These cupcakes are the best cupcakes I have ever eaten. They have a subtle spice both from the Guinness and with a little help from gingerbread spices also with a hint of chocolate. Making a deep dark and moist cupcake topped with a sweet topping that balances the spices perfectly.

Heat oven to 180˚C. Line a 12 hole cupcake tin with paper cases. In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients. Flour, cocoa, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and ground cloves. Stir to disperse the spices throughout the flour. Set aside.
Add the wet ingredients, Guinness, melted butter, sour cream, treacle, caster sugar and eggs into a large measuring jug or bowl. Whisk together.
Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until a smooth batter is achieved. Fill the prepared cupcake tin with batter filling each paper case 3/4 full. Transfer to the oven and bake for 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
To prepare the icing add the soft room temperature butter to a large bowl, using an electric mixer or free standing mixture with paddle attachment attached, cream the butter until pale and fluffy.
Sieve in half the icing sugar and repeat beating until all the sugar is incorporated and it is pale and fluffy again. Repeat with the remaining sugar and add the vanilla extract. Should you wish to have a real grownup cupcake replace the vanilla extract with a couple of tablespoons of Baileys.
Fit a piping bag with a large star ended nozzle. squeeze the icing down the piping bag and twist to seal. Pipe the icing evenly amongst the 12 cooled cupcakes.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat oven to 180˚C. Line a 12 hole cupcake tin with paper cases. In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients. Flour, cocoa, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and ground cloves. Stir to disperse the spices throughout the flour. Set aside.
Add the wet ingredients, Guinness, melted butter, sour cream, treacle, caster sugar and eggs into a large measuring jug or bowl. Whisk together.
Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until a smooth batter is achieved. Fill the prepared cupcake tin with batter filling each paper case 3/4 full. Transfer to the oven and bake for 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
To prepare the icing add the soft room temperature butter to a large bowl, using an electric mixer or free standing mixture with paddle attachment attached, cream the butter until pale and fluffy.
Sieve in half the icing sugar and repeat beating until all the sugar is incorporated and it is pale and fluffy again. Repeat with the remaining sugar and add the vanilla extract. Should you wish to have a real grownup cupcake replace the vanilla extract with a couple of tablespoons of Baileys.
Fit a piping bag with a large star ended nozzle. squeeze the icing down the piping bag and twist to seal. Pipe the icing evenly amongst the 12 cooled cupcakes.