Need more servings?

Adjust it with a click of a button in the recipe card!

Jump to Recipe Card

Stick a fork in me. I'm done. I used the last cup of Young's Double Chocolate Stout to make these cupcakes, adapted from Pixelated Crumb who adapted them from Smitten Kitchen.

A few months ago I bought an espresso cupcake for Michael at a specialty cupcake shop. He said it was the best cupcake he had ever eaten. I wanted to see what I could come up with using the last of the stout. The cake itself was moist and flavorful. Michael ate all the centers I cut out to add filling. I adapted the filling and buttercream frosting to espresso flavor instead of whiskey or Baileys as the recipe was written. I ordered a triple espresso this morning at Starbucks and it gave me plenty for the cupcakes, filling and buttercream frosting. I even have a little left over to add to my morning cup of coffee. If you love coffee and chocolate, this one's for you!

Chocolate Stout Espresso Cupcakes

PRINT Pin

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:
1 cup minus 3 TBS double chocolate stout
3 TBS espresso
1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
⅔ cup sour cream
For the Espresso Ganache Filling:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
⅔ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter room temperature
2 teaspoon espresso
For the Espresso Buttercream Frosting:
4 cups confections sugar
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
2 TBS heavy cream
2 TBS espresso

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 24 cupcake tins with liners. Bring stout, espresso, and butter to a simmer in a heavy, large saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and ¾ teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add the stout-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add the flour mixture and beat briefly on low speed. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until it's completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners, filling them two-thirds to three-quarters of the way. Bake the cupcakes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 16-18 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a rack before filling.
Make the Espresso Ganache:
Chop the chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then whisk until smooth (if there are still pieces of unmelted chocolate after whisking for a couple of minutes, you can heat it over a double boiler, whisking constantly until it's completely smooth). Add the butter and espresso and stir until combined.
Fill the Cupcakes:
Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped. Meanwhile, using a 1-inch round cookie cutter, an apple corer, or a small sharp knife, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom – aim for ⅔ of the way. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip (or a plastic bag with a corner snipped off) and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.
Make the Espresso Buttercream Frosting:
Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes until very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time. Add the heavy cream and espresso one tablespoon at a time beating in-between until the frosting looks thick enough to spread. You may need to add additional powdered sugar or withhold some of the liquid to get the correct consistency. Frost the cupcakes with an offset spatula or pipe the frosting on top.

Approximate nutrition information is provided as a convenience and courtesy only. You are encouraged to do your own calculations if precise data is required.