Guinness adds some Irish to your St. Patrick’s Day dessert

Soda bread.

Kegs and eggs.

Shepherd’s pie.

Corned beef and cabbage.

All washed down with green beer.

As you tuck into the deliciousness of St. Patrick’s Day dining options, make sure to save room for dessert.

And put aside a Guinness or two. The Irish stout has the power to turn an ordinary chocolate cake into something deeply, darkly delicious.

If your time is limited, this recipe is sweet and simple. Baking from scratch is fine, but a little ingredient substitution with a box mix works here just as well.

Try not to skimp on the frosting, though. Homemade butter cream, with a generous splash of Baileys Original Irish Cream, is hands down the best topper for these little cakes.

For an extra treat, try serving with Irish coffee.

Guinness Cupcakes

For the cake:

1 box devil’s food cake mix

3 large eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup Guinness beer (replacing the 1 cup water the recipe calls for)

Follow instructions for mixing.

Fill traditional 24 cupcake pans or paper cups 2/3 full. If you have a baking pan with silicone tips to create hollows, it’s easy to spoon in — rather than pipe — filling after baking. And it’s fun to use a different color to surprise the cupcake’s consumer.

Bake cupcakes at 350ºF for 18-21 minutes and allow to cool.

I arrived at this butter cream frosting recipe by trial and error, following a few online suggestions. It is not too thick and not too thin. Again, one ingredient substitution makes the difference.

For the frosting:

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened, salted or not depending on preference

4 ½ cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 or 5 tablespoons Baileys Original Irish Cream (sample a tiny bit after 4, and add to suit your tastes)

I use a hand mixer, and it works fine for fairly small batter/frosting batches.

First beat the softened butter at medium speed until creamy.

Continue beating while gradually adding in the powdered sugar.

After frosting has reached proper consistency, add in the vanilla, beating in the Irish Cream one tablespoon at a time. Remember to pause and taste after the fourth tablespoon and add one more if you prefer a stronger flavor.

If you’re baking for a St. Patrick’s Day office potluck or a social gathering, tint the frosting green.

Or, tint about one-quarter green and spoon into the holes in the hollowed-out cupcakes, and frost the tops with the regular butter cream. Keep these cupcakes chilled until ready to serve.