Smoked Chocolate w00tstout Cupcakes

Beer Details

• Beer Style: American Double / Imperial Stout
• 13
• 65
• Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.

w00tstout Cupcakes over Bread

w00tstout is one of my favorite annual bourbon barrel aged stouts. It is the summer friend that you see once a year and never talk to again, knowing that he will one day return and fill you with delight another year. This beer is bold but not overwhelming. The wheat is intense but doesn’t allow itself to get in the way of the bourbon. There is a smokiness that I love. Not sure where that comes from, perhaps the pecans since I am not getting much of that flavor coming through. A full bodied experience that will leave you feeling warm inside. w00tstout also serves as a reminder that summer is coming to an end. Time to say goodbye to you favorite drinkable beers that leave you feeling refreshed and move onto warmth.

w00tstout is one of the few beers that I annually make the same beer bread recipe. Chocolate, coffee, chocolate chips. Mix and pop into the oven for a chocolatey load. But why? There is no essence of coffee in this. There is no overwhelming chocolate flavors. I needed a change in not only flavor, but vessel in which to deliver this. So I went to Twitter and asked the creators of this beer. Drew Curtis reached out to let us know his interest and we ran with it

Am I the Only One Getting Smokiness?

As mentioned, the smokiness is standing out to me, perhaps too much. Does it come from the pecans or is the more obvious choice of exuding from the bourbon? It is unclear to my palette, but I like to run with things and I wanted to make this smoky sensation a big player in this recipe. I’ve also been wanting to use liquid smoke and this was a perfect opportunity to do so.

Along with the smokiness, this cupcake need to be extremely most and give off the texture of a brownie. The best way to do this is to add an abundance of acidity to your milk, which is how one makes buttermilk by the way. The more acid, the more moist your cake will come off. Too much moisture is a bad thing and I walked the line in this recipe.

One batch actually turned into a cupcake crumble as it didn’t maintain its shape due to the moisture

w00tstout cupcakes shouldn’t be covered up by a buttercream. Let the smokiness from the cupcake come out and tease your nostrils. However, adding a bit of sweetness can help us here. After a trip to Cafe du Monde in New Orleans, the desire to dust everything with powdered sugar is strong. So rather than slab frosting all over this beauty, lightly dust it with a little bit or powdered sugar. The presentation is far superior anyways.

Not Disappointed in Liquid Smoke

There are more failed Baking Brew recipes than there are successful ones. That strong desire to add liquid smoke made me doubt myself into thinking this was going to end up in the failed pile. However, that slight smokiness works really well with the chocolate and gives off that peat flavor that you would find in your favorite whiskey. The dusted powdered sugar takes your presentation game to the next level. Please do yourself a favor and grab a bottle of w00tstout and make these cupcakes. You will not disappointed.

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Smoked Chocolate w00tstout Cupcakes ingredients

• 1 cup of all purpose flour
• 1 cup of sugar
• 6 tablespoons of cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

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Smoked Chocolate w00tstout Cupcakes directions

• Preheat the oven to 325° F. Generously grease your cupcake pan with butter and sprinkle a little bit of flour to prevent sticking. Blend your dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside. Take 1 cup of w00tstout and let it reduce in a small sauce pan until it becomes 1/2 a cup. 1 cup all purpose flour
• In another medium bowl, add the egg and sugar and cream by hand or with an electric mixer. The the vegetable oil, vanilla, liquid smoke, and finally the butter milk. Continue blending. Add your dry ingredients to your cream mix using a spatula and begin folding your batter. Bet sure to scrape those sides. Take the hot w00tstout and add it to the batter. Continue folding with the spatula. Preheat the oven to 325° F. Generously grease your cupcake pan with butter and sprinkle a little bit of flour to prevent sticking. Blend your dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside. Take 1 cup of w00tstout and let it reduce in a small sauce pan until it becomes 1/2 a cup.
• Pour batter into your cupcake pan. Reduce the oven temperature to 300° F and place in the oven for 17-19 minute or until you can poke it with a toothpick and it comes out dry. Let sit for 30 minutes but be sure to use a spatula and scrape the side of the cupcake pan to insure that they do no stick. Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy

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