Gluten Free Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes (Rich & Moist)

There is so much to love about this recipe, from the "damp" cupcakes (as described by Nigella Lawson herself) to their frothy cap of cream cheese icing. I traded the original Guinness for a gluten-free beer; if you are OK with Guinness, go ahead and use it!

There's a nice undertone of stout here, but it's not at all overpowering. Nor do the cupcakes taste too sweet, despite the two cups of sugar (gulp) called for. Like my gluten free chocolate stout cake, this recipe is a keeper - unique, hard to resist, yet unfussy enough to serve any day of the week as well as at a celebratory event.

What You'll Love

I dearly love this recipe and have been making it for years, sometimes as a cake and sometimes as cupcakes (be warned: this makes a lot of cupcakes). The cake is chocolatey and rich, with a lovely note of Guinness that is definitely there, but it's not overpowering. And the frosting! Let's just say that cream cheese in frosting is mostly always a good thing.

• Uniquely flavored. A hint of bitter stout makes these cupcakes stand out from ordinary gluten-free chocolate cupcakes. But don't worry, it's just a hint! The cupcakes are sweet enough that they are definitely a dessert.
• Rich and moist. Melted butter, stout, and yogurt combine to add moisture and richness to the cupcakes.
• Serves a crowd. You'll get a lot of cupcakes out of this recipe (2 dozen in fact), which is great when you want to serve a crowd - perhaps at a St. Pat's Day party!

Ingredients Needed

Here's what you'll need to make chocolate stout cupcakes. Make sure to scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!

• Oat flour - Learn how to make oat flour for this recipe, or pick up a package at the store. Use brown rice flour if you don't eat oats. And if you don't need to keep gluten-free, use all-purpose flour.
• Almond flour - I prefer fine-ground almond flour here rather than ground almonds.
• Baking soda
• Salt - I use fine sea salt, and table salt also works.
• Stout - If you are OK with Guinness, use Guinness! Otherwise, try a certified gluten-free stout.
• Butter - Use unsalted butter.
• Cocoa powder - Make sure to use unsweetened cocoa powder, as there is already plenty of sugar in this recipe!
• Granulated sugar
• Eggs - Large eggs are best.
• Greek yogurt - Use plain yogurt here, either low-fat or non-fat. You could also substitute sour cream.
• Vanilla - Use pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
• Cream cheese - Use block cream cheese rather than "whipped" cream cheese - this makes for a better-textured frosting.
• Powdered sugar
• Heavy cream - Substitute whole milk or half and half if needed.

What Kind of Stout Should I Use?

Make sure to use a gluten-free stout to make the cupcakes entirely gluten-free. Some gluten-free stout options include Glutenberg Stout, Holidaily, Alt Brew Coffee Stout, Ground Breaker Imperial Darkness, Ghostfish Watchstander, or see this article for more options.

Tips & Recipe Notes

• Hydrate the batter. Make sure to let the batter rest while the oven heats. Gluten-free flours benefit from a rest before baking so that the batter can hydrate.
• Bring frosting ingredients to room temperature. Bring the ingredients to room temperature before you whip up the frosting. This is especially important for the cream cheese-you do NOT want cold cream cheese, which can create a lumpy icing!
• Sift the powdered sugar. Again, you want a beautifully smooth frosting! Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl when you make the frosting to eliminate any clumps.
• Non-gluten-free. Use 2 cups of all-purpose flour for the oat and almond flours if you don't need to eat gluten-free.
• Use gluten-free flour. If you wish, substitute 2 ½ cups of 1:1 gluten-free flour, such as Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur Flour, for the oat and almond flours, or use my homemade gluten free flour blend.
• Stout substitute. If you don't drink alcohol, you could also try a non-alcoholic gluten-free stout. Another option is strong tea or coffee but I think if you can't do any kind of beer, it's probably best to make another cake recipe.

Proper Storage

• Fridge - Cover the cupcakes tightly with foil or place them in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freezer - Cupcakes may be well-wrapped in plastic and frozen, unfrosted, for 3 months. Defrost in the fridge before frosting.