Last week we had a pot luck at work with an Irish theme to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.  I decided to use the opportunity to try out a variety of cupcakes that I've had my eye on - Chocolate Stout Cupcakes (from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.  Since it was a work event and I was trying to tie to the Irish theme, I substituted Kaliber - a non-alcoholic beer made by Guinness.  This cupcake has a crumbly topping that is baked into the cupcake instead of frosting, so that appealed to me as well (one less step, you know).

The result was a tasty and moist cupcake with a deep chocolaty flavor.


The kids helped me make the cupcakes, each one taking a mixing job.  Sophie is pretty good at this task and takes it very seriously, trying hard not to slop stuff over the edge of the bowl.  Since she did such a good job, I rewarded her by letting her lick the leftover cupcake batter.


Martin is a bit more impatient with the process.  He likes to come in at the end, doing a quick job or two then savoring the reward.  Usually he licks a spoon then goes on his way.  But this kind?  He loved it.  Loved it so much that when I turned around from the oven I could only see his face through the bowl.


Martin asked me to bake another batch of these cupcakes for him to have on his birthday.  The first time I made them I used superfine sugar in the topping and I thought they were a bit dusty on top.  The second time I used granulated sugar and they were a bit better.  Next time, I might just make the batter and give the kids a ladle.