Root Beer Float Cupcakes

If you want something that tastes delicious and is a little “different” then this is for you!  LOVE these cupcakes.  Easy to put together, taste delicious and you have the option of making 12 or 24 of them.  It’s also not from a box, so no nasty weird chemicals.  Like it says on the front of ‘Nilla wafers “Simple Goodness.”  “Simple Goodness” is their slogan yet the ingredient list is NOT simple and definitely not good.    High Fructose Corn Syrup.  Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed oil.  Artificial Flavor… whatever that entails.

Back to the cupcakes.  I love how the filling comes from the frosting, so you don’t have to make a whole separate batch.  The cupcakes are chocolate with just a hint of root beer.  They aren’t overpowering, but moist and tasty.

Happy Baking!

Root Beer Float Cupcakes
yield 12 cupcakes

1 1/8 cups AP flour
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder (I found Hershey’s Dark in the baking aisle)
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup + 1 Tbs. heavy cream
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 Tbs. sour cream
2 tsp. root beer concentrate (McCormick makes it and it is with the spices and extracts at the grocery store, even walmart had it.)
1/3 cup root beer

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 1 muffin pan with 12 liners.  Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.
2.  In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and brown sugar until smooth.  Stir in the cream, butter and vanilla.  Add sour cream and stir everything until smooth.
3.  Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
4.  Pour the root beer and root beer concentrate into the batter.  mix until incorporated.
5.  Divide the batter between the liners.  I use a 3 Tbs. cookie scoop.   Bake 15-18 minutes.
6.  Cool cupcakes in pan for 10 minutes and then remove them from the pan to continue cooling on the cooling rack.

Vanilla Frosting and Root Beer Filling

1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter (6 oz.), soft
4 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
2 Tbs. milk
1/4 tsp. root beer extract

1.  On medium-low speed, cream butter in electric mixer with paddle attachment until smooth – about 2 minutes.
2.  On low speed, add powdered sugar a little at a time.   Once all of the powdered sugar has been incorporated, increase speed to medium for 1 minutes to make fluffier.
3.  Add vanilla and milk.
4.  Remove all of the frosting except for 1/3-1/2 cup in the mixer.  Add root beer concentrate and beat on medium for about 1 minute, or until fully incorporated.

Putting Them Together

1.  There are 2 ways to fill your cupcake.  You can use your tip and pastry bag to squeeze it into the cupcake.  This method doesn’t usually work well for me.  But it works great if you are in a hurry or don’t need super fancy cupcakes.  Method #2: use an apple corer to remove a small portion out of the middle of the cupcake.  Fill void in the cupcake and it will get covered with frosting later.

2.  Fill your pastry bag with the root beer filling.  Pipe it into your cupcake.

3.  Cover your cupcake with vanilla frosting.  I use a 1M Wilton tip, but you could make it cute with a mini scoop of vanilla frosting like vanilla ice cream.  Or pipe with a plastic bag with a corner snipped off.

Top with maraschino cherry, chocolate syrup or – what I wanted to do – a little candy soda bottle!

Recipe from www.howsweeteats.com