I’m a high school English teacher, and I promised some of my senior students that I’d make them cupcakes before they moved on into the so-called “real world”.  And when they heard I made beer-based cupcakes for the Super Bowl, they wanted beer-based cupcakes for their graduation.  (Little do they realize the alcohol cooks out.)  So, I tested out another Ming Thompson recipe for a stout cupcake.  While the last recipe was more like a spice cake, this recipe intrigued me because of the chocolate aspect.  Well, it turned out to be quite the hit—and what tougher critics could I ask for than a classroom full of 18-year-olds?

INGREDIENTS FOR CUPCAKES:
1/2 cup stout beer (I used Southern Tier’s Choklat Stout)
1/2 c. unsalted butter
3 tbsp. light brown sugar
1/2 c. cocoa
1 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/3 c. sour cream

INGREDIENTS FOR FROSTING:
4 oz. cream cheese
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 lb confectioner’s sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 12-14 muffin cups with paper liners. Simmer stout, butter, and brown sugar in saucepan until melted. Add cocoa and whisk until smooth. Remove from burner and cool slightly. Mix flour, sugar, soda, and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix egg and sour cream. Add cocoa mixture and beat briefly. Add flour mixture and beat briefly. Pour into lined cupcake pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Make the frosting: Mix ingredients together by hand.  Once blended, whip with an electric mixer until fluffy.  Frost cooled cupcakes.