This week has been a semi-mess. Monday I woke up with a very sore throat, but figured I’d power through the day–but on Tuesday I woke up to tonsils the size of golfballs and it felt like I was constantly swallowing glass. I stayed home, saw the doctor and had exactly what I expected: Strep throat. I was ordered to stay home from work for a couple of days and did my best to relax, but wasn’t able to sleep or do much more other than feel like crap. So I recipe-planned.
For this week’s cupcake, I wanted something super flavorful, but not too heavy. I looked around at some other root beer cupcake recipes, but didn’t want to use chocolate or actual root beer soda. Instead, I converted my favorite vanilla cake recipe and used some of my newly purchased root beer concentrate. The result? A cupcake that smells like root beer, and tastes like it too!
To add to the lightness of the cake, I cored the middle and filled it with a homemade root beer whipped cream. And because I described these cupcakes to my taste testers as root beer floats, I knew I wanted to use vanilla for the frosting … but couldn’t bring myself to simply plop some vanilla buttercream on top. My solution: streak the piping bag with the root beer concentrate (this was very messy and done over the sink), then fill with vanilla frosting. It added a wonderful visual effect and gives a real boost to the frosting’s flavor.
The nice thing about this recipe is you can either go all out like I did, or simplify it by only making the root beer cupcakes and topping with vanilla frosting. Versatility is a good thing.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and position the racks toward the center. Line cupcake pans with papers.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.
Whisk the egg for 20 seconds, then add the sugar and whisk an additional 30 seconds until thick and frothy.
Add the oil, vanilla and root beer concentrate and beat until combined. Alternate the flour mixture and buttermilk and beat until combined.
Divide the batter between 15 wrappers in cupcake tins and bake for 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack completely before coring and frosting.
For the whipped cream, thoroughly clean and chill your mixing bowl for 10-15 minutes first. Add the whipping cream to the bowl and, using the whisk attachment, whip until peaks form. Add the sugar and root beer concentrate and whip to combine. Chill until you're ready to fill the cupcakes.
For the frosting, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add 1 cup of sugar, beating until combined. Add the vanilla. Finally, add the remaining sugar gradually and whip until light and fluffy.
To assemble the cupcakes, core them and pipe the root beer whipped cream into the centers. Fit your piping bag with your tip of choice (I used an extra large round tip) and streak the inside of the bag with root beer concentrate (do this over a sink, it's messy). Add the vanilla frosting and pipe onto the cupcakes. Enjoy!
https://cupcakefridayproject.com/2012/03/root-beer-float-cupcakes/
March 23, 2012 at 9:29 am
That was amazing!!!! I can not get over the perfection of everything about this cupcake. And I’m not even a huge fan of Root beer?! The flavor was spot on. Well done!
March 23, 2012 at 1:57 pm
Dear god that was amazing!
March 23, 2012 at 2:07 pm
Yay! I’m so glad your first CFP experience was good
I’ll put you on the weekly email list so you’ll always have the scoop!
March 23, 2012 at 2:24 pm
I do love root bear, although I have good root beer so rarely. Anyone remember Snapple’s? Anyhow…
Welcome Emily, and you couldn’t have chosen a better week. This one was awesome, especially, as usual, the icing. Perfect texture on the filling. Perfect overall for this early warm weather.
April 18, 2012 at 6:41 pm
I made these cupcakes this past weekend and they were incredible. They were so light…which I wasn’t at all expecting. I think they would make a great summer dessert.
April 20, 2012 at 8:14 am
Thanks Kelly! Glad they came out well
They are definitely a crowd pleaser.
April 30, 2014 at 1:50 pm
Came across this recipe on Pinterest and cannot wait to try it! Unfortunately I am having one helluva time finding root beer concentrate in stores! I do, however, have some SodaStream root beer syrup…think this will work as well?? Thank you!
April 30, 2014 at 2:20 pm
I understand completely! I ordered mine on Amazon. I think the SodaStream syrup should work…is it watery, or a little thick? If it’s not watery, then you can definitely use it to stripe your piping bag for the frosting. And either will work to flavor the cupcake (taste test your batter and keep adding until the flavor is right). Good luