Day 314 – Guinness Cupcakes

Today is my brother-in-law, Brian’s, birthday.  And, not totally unlike my hubby and me, Brian definitely enjoys beer, chocolate and cupcakes.  Having said that, I’ve never been a huge fan of Guinness (or any dark beer), but I know he is.  So I picked these Guinness Cupcakes (recipe below from College Candy) to say “Happy Birthday, Brian!!”.  (These were also judged by my favorite guest judge, (aka my hubby) Ken.)

    

Both cuppies are kind of dry. Chocolate is excellent, though the bitterness of the Guinness is all that lingers of the beer.  I don’t think I would know it has beer in it unless I knew…PARADOX!!!

The glaze is delicious and creamy. Seems too soft. But it is so delicious and cream cheesy, I don’t care.

    

The dryness of the cuppie is balanced 100% by the frosting. Together they make magic, though you must have enough frosting to balance every bite of cuppie. And you will still need a Guinness or milk or a milk stout to wash it down.

Overall good cupcake, though the dryness of the cuppie waylays this ship in the shoals. And to boot, there isn’t enough beer flavor, so you had better tell your friends there’s beer inside or label it. Or provide imbibement (aka some alcoholic beverages).

Scoring Sheet:

• Cupcake Taste: 2.5

• Frosting Taste: 3.5

• Overall Taste: 3.5

• Appearance: 2.5
• Ease of Making: 4.5
• TOTAL: 16.5

RECIPE

Guinness Cupcakes (recipe from College Candy)

Guinness Cupcakes:

• 1 cup Guinness
• 1 stick, plus 1 tbsp, unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking soda

Cream Cheese Glaze:

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/3 cup milk

For directions visit College Candy.

*Tomorrow: Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes*