Name: Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Irish Whiskey Filling and Baileys Frosting
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup Stout of your choice ((I like Guinness)); 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, (room temperature); 1/2 cup cocoa powder; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 tsp baking soda; 1/4 tsp salt; 1 large egg; 1/3 cup sour cream; 1 batch Irish Whiskey Filling ((recipe below)); 1 batch Baileys Frosting ((recipe below)); 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, (finely chopped); 1/3 cup heavy cream; 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, (room temperature); 3 Tbsp Baileys Irish Cream; 1 tsp Irish whiskey; 2 cups confectioners' sugar; 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, (room temperature); 4 Tbsp Baileys Irish Cream

You don't have to be Irish and it doesn't have to be St. Patrick's Day for you to fall in love with these Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Irish Whiskey Filling and Baileys Frosting! They're a delightful boozy dessert no matter the time of year!

Head-on view of a chocolate stout cupcake with Baileys frosting and sprinkles on a white plate covered in sprinkles with more cupcakes and can of Guinness in the background and recipe title at top.

Jump to:

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
🗒 Ingredients
🥣 Equipment
🧁 How to make chocolate stout cupcakes
🥃 How to make Irish whiskey filling
🧈 How to make Baileys frosting
⏲️ How to store
🎉 Variations on recipe
🍰 More boozy desserts
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

You guys, I did it! I made a cupcake with 3 different kinds of alcohol in it. And excuse me if I gloat for a minute and say this might be the best cupcake I've made yet. Really. Then again, how could a cupcake with 3 different kinds of alcohol in it be a bad thing?

When I first set out to make these, I wasn't even going to post them because I already posted about Guinness cupcakes in the past. Plus, St. Patrick's Day was weeks ago and I was making these for my family's post-St. Patrick's Day celebration.

But then, then... they were too awesome not to post. And it's not like you only drink Guinness at St. Patrick's Day, right? And Baileys? And whiskey? These cupcakes are totally appropriate year-round!

My dad had originally sent me a chocolate stout cupcake recipe, but it was vegan and involved ingredients like vegan margarines and shortening. But once I got the chocolate stout cupcake in my head, I couldn't get it out, so I found a sort of similar recipe on Serious Eats by CakeSpy (adapted from my fave Smitten Kitchen) and adapted them a bit more to become these beauties.

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

These are legitimately the best St. Patrick's Day boozy cupcakes! How could you not love a cupcake with three kinds of alcohol in them? Especially during the St. Patrick's Day holiday. Of course, they also make an excellent party cupcake!

I really think your friends and family will love you forever if you make them these chocolate stout cupcakes. Not that they wouldn't anyway, but it still can't hurt. Solidify your relationships forever!

At first they may seem like quite a lot of work, but the filling and frosting are super simply to make. You'll just have to wash your mixing bowl out a couple times.

The cupcakes are incredibly moist and they're packed with rich chocolate flavor. Despite the fact that there is chocolate stout, whiskey, and Baileys in the cupcake, they're not overpowering or too boozy tasting at all.

🗒 Ingredients

My version of chocolate stout cupcakes involves Guinness. And while I think Guinness is the most appropriate drink during the St. Patrick's Day season, you can obviously make these with any kind of stout. I also love Young's Double Chocolate Stout.

There are 3 steps to making these: the cupcake, the filling, and the frosting. Don't skip any of them! I'm begging you. Here's what you need for each part (see recipe card below for ingredient amounts and full instructions):

Cupcakes:

Stout of your choice (I like Guinness)
Unsalted butter
Cocoa powder
All-purpose flour
Granulated sugar
Baking soda
Salt
Egg
Sour cream

Irish Whiskey Filling:

Bittersweet chocolate
Heavy cream
Unsalted butter
Baileys Irish Cream
Irish whiskey

Baileys Frosting:

Confectioners' sugar
Unsalted butter
Baileys Irish Cream

🥣 Equipment

You don't need too much equipment to make these cupcakes! Though I like to make my batter in my stand mixer, you can use a big bowl with a hand mixer or even a whisk.

You will need a cupcake tin and some cupcake papers.

You can use a knife to core out your cupcakes for the filling, but I highly recommend a cupcake corer; I use mine all the time!

You'll also need a saucepan for the batter.

[lasso type="grid" category="chocolate-stout-cupcakes" columns="3" link_id="23690"]

🧁 How to make chocolate stout cupcakes

To start, bring stout and butter to a simmer in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder to the saucepan and whisk the mixture until it's smooth. Remove saucepan from heat.

The mixture may look separated and a little weird, but don't worry; it will all come together!

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

Then, in the bowl of a stand mixer or in another large bowl (I know, you will dirty A LOT of bowls up with this recipe... But it's worth it) with a hand mixer or whisk (and a lot of arm strength), beat together the egg and sour cream. Add the chocolate stout mixture to the egg mixture and beat until just combined.

Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and beat until just combined. Be careful not to over-mix as this will result in dense cupcakes.

Not the prettiest looking batter... But I promise, it works!

Collage showing Guinness and butter being melted together, Guinness and butter mixed with cocoa powder, and chocolate stout batter in mixing bowl.

Divide the batter among 12 cupcake liners, filling them about ¾ of the way and bake at 350 degrees for 17-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for a few minutes and then take them out to cool completely on a rack. I was psyched by how these chocolate stout cupcakes rose.

You can never be sure what they'll look like when they're done baking (and I often over-fill causing them to get huge and oddly-shaped), but these were perfect.

Collage showing batter in cupcake papers in tin and chocolate stout cupcakes in tin baked and out of the oven.

🥃 How to make Irish whiskey filling

While your chocolate stout cupcakes are cooling, you can make the whiskey filling. It's a simple ganache that is so, so easy to make. Place the chopped bittersweet chocolate it in a heatproof bowl.

