Recipe: Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Homemade Bailey’s Buttercream Frosting

Recipe: Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Homemade Bailey’s Buttercream Frosting

Happy Paddy’s Day, everyone ☘️!  As John is from Dublin (and I’m the proud husband of an Irishman), I figured it was a good excuse to share an Irish-inspired bake that I made for our most recent Surrogacy UK social (and will definitely be making again): Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Bailey’s Buttercream Frosting.

Full recipe is at the bottom, but first, a little backstory on these cupcakes and our weekend!

Our Surrogacy UK Paddy’s Day Social

This past weekend, we co-hosted our first in-person SUK social with some new friends that we met through Surrogacy UK, and we chose the day before Paddy’s Day for the event, we went all-in on the Paddy’s Day theme. Over 70+ people came along and wore green, put on Paddy’s swag, and sipped green beer!  

We didn’t really know what to expect from hosting an in-person event and were pretty nervous about getting all the details correct, and the best part was getting to know our co-hosts better through the planning and running of the event. Borrowing an Irish phrase, they're are “a bunch of great lads,” and we’re so excited for them as they take the next steps in their surrogacy journey!! 

Lesson: Don’t put your butter in the micro-wave for too long 😂

For the Social, I wanted to try and bake something festive and decided to attempt Nigella Lawson’s famous Guinness Chocolate Cake. As I’m not from the UK, my first exposure to Nigella Lawson came through Rupaul’s Drag Race UK (Season 3, Snatch Game, if you know—you know).

But apparently, Nigella makes a bangin’ Guinness Chocolate Cake, so I turned it into cupcakes, which seemed more shareable at an SUK Social. I found this really good recipe on Pinterest during my research, which really helped me initially. To up the Irish factor, I paired the cupcakes with a Bailey’s Buttercream Frosting, dyed in three shades of green because I got a bit carried away.

I’m also more of a cook than a baker, as I prefer to just add spices depending on my mood and what we have at home. But I thought this was a good learning experience that will (hopefully one day) have me ready to make cupcakes and orange wedges for the kids’ soccer team 😂.

I had never made or piped homemade icing, and I got a bit fancy at the end and experimented with different shades of green frosting in 1 piping bag. And then also with different frosting tips and how to do those designs on the top of the cupcakes. I made 100 cupcakes, so I figured I may as well get some practice with different types of swirls!

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Bailey’s Buttercream

Cupcake Ingredients (Makes 24)

  • 250ml Guinness
  • 250g butter
  • 75g cocoa powder
  • 400g caster sugar
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 150ml sour cream
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • 275g plain flour
  • 2 ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

Frosting Ingredients

  • 250g unsalted butter, softened
  • 500g icing sugar
  • 1–2 Tbsp Bailey’s Irish Cream
  • Green food coloring (optional but festive)

Equipment

  • Saucepan (for melting butter & Guinness, and then adding all ingredients into)
  • 3 mixing bowls (for different ingredient groups)
  • Sieve (trust me, don’t skip this step)
  • Kitchen scale & measuring cups
  • Electric mixer (handheld or stand mixer)
  • Piping bags & tips (if you’re feeling fancy)

Cupcake Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C (Fan 160°C) / Gas Mark 4. Line a muffin tin with cupcake cases.
  2. In a large saucepan (you will add all ingredients in here so make sure its big enough), melt butter and Guinness over low heat. Once melted, turn off the heat and whisk in cocoa powder and sugar until smooth.
  3. In a jug, whisk together eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Add into the pot with the Guinness mixture.
  4. Sift flour and bicarbonate of soda into the saucepan and gently whisk. (Tip: Add in batches to avoid lumps.)
  5. Pour batter into a jug (easier for filling cases) and divide between cupcake cases, filling ⅔ full.
  6. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until risen and firm. Cool completely before frosting.

Bailey’s Buttercream Instructions

  1. Ensure butter is really soft. If needed, put it in the “micro-wave” in 10-second bursts (but don’t melt it!).
  2. Whip butter on high for 5–6 minutes with an electric mixer until fluffy.
  3. Gradually mix in icing sugar, beating on low at first to avoid a sugar explosion. Scrape the bowl, then beat on high for another 5 minutes.
  4. Add Bailey’s (start with 1-2 Tbsp, taste, then add more if needed). If using, mix in green food coloring (or other coloring). Beat until smooth.
  5. Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes.

Helpful YouTube Tutorials

If you, too, want to pretend you’re on Bake Off. I found these videos to be most helpful and ones I would go back to as I re-attempt this:

Final Thoughts

  • Would I make these again? Absolutely.
  • Will I ever make 100 cupcakes in one night again? Also yes!
  • Lesson: Don’t be afraid to apply a lot of pressure when applying the icing to the tops of the cupcakes.  Be confident and steady!
  • Our next social is during Pride Month, so I think Rainbow Pride Icing is in order!!

Hope you enjoy these, and if you make them, let me know how they turn out ☘️! 

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