My husband Ray and I are homebrewers and we love craft beer. Lucky for us, the Philadelphia metro area is chock full of amazing breweries, brewpubs and craft beer bars. Better yet, one of our local breweries is Iron Hill Maple Shade (of the most fantastic Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant empire).
Chris LaPierre is the head brewer at Maple Shade, and we got to talking cupcakes at one of the brewery’s events a few weeks ago. He let me know that I could get wort from him for baking (whoo-hoo!) and he requested some cupcakes. While I was in NY last week, Ray picked up fresh, unhopped oatmeal stout wort, which was my inspiration point for these cupcakes.
The wort is in the frosting, but I also use it in the cupcakes (though not directly). If you don’t have access to wort, using a bottle of oatmeal stout will work as well, but it might not be quite as sweet (I also suggest upping the brown sugar in the syrup until there is a balanced sweetness). Or, if you want to go beer-free, make these cupcakes with a vanilla frosting and use water in place of the wort in the cupcakes.
My goal for these cupcakes was to capture the essence of the oatmeal raisin cookie, which to me is spicy chewy mellowed sweetness. The addition of the non-worted oats (yeah, that’s a real thing, sure) amped up the chewiness, in my opinion. Ray, as my No. 1 taste tester, got to try these cupcakes early. His declaration: “These cupcakes are the epitome of Autumn.”
I’ll take that as a compliment.
Ingredients
Directions
For the oatmeal stout syrup, combine 2 cups of wort and brown sugar in a small pot over medium high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Simmer for 10-20 minutes, until mixture has reduced down to 1/4 cup and thickened to a maple syrup-like consistency.
Cool to room temperature before using.
If using beer instead of wort, add additional brown sugar to balance out any bitterness from the hops.
For the cupcakes, heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a medium bowl, cover the raisins with 1 cup of wort and set aside.
Heat an additional 1 cup of wort in the microwave for 1-1.5 minutes.
Pour hot wort over oats in a second medium bowl, stirring to combine. Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves in a bowl; whisk to combine and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until fluffy. Add granulated and brown sugar and beat for an additional 5 minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well to incorporate. Add applesauce and mix until incorporated.
Once the oats have cooled to room temperature, add them to the batter, mixing to incorporate.
In a measuring cup, combine buttermilk and vanilla extract.
On low speed, add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternatively, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
Divide the batter between 24 wrappers in cupcake tins and bake for 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack completely before frosting.
For the frosting, beat the butter until light and fluffy.
Add 1 cup of confectioners sugar, beating until combined.
Add the beer, beer syrup and vanilla extract, then add the remaining sugar 1/2 cup at a time.
Whip frosting for about 5-10 minutes on high once all the ingredients have been added, until light and fluffy. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes using your favorite piping tip.
Cake recipe adapted from Hallee the Homemaker
October 28, 2011 at 7:12 am
Loved these! Very good!
THE CAKE: Standard high-quality moistness, structure, etc. I thought the oatmeal bits were GREAT, and I also love raisins.
THE FROSTING: Also very good! Standard good quality, texture, etc. The taste was interesting and slightly distinctive, in a good way. Loved it.
RATING: WOULD EAT AGAIN. Save this recipe for the bakery!
ALSO: I feel like the last 3-5 cakes you’ve made have been significantly lighter, as in not as rich/punishing on the stomach in terms of fullness created, as some as your earlier cakes. I think this is great! I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a really rich cupcake now and again, but I am enjoying the lightness!
October 28, 2011 at 8:04 am
Hmm, in regard to the lightness, maybe I’ve been using less frosting? Because that sugary goodness can be a bit punishing. Glad you enjoyed this week’s flavor!
October 28, 2011 at 8:02 am
Awesome job, and the perfect Fall day for it.
For the first time in a long time, I really focused on the cupcake itself, not the icing. It had a chewiness that is very reminiscent of the oatmeal raisin cookies I remember growing up. So, this would be perfect for anytime up through Thanksgiving.
October 28, 2011 at 8:29 am
Mmm, tasty treat! I really dig the uniqueness of the consistency of the cake, the oats add great substance. It’s moist and flavorful, barely any crumbles fell into my luxurious beard. The icing is also very good, it compliments the cake well. All in all this feels/tastes like a fall dessert, and I agree with Mike, this is one for the bakery.
October 28, 2011 at 1:40 pm
These are UNREAL. The frosting has a rich, malty flavor without being heavy, and the cake bursts with fall spices. This is the kind of cupcake people pay five bucks for.
- Hub Hubs
October 28, 2011 at 1:47 pm
Hmmm…maybe not $5…that’s pretty steep, even for Philly. I’d say a solid $3/$3.50
Glad you enjoyed them!
October 31, 2011 at 3:05 pm
Very good! The cake had a great flavor and texture. I was surprised at how well it held together considering all the oats and raisins. I always have trouble keeping things like raisins and chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom. These were evenly dispersed and gave every bite a delicious, chewy quality.
Frosting was perfect as usual. Definitely picked up the malt flavoring.
November 4, 2011 at 8:37 am
I’m torn on these. In terms of making a cupcake taste like an oatmeal raisin cookie, you nailed it. However, like 30-something Twilight fans, I think there’s something a bit perverse about the combination of cupcake and oatmeal raisin cookie. I don’t know if it was the gumminess of the oatmeal or the raisins (which, unlike most of the additives in your cakes, stood out in a slightly weird way), but I found eating it a little unnerving. In all likelihood this is just some weird tactile and expectancy thing on my part, so it’s no fault of yours or the cupcake. But since I have no faults it’s totally your fault.
On the other hand, the frosting? DO WANT. Whip that stuff up, dollop it on a heavy stout and leave it on my desk.
November 4, 2011 at 8:56 am
Haha … I hear you about the frosting. Insane right? The ice cream I made with the wort is amazing too … I should be meta and make an ice cream float out of it and a stout.