cupcakes are sweet

Sunday night I finally got around to remaking the black and tan cupcakes from my unbirthday party. This time I followed the instructions (more or less) and they turned out pretty yummy. Rather than send out a billion emails, you all are subjected to the recipe. Ahahahahaha! Again, I found this on this site, courtesy this fantastic blog. Cupcakes!

Black and Tan Cupcakes:

1 Cup chocolate stout (I used Longboat Double Chocolate Porter...mmm)
1 Cup unsalted butter (I think this is a lot, too, but they turn out moist, so....)
2/3 Cup unsweetened cocoa
2 Cups all purpose flour
2 Cups sugar
1.5 tsps baking soda
pinch of salt
2 eggs
2/3 Cup sour cream

Icing:

1/2 Cup softened butter
1 1/2 Cups confectioners sugar (the recipe calls for 2, but that's a lot)
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract (or more if you want)
1 Egg White
4 Tbls Harp Lager

To make the cake:
Preheat oven to 350'F.
Bring the stout and butter to a simmer over medium heat in a heavy large saucepan. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, baking soda, sugar and salt in a large bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, blend eggs and sour cream in another large bowl. Add stout-chocolate mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Spoon into cupcake holders 2/3 full in muffin tin and bake for about 20 minutes (check with a toothpick). (This made 23 muffin tin-sized cupcakes, some with lower domes than others.)

For Icing:
Combine the butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla, egg white and two Tbls. of Lager in a bowl. Beat until fairly smooth. Add remaining Lager. (I found that my handbeater didn't combine this the way I wanted it to, so tried my food processor, which worked substantially better. The icing was smooth and didn't separate.)
Ice cupcakes when cool. Eat.

Despite starting to make these at 9:30pm on a Sunday night (really, the perfect time to bake), we were able to eat completely cooled and iced cupcakes well before midnight. Don't fear the little bit of stovetop cooking; my friend is a boy who doesn't really bake and he managed to do a good portion of the making with few problems. I would recommend eating them when they're fresh, but these taste pretty awesome if you decide to store them in your fridge.

You also wind up with two open bottles of yummy beer, so you have something to do while you're waiting for the things to bake/cool. That Longboat Double Chocolate Porter.... It's sooooo goooood.

Currently listening :
Sketches (For My Sweetheart the Drunk)
By Jeff Buckley
Release date: 26 May, 1998