Double Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

When you think of beer does chocolate come to kind? When you think of chocolate does beer come to kind?

Most people don't. But once you taste these little pieces of heaven you will! Yes, that's right little pieces of yummy double chocolate stout goodness!! I love watching the Food Network and all the new cupcake and wedding cake shows. While watching one a few weeks ago, the bakers were making some big cake and used a basting brush to moisten the cake with a dark lager. I love chocolate and I love beer. Well it sounded delicious to me! So since then, I've been on the look out for a chocolate cake that uses beer. But then I got distracted by my new obsession, cupcakes! And I thought lets just put these two babies together. And that lead to hunt of this recipe!! And I've been so excited to try it. So what better time to try out the new beer cupcake recipe then College Football Kickoff Weekend!! Last Saturday the Iowa Hawkeye's kicked off the year with a season opener win against Eastern Illinois, so I made these to try out on all our tailgating friends who stopped over to our house to watch the game.

Double Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup Double Chocolate Stout
• 1 stick, plus 1 Tbsp, unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350; butter a muffin tin. Combine the Stout 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.

The Frosting: made in 2 parts Glaze: (I cut the glaze in half as it makes A LOT. I even tried filling the cupcakes with the of the glaze and had a lot left over, just drink the left over beer! No waste!)

• 1 8oz pkg of cream cheese, softened to room temp
• 1 can Double Chocolate Stout
• 4+ cups of powdered sugar
• ¼ cup butter

Cover cupcakes with the glaze evenly. The glaze acts like a beer foam.

Icing:

• 1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
• 3 Tbsp milk
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 squares of melted unsweetened bakers chocolate

Pipe the icing on top of the glaze.

It's all about presentation :) I try!

Both cupcakes ready to eat for football!