I’m guessing that you have caught on to the fact that I am not a big fan of beer; however, toss in some sugar and chocolate and I am all about it. These espresso stout cupcakes were inspired by an actual bottle of espresso stout beer I found at my local market.
Although it was $4.99 a bottle, I thought it would be the perfect addition to Stout Week and immediately placed it into my cart. Before baking the cupcakes, I had Brian and his buddy, Corey, taste a small sip of the beer to find out if the espresso note was detectable. They both concluded that although it was slightly noticeable, it was definitely not overpowering.
I pumped up the espresso factor by adding instant espresso granules to the batter. Espresso acts to intensify the flavors of cocoa and stout, without overwhelming.
I gave the cupcakes a quick dip in a pool of glossy ganache, but they still needed a little something. Sifting through my collection of cupcake decor, I had a moment of brilliance (however fleeting!) and remembered the bag of dark chocolate covered pretzels I’d stashed (read: hidden from myself) in the pantry.
Seriously, what goes better with beer than PRETZELS?
Stout Cupcakes with chocolate covered pretzels
Yield: 36 cupcakes
Ingredients:
For the cupcakes
1 (12-ounce) bottle stout (I used espresso stout)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant espresso granules dissolved in two teaspoons warm water
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)
2 cups granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking sodaFor the Ganache
12 ounces good quality semisweet chocolate; chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extractFinishing Touches
Chopped chocolate covered pretzel twists
Fine grain sea saltDirections:
For the cupcakes
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line muffin tin with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the stout, milk, vegetable oil, vanilla and espresso.
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time until thoroughly incorporated. Add in the sour cream and mix until combined.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, flour, and baking soda. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the stout mixture. Batter will be thin.
5. Bake for 18-22 minutes, until risen and set in the middle but still soft and tender. Cool completely on wire rack.
For the Ganache
1. Place chocolate in a large heat safe bowl. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat heavy cream over medium heat until it just begins to boil. DO NOT walk away from the stove. The cream could boil over and you will be with a big mess to clean up.
3. Immediately pour hot cream over chocolate and let it sit for five minutes.
4. Begin stirring the cream with a wooden spoon or whisk starting in the center of the bowl and working your way outward. As you stir, you will see the cream and chocolate come together. Allow your ganache to cool for 15 minutes and stir in vanilla. Let ganache sit at room temperature for another 3-45 minutes before topping cupcakes.
To decorate cupcakes
Invert the top of the cupcake into the bowl of cooled ganache, use a spoon or offset spatula to spread evenly. Finish cupcakes with chopped chocolate covered pretzels and a tiny pinch of fine grain sea salt.
Notes:
- Cupcakes are best served the day they are made due to the fact that the pretzels will soften overnight.
- adapted from Dave Lieberman
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{ 37 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow-ee these look tasty! I so love salty + sweet together, and I love the idea of chocolate and pretzels. Yum!
I. Die. Damn, I forgot to buy stout when I was out this morning!
Haha when I read this the first time I read, “…to find out if the espresso note was delectable.”
It does sound delectable though – especially with the pretzels on top! Love the sweet/salty combo!
Beer and pretzels is genius! You’re on a roll with the beer theme this week.
Ah, these look amazing. I was going to try a “Green Velvet” cupcake today with Irish Whiskey cream cheese frosting, but got lazy. These look better though!!
Do you enjoy making a fat pregnant lady drool? Cause EVERY time I come here that is what I do!
These look incredible! I may be sending the hubby by the store for a bottle of espresso stout on his way home from work
Brilliant! I made Guinness cupcakes yesterday, but only had enough Bailey’s buttercream to do half of them. I know what I’m topping the other half with now!
I’ve seen A LOT of Irish themed posts today, and I must say this is the by far the best one! Looks sooo yummy!
I am not a big fan of beer either, but I am a fan of beer in cupcakes!! These look great..love the pretzels on top!!
Those look divine….and it’s not helping my indecision on what to bake.
Yum! I did a full cake of chocolate and guinness a short while ago, but looking at your gorgeous cupcakes, I wish I did these instead. They look fabulous.
These look delicious! Love the pretzel topping
The pretzels on top of these really make the cupcakes look awesome. Great recipe!
Fabulous! The pictures are amazing and it makes me hungry. May I ask what camera you’re using? I’m taking up a course on food photography and would love to hear from you. Thank you!
I LOVE the beer/pretzel/chocolate combo!! These are beautiful.
Your cupcakes look delicious — I’ll be making them this weekend
. Love the choc pretzels on top!
That looks sinfully yummy… Can u pass me the whole lot?
Beer and chocolate and pretzels. What could be better? These would be great any time! I used us all my Guinness this week and tried to buy some more yesterday. My local shop was out! Love your photos. Recipe looks good, too!
OH yum! What a moment’s stroke of genius with that pretzels as decorations .Those pretzels would most definitely add that very slight touch of saltiness I so love in my desserts!
Such fantastic flavours together. It looks stunning to say the least.
Beautiful!
Sweet and salty plus crunch from the pretzels? These are right up my alley!
oo yum! Nothing beats a sweet and savory combo
My wife is Janet Rudolph who writes Dying for Chocolate, http://dyingforchocolate.blogspot.com. She shared with me your recipe for Chocolate Stout Cake. While she did not make the cake, the photo satisfied my visual senses. I do hope that I will have the time to make the delicious cake myself that you so aptly described on your website. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water and I do know that it can be consumed on any day of the year and not just Saint Patrick’s Day As a matter of fact, I am going to request that Janet make it for me for my birthday.
Thank you!
Frank
Love those pretzels on top! I’ll have to make these for my hubby!
He publicado tus brownies en el recopilatorio semanal de mis recetas favoritas, espero que no te moleste…
I LOVE stout! I am so excited to try these!! Oh wait… I cannot find stout in Ecuador. *sigh* Well I will keep hunting and bookmark these cupcakes for my culinary wish list. Thanks!
Hey Jamie! Tried out these cupcakes last night and I’m posting the recipe (with a link to this page) on my cooking blog for my AP English senior project. Just thought I’d let you know these were such a hit, and I’ve been perusing your blog {and love it!}. Keep all the delicious recipes coming, I can’t wait to try more
Maggie
Can you do this recipe with the favorited doctored up cake mix?
Jaime-
I haven’t tried it, so I am not sure of the exact measurements that would be needed. Sorry I am not more of a help. Thanks for stopping by!
-Jamie
Girl, you are the queen of cupcakes! I wish I were your neighbor!
I might have unwillingly entered a double comment as I was in the middle and then something went wrong… Anyway, I was saying that I don’t really like beer either but these cupcakes look totally amazing and I’m thinking they would go down with the guys even better then usual!
[So crazy that a Simone was the last one to make a comment!]
My boyfriend is a dark beer drinker and loves Stout and Porter. So when I was perusing your recipes and found this I knew I had to make them. I made them last night and I must say that the presentation of these are absolutely wonderful!! I never seem to get my ganache right but last night, it was PERFECT. I can’t say that Stout cupcakes are going down as my favorite, but everyone who has tasted them enjoyed them. Such a fun recipe to try :]
Simone-
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for stopping by and providing your feedback – have a great day!
-Jamie
I was wondering what you thought about removing the expresso granules. I am not a huge fan, but have a bottle of Chocolate stout that has minor notes of coffee already. Could I just add 2 tbsp of water instead of mixing it with the granules?
Mary-
I haven’t tried this recipe without the expresso, but I’m sure that it’s not necessary. Stop back and let us know how it turns out – have a great day!
-Jamie
Just made these for my husband’s birthday. They are amazing! The cupcake is so moist and chocolaty with the kick of espresso. I left off the pretzels because I knew he wouldn’t like that part. I would totally make these again! Thanks for the great recipe!