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veggie & the beast

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Whiskey Buttercream

Makes 2 dozen cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes*:

• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup good-quality cocoa
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 cup oatmeal stout, slightly warm**

For the salted whiskey caramel:

• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon Irish whiskey (or to taste)
• 1/2-1 teaspoon kosher salt (or other coarse salt)

For the whiskey buttercream:

• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons Irish whiskey

*Adapted from my Dirty Cupcakes, which were inspired by Cafe Latte.
**I’m sure you could go super Irish with this recipe and use Guinness, but the Beast isn’t a Guinness fan, and I wanted the leftover 6-pack to be enjoyed by both of us.

Process

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, oil and buttermilk. In a separate bowl, combine together the flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, and baking soda.
3. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the egg, oil, and buttermilk mixture. Once everything is incorporated, gradually beat in the warm beer. Make sure to beat or whisk until all lumps are gone.
4. Coat cupcake liners with nonstick spray, then fill cupcake liners slightly over halfway full with batter. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
5. While the cupcakes are cooling, make the caramel. Over medium heat, combine the brown sugar and water. When it starts to boil, add the butter. Add the heavy cream, whiskey, and vanilla just as the mixture begins to boil again. Boil for 5 minutes, whisking constantly. Once cooled, taste and add more salt/vanilla/whiskey if you’d like.
6. For the buttercream, beat the butter until creamy. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating on medium-high speed. Once it’s all incorporated, add in the vanilla and whiskey, and beat on high for 2-3 minutes, until the frosting is light and fluffy.
7. Core the cupcakes, either using a cupcake corer or cutting into them at a 45-degree angle with a small knife. Fill halfway with caramel, then finish by piping the buttercream into the center and on top. Drizzle with leftover caramel.  from veggie & the beast blog