Heat the cream on the stove until it's just at the point of boiling, being sure to remove it from the heat right when it reaches boiling.

Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute so the chocolate starts to melt. Then stir the mixture until smooth. If your chocolate doesn't melt all the way, you can definitely pop this in the microwave for 10-20 seconds or put it in a double boiler for a couple minutes.

But if your cream is hot enough and your chocolate chopped finely enough, you should be fine.

Now, add the butter, Baileys, and Irish whiskey, and stir to combine. And yes, I added Baileys to my Irish whiskey ganache filling because it felt necessary. P.S. this smelled amazing! I wanted to grab a spoon and just dig in.

Collage showing chocolate chopped in bowl with hot cream poured over it and chocolate whiskey ganache mixed together in bowl.

Instead of eating the whiskey ganache with a spoon, I waited until my cupcakes were cooled so I could fill them. You'll need to core out a little section from the middle of each of your cupcakes. You can do this with a knife, but I love my little cupcake corer.

I seriously get so much use out of this baby and it makes the coring process so quick and easy!

Now, using a spoon, carefully fill each cupcake with the whiskey filling. I filled mine to the brim!

Overhead view of chocolate stout cupcake with core cut out and filled with Irish whiskey ganache filling.

🧈 How to make Baileys frosting

Almost done! You just have to make the fabulous Baileys buttercream frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat butter on medium speed until it's nice and fluffy. Then add the confectioners' sugar and beat in until well combined.

Add in the Baileys and whip it until combined. If you want your frosting a bit thicker, you can feel free to add in some more confectioners' sugar.

Overhead view of Baileys frosting whipped together in mixing bowl.

Pipe the Baileys frosting onto cupcakes. Or just spread it; whatever floats your boat. I use a Wilton 1A pastry tip to just do the dollop of frosting on the cupcake.

You can add sprinkles if you want! I pretty much always do.

Overhead view of chocolate stout cupcake with Baileys frosting and sprinkles on a white plate covered in sprinkles.

I honestly think these chocolate stout cupcakes are the most delicious cupcakes I've ever had. I can't decide if it's because of the Guinness cupcakes, the whiskey filling, or the Baileys frosting. Really, I think it's the combination of the three all hitting your palate at the same time.

If you're one of the people thinking, "omg that's too much alcohol for one cupcake!" I am here to reassure you that it's really not overpowering. Yes, you can taste it, but in a really pleasant way.

The Guinness in the cupcakes is light and nicely balanced by the chocolate. The same goes for the whiskey and Baileys in the filling.

The chocolate is so bittersweet and powerful that the alcohol becomes just a slight part of the profile.

And the Baileys frosting?? Well, it just so happens that when you mix Baileys with lots of sugar and butter, you can't even tell that it's alcoholic. It's just pure heaven!

Landscape view of chocolate stout cupcake with Baileys frosting and sprinkles on a white plate covered in sprinkles with more cupcakes and can of Guinness in the background.

⏲️ How to store

You can store these chocolate stout cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

If you want to keep them for longer, you can store them in the fridge for about 5 days.

If keeping in the fridge, I recommend letting the cupcakes sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before enjoying.

Obviously I have to show you how that Irish whiskey filling hardens as it cools and becomes the happiest little surprise in the middle of an already delicious chocolate stout cupcake.

Overhead landscape view of a chocolate stout cupcake with Baileys frosting cut in half to show Irish whiskey filling inside sitting on a bed of sprinkles on a white plate.

If you're in a super rush and don't want to make the filling, I promise that the cupcakes and frosting can stand on their own and nobody will realize something is missing. But man, once you experience the whiskey filling, you may not be able to live without it!

🎉 Variations on recipe

I think the three elements of these chocolate stout cupcakes are perfection when they're combined. But if you don't love one of them, you can easily alter it. Or you can change an ingredient or add one to give the cupcakes a spin of your own!

Here are some fun ideas:

If the cupcakes are too boozy for you, leave the Irish whiskey out of the filling and make a plain chocolate ganache instead. You can also leave the Baileys out of the frosting and make a simple vanilla buttercream frosting or chocolate buttercream frosting instead.

Instead of making a chocolate ganache whiskey filling, make a caramel whiskey filling instead.

Add espresso powder to the cupcake batter, filling, or frosting for more richness and a great complementary flavor.

Use flavored Baileys for the frosting. I like their chocolate flavor or their cherry chocolate flavor.

A cream cheese frosting with Baileys added in would also be delicious.

Mix chocolate chips or nuts into the cupcake batter.

Add mint extract into the cupcake batter for a festive chocolate mint flavor.

Leave out the filling to save on time.

🍰 More boozy desserts

I have a reputation among my friends and family for being the Queen of boozy desserts and I'm kind of proud of that. Here are some more of my favorite recipes for desserts that involve alcohol:

I mean, just in general, you probably won't be able to live without these cupcakes. So even though you're seeing chocolate stout cupcakes with whiskey filling and Baileys frosting all over the place during St. Patrick's Day season, you can absolutely make these cupcakes at any time of year.

It would be an absolute shame to only have them once a year.

So, now that I've successfully created a dessert with 3 kinds of alcohol, I don't know where to turn next. I probably need a boozy dessert break before my liquor shelf breaks from buying more...

Unless anyone has a fabulous idea for what to make with cotton candy vodka or peanut butter vodka... Because for whatever reason, I seem to have a surplus of those.

What is the best cupcake you've ever had?

If you're looking for more delicious filled cupcake recipes, check out my Funfetti Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes. For more fabulous ways to bake with chocolate stout, check out my Chocolate Stout Ice Cream or Chocolate Stout Brownies.

📖 Recipe