Looking for a St Patrick’s Day dessert? These chocolate Guinness and beetroot muffins are the perfect answer. Rich with chocolate, moist and malty with Guinness, sweetened and slightly earthy with the cooked beetroots, all topped off with cream cheese icing. Whether you’re Irish or not, you’ll be wanting to reach for one of these muffins. They even look like a mini pint of ‘the black stuff’!!
Beetroot… in cake?!
Beetroot is a wonderful addition to chocolate cakes and muffins. When cooked and blended, or grated raw, it melts into the sponge as it bakes. This adds natural sweetness and plenty of moisture without making the muffins taste like vegetables at all. Instead, it deepens the chocolate flavour and gives the crumb a soft, tender texture that keeps these muffins beautifully moist.
A heady blend of earthy, malty, bitter, and sweetness
In these muffins, the beetroot works perfectly alongside the rich cocoa and the distinctive malty notes of Guinness. The stout adds depth and a subtle bitterness that balances the sweetness of the cake, while the beetroot brings an earthy warmth that rounds everything out. It’s the kind of flavour combination that feels indulgent but not overly sweet – each bite is rich, chocolatey and just a little complex.
To finish, a swirl of cream cheese icing adds the perfect contrast. Smooth, creamy and lightly tangy, it cuts through the richness of the muffins and brings everything together. Spooned or piped generously on top, you’ll have a little treat that not only tastes wonderful but looks just like a mini pint of Guinness!
St Patrick’s Day celebrations
They’re a fun and delicious bake for St Patrick’s Day, but honestly, these chocolate Guinness and beetroot muffins are good enough to make any time you’re in the mood for a rich chocolate muffin with a twist.
Growing beetroot
Beetroot is one of the easiest and most rewarding vegetables to grow in the UK, making it a favourite for both new and experienced gardeners. It grows well in most soils as long as they have good drainage, and it thrives in a sunny spot in the garden or even in deep containers. Seeds can be sown outdoors from around April through to July, giving a steady harvest from early summer into autumn. The seedlings are usually thinned to give each plant room to develop a good-sized root.
In my vegetable patch, I’ll be growing Boltardy, Red Beet ‘Cylindra’, Chioggia (for their pink and white stripes), and Golden Beetroot.
Beetroots are truly versatile vegetables and can be used in desserts, warm salads, and roasted with other root vegetables; their leaves can alsobe used in salads.
Cooking beetroot
I use my Instant Pot to pressure cook my beetroot, which saves a lot of time. Taking medium-sized beetroots, I’ll almost cover them in water, then set them to ‘pressure cook’ for 25 minutes on slow release for an additional 10 minutes. Just adjust the timings with the size of the beetroots. Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, they will keep for 3-5 days.
Other beetroot and chocolate recipes
For other ways to use beetroot, or for more chocolate bakes, here are some recipes on the blog:
- Salad of warm vegetables lentils and halloumi
- Chocolate courgette brownies
- Chocolate fudge cake
- Flourless chocolate pear cake
Yes, you can freeze the muffins, but do not add the icing. Open freeze them naked, place them in a bag, and they will keep up to 3 months well wrapped and sealed against freezer burn. Defrost them thoroughly and then top them with the cream cheese icing.
The iced muffins will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. I prefer them when they are at room temperature, so remove from the fridge 30 mins before serving.
Taking medium-sized beetroots, I’ll almost cover them in water, then set them to ‘pressure cook’ for 25 minutes on slow release for an additional 10 minutes. You’ll need to adjust the cooking time depending on the size of your beets.
Yes. You can make these muffins gluten-free by replacing the plain flour with gluten-free plain flour and adding 1/2 tsp xanthan gum. Follow the rest of the recipe as normal.
Chocolate Guinness and Beetroot Muffins
Equipment
- 12-mould muffin tin and cases
Ingredients
Muffins
- 150 ml Guinness or other stout
- 200 ml vegetable oil
- 250 g golden caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 200 g cooked beetroot
- 200 g plain flour
- 75 g cocoa
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Icing
- 200 g cream cheese
- 100 g icing sugar
- 75 ml double cream
Instructions
Muffins
- Line a 12-mould muffin tin with cases and preheat the oven to 180 °C
- Place the Guinness and vegetable oil in a large saucepan and warm gently. Add in the golden caster sugar and stir until melted. Remove from the heat.
- In a food processor, puree the beetroot. Then add in the eggs, one at a time, and finally the vanilla extract until smooth.
- Add the beetroot to the melted mixture in the saucepan.
- Sift the flour, cocoa, baking power and bicarbonate of soda and add to the saucepan. Mix thoroughly but gently until you see no more lumps of flour.
- Divide the mixture between the muffin cases and place in the oven to bake for 35 minutes. Ensure the top of the muffin is firm. Remove from the oven, leave in the tin for 10 minutes and then cool completely on a wire rack.
Cream Cheese Icing
- Whip the cream cheese in a bowl, once smooth, sift over the icing sugar in stages and continue to whip. Finally, add in the double cream and whip until you have a spreadable consistency.
- You can now either pipe the tops of your muffins or simply spread it on top – which will more closely resemble a mini pint of Guinness.
Notes
- The iced muffins will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days
- You can freeze the muffins, but do not add the icing. Open freeze them naked, place them in a bag, and they will keep up to 3 months well wrapped and sealed against freezer burn. Defrost them thoroughly and then top them with the cream cheese icing.
- Take medium-sized beetroots, almost cover them in water, then set them to ‘pressure cook’ for 25 minutes on slow release for an additional 10 minutes. You’ll need to adjust the cooking time depending on the size of your beets.
- You can make these muffins gluten-free by replacing the plain flour with gluten-free plain flour and adding 1/2 tsp of xanthan gum. Follow the recipe as normal.
They were easy to make as I already had cooked beetroot in the fridge and they tasted absolutely delicious.