use lime juice instead.

by catatonia, 12/10/2012These are really delicious- especially if you love gingerbread. They are easy to make, but the frosting has given me trouble both times. Once I get to adding the milk, it turns grainy and ruins icing. After the second time I have really scaled back and only used a dribble of milk- this seems to keep it from turning to a separated grainy mess that looks pretty unappetizing. You get the frosting right, and the lime is really a delicious contrast.

by user-261438, 12/9/2012If you love gingerbread, you'll loooove these. I had exactly 12 cupcakes with plenty of icing. The lime was a nice touch, but when I added the milk, the icing separated a bit. Next time I will try meyer lemon or mandarin, no milk.

by nicspons, 3/12/2012These cupcakes have a very strong and interesting flavour profile, and I could see how some people wouldn't like it. That said, I think they are the best cupcakes I've ever tasted. I loved the spiciness of the cake combined with the fruitiness of the frosting. The recipe made exactly enough to fill my 12-holed muffin pan 2/3 way full, so they did not overflow at all. I copied the picture and put icing more as a "dollop" rather than covering the whole cupcake top, and I had plenty of icing to do so. I will definitely be making these again!

by Sheri, 1/19/2011This will easily make more than 12 cupcakes - if you use all of the batter and make only 12, they will be overfull. I didn't like the lime frosting with these, and it barely made enough to cover half the cupcakes. I won't be making these again.

by msummerlin, 9/26/2010