Irish Chocolate Cupcakes

Martin Luther King Day weekend and Sean D. and I drove up to Rockport for the afternoon, which is a thing you can only do in January if you genuinely love the off-season version of a beach town, which I do. Rockport in January is empty and cold and beautiful in the specific way that places are beautiful when the crowds are gone and what's left is the actual thing.

We had chowder at a diner on Bearskin Neck that was the only restaurant open — locals' chowder, the kind where the clams are the point rather than the cream, which is the correct priority. We sat at the counter and watched the harbor and talked about the wedding and also about nothing in particular and I thought: this is what I'm marrying. Someone who will drive to Rockport in January and eat chowder at a counter and be content with exactly this. That is no small thing.

The week at work had one very good moment: a patient who had been fighting for six months got news on Thursday that moved him from inpatient to outpatient care, which in oncology is a significant victory. He hugged me in the hallway, which patients do not usually do, and I let him because some moments require physical acknowledgment.

I made Maureen's clam chowder Saturday evening in honor of the Rockport trip. Thick with potatoes, generous with clams, cream at the end and not a moment before. I made enough for four people and ate it alone with two pieces of soda bread, listening to the wind outside, and felt genuinely, specifically happy. Which I'm trying to notice more and be grateful for more. Because it's there, if you pay attention to it.

The chowder was the main event and the soda bread was its rightful companion, but there was still Sunday, and Sunday after a weekend like that one felt like it deserved something sweet and a little Irish — which is how I ended up making a batch of these. The Guinness in the batter gives them exactly the dark, slightly bitter backbone that keeps them from being cloying, and the Baileys frosting is the kind of thing that makes you feel like the weekend lasted longer than it did. They’re not subtle, and after a week that included a patient hugging me in a hallway and a harbor view from a counter stool, I didn’t want subtle.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour (includes cooling) | Servings: 12

Ingredients

1 cup Guinness stout
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp fine salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup full-fat sour cream
For the Baileys frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3–4 tbsp Irish cream liqueur (such as Baileys)
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Heat oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners and set aside.
Make the Guinness base. Combine the Guinness and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the butter melts. Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
Combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and sour cream together until smooth. Pour in the cooled Guinness mixture and stir to combine.
Bring the batter together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold gently until just combined — a few streaks of flour are fine. Do not overmix.
Fill and bake. Divide the batter evenly among the lined cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake for 18–20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Make the frosting. Beat the softened butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar in two additions, mixing on low between each. Add 3 tablespoons of Irish cream and a pinch of salt, then beat on medium-high until smooth and spreadable. Add the remaining tablespoon of Irish cream if the frosting is too thick.
Frost and serve. Once the cupcakes are fully cooled, frost generously with the Baileys buttercream. Serve at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Irish Chocolate Cupcakes — Something Sweet for a Weekend That Already Had Everything