Guinness Chocolate Cupcake with Peanut Butter Fluff Frosting

Medically reviewed by Christiana George Updated Date: December 15, 2022

Last night my husband and I hosted a mini Octoberfest at home. He has been brewing his own beer for a while now. When he has a batch ready we usually invite over some family and friends for a taste testing. This new batch is a Heritage Lager. Very smooth, no after taste. Goes down easy.

I wanted to make some sweets to go along with the beer. I scoured the internet and found a recipe for Guinness Chocolate cupcakes. The original recipe called for cream cheese frosting, but I found a recipe for peanut butter frosting instead. Beer and nuts go well together, so I figured they should work in a cupcake too. The cupcakes themselves came out so good. They were moist and that touch of Guinness goodness really went well with the chocolate. It reminded me of the Guinness chocolates I ate in Ireland earlier this year.

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

by Dave Lieberman

Ingredients

12 ounces Guinness® stout
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for garnish
2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Directions

Makes 24 Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the Guinness®, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix in the sour cream.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, flour, and baking soda. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet Guinness® mixture.
Butter 24 muffin tins and divide the batter among the muffin tins.
Bake 20-25 minutes until risen and set in the middle but still soft and tender. Cool before turning out of the tins.

The original recipe for penaut butter frosting ended up being too sweet and too much peanut butter, so I ransacked the pantry too see what else I can add to fix the problem. I found a jar of marshmallow fluff so I started added it a heaping tablespoon at a time until I got the right taste. Yep, peanut butter and fluff definitely complement each other. The frosting was awesome, I had to stop myself from eating it before there was none left for the cupcakes.

Peanut Butter Fluff Frosting
adapted from How to Eat a Cupcake

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff
2-4 tablespoons milk

Blend butter and peanut butter until smooth. Sift in confectioners’ sugar and beat on low speed. Add milk and increase speed to high. Add fluff. Beat for 1 minute.

The fluff also added a great consistency to the frosting. It was light, fluffy and kept it’s shape when I swirled it over the cupcakes. And it held up well when I added chopped honey roasted peanuts for enhanced flavor and a little crunch. They looked to pretty to eat.

I got to use my new cupcake tower to display them. I even made a cute little sign to go with it.

I love how they came out. They look great and they tasted even better.

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Split Pea Soup, Round And Whole And Filling

Salad

Christiana George

Updated Date:
June 8, 2023

Chris and I split a can of clam chowder the other day. You know, the readymade stuff. I’d forgotten how convenient it was to prepare. You just slap it into a pot and let it come to a boil, and then it’s ready. I’d also forgotten how much I liked it. I hope you’re not shaking your head, shuddering at all the preservatives and chemicals we consumed. Seriously, when you’re in the need for a quick soup fix, canned clam chowder always hits the spot.

And with that, soup season officially began.

After the clam chowder, I immediately found myself craving split pea soup, which I didn’t realize involved tossing a part of a pig into a pot to simmer alongside green split peas and other ingredients. There’s something elusively tantalizing about the smell of smoked meat—it feels round. Round and whole and filling. I think it strikes an instinctual cord in me, the part that huddles as close to a fire as possible until the flames practically lick my hands. No, maybe not that close. I’m a tiny bit afraid of fire.

This soup is a mishmash of legume and vegetables, too. You know what they do? They soften, and sort of melt. The immersion blender finishes the job. The result reminds me of baby food. Green pea puree or something along those lines. Soupy mush in that rare not-quite-yellow, not-quite-green color. Winsome description, I know. But the flavor! I’m not so sure a baby would be able to handle such a taste explosion; it would be too much to process.

I hope you make a huge pot of this soup on a chilly day. You might want to open a couple windows, you’ll be so warmed to the soul.

SPLIT PEA SOUP

Adapted from Bon Appétit

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped peeled carrots
1-1/2 lbs. smoked pork hocks
2 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp dried oregano
2 cups green split peas
6 cups water

Directions:

Melt butter in heavy large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, celery, and carrots. Sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add pork, marjoram, and oregano; stir 1 minute. Add peas, then water, and bring to boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Partially cover pot; simmer soup until pork and vegetables are tender peas are falling apart, stirring often, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

When ready, remove hocks. Using an immersion blender or regular blender (being careful not to overfill it), puree the soup. Cut pork off bones, dice it, and return to soup. Season with salt and pepper.