Chocolate-Stout Cupcakes

1. Make cream cheese frosting:

   Beat cream cheese with butter until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add confectioners' sugar, 1 cup at a time, and beat until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Beat in vanilla and salt.

2. Preheat oven, line muffin tins, and mix dry ingredients:

   Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two standard 12-cup muffin tins with baking cups. In a large heatproof bowl, whisk together flour, 2 cups sugar, baking soda, and salt.

3. Melt butter, add cocoa and stout:

   Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in cocoa powder, then stout. Increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally.

4. Add to dry ingredients; mix in eggs and sour cream:

   Remove from heat; stir into flour mixture just until combined. Stir in eggs and sour cream.

5. Divide batter and bake:

   Divide batter evenly among cups, filling each two-thirds of the way. Bake, rotating once, until cupcakes spring back and a tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool; remove from tins after 10-15 minutes and let cool completely.

6. Make strips of lime zest and coat in sugar:

   Meanwhile, peel wide strips of lime zest with a vegetable peeler. Thinly slice zest into 1/8-inch-wide strips. Coat strips in remaining 2 tablespoons sugar; cut into 1/2-inch-long pieces.

7. Frost cupcakes and decorate:

   Spread cupcakes with 2 cups frosting (reserve remaining for another use). Top each with 4 gold hearts (to form a shamrock) and 1 piece of sugared lime zest (to make a stem). Serve.

   Use a mini-offset spatula to frost the cupcakes, or use a mini ice cream or cookie scoop to scoop the same amount of frosting on top of each cupcake, then spread the frosting using an offset spatula.

Other Chocolate Cupcake Recipes to Try

• Devil’s Food Cupcakes
• One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes
• Black Bottom Cupcakes
• Easy Chocolate Cupcakes
• Chocolate-Filled Cupcakes