I made a fool of myself when I met Claudia Fleming, who was for many years a noted pastry chef in New York City. But I couldn’t help myself—I flipped out whenever I tasted her desserts. Her multiflavored combinations managed to perfectly balance familiar, everyday ingredients with sophisticated presentations. Every time I ran into her, I’d gush about how wonderful her desserts were as I watched her slowly backing away from this clearly unbalanced fan. I was always intrigued by her combination of gingerbread with rich, malty stout and was inspired to create a cupcake using the same blend of flavors. I add a bright-tasting lime frosting which complements the spicy cake. If you make these, you’re likely to have a few deranged fans, too. Consider yourself warned.

　　

Ingredients

makes 12 cupcakes

　　

Cupcakes

1/2 cup (125 ml) stout beer, such as Guinness

　　1/2 cup (125 ml) mild-flavored molasses

　　1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable oil

　　1/4 teaspoon baking soda

　　3/4 cup (170 g) packed light brown sugar

　　1 1/3 cups (185 g) all-purpose flour

　　1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

　　2 teaspoons ground ginger

　　1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

　　1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

　　1/2 teaspoon salt

　　2 large eggs, at room temperature

　　1/2 cup (50 g) finely minced Candied Ginger (page 252)

　　

Frosting

4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60 g) salted or unsalted butter, at room temperature

　　1 1/2 cups (180 g) powdered sugar, sifted

　　2 1/2 tablespoons (40 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice, or more to taste

　　1 tablespoon whole milk

　　Strips of Soft-Candied Citrus Peel (page 253) or Candied Ginger (page 252), for garnish

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.

　　

Step 2

To make the cupcakes, in a very large saucepan, bring the stout, molasses, and oil to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the baking sodauntil dissolved. (The mixture will foam up, then settle down.) Stir in the brown sugar, then let cool until tepid.

　　

Step 3

Into a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.

　　

Step 4

Whisk the eggs into the stout mixture, then whisk in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Don’t overmix. Gently stir in the minced candied ginger.

　　

Step 5

Divide the batter among the cupcake liners and bake until the cupcakes feel just set in the center, 22 to 24 minutes. Let cool completely.

　　

Step 6

To make the frosting, in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth, about 10 seconds. Decrease the speed to low and, with the mixer running, gradually add half of the powdered sugar. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl as needed to make sure the ingredients are being incorporated. Add the lime juice, then add the remaining powdered sugar. Once the sugar is incorporated, add the milk. Beat the frosting on high speed until completely smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Taste, and add a few more drops of lime juice, if desired.

　　

Step 7

Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Remove the cupcakes from the muffin tin. Pipe rosettes of frosting in the center of each cupcake. (If you don’t have a pastry bag, you can spoon a mound of frosting decoratively in the center.) Garnish each with strips of candied citrus peel or a piece of candied ginger.

　　

Storage

Step 8

The cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature.

　　

Variation

Step 9

For kids, feel free to use apple cider in place of the stout.

　　Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz. Copyright © 2010 by David Lebovitz. Published by Ten Speed Press. All Rights Reserved.David Lebovitz lived in San Francisco for twenty years before moving to Paris. He baked at several notable restaurants before starting his career as a cookbook author and food writer. He's the author of four highly regarded books on desserts, and has written for many major food magazines, sharing his well-tested recipes written with a soupçon of humor. His popular, award-winning blog, www.davidlebovitz.com, entertains readers from around the world with sweet and savory recipes as he tries to unravel the complexities of living in Paris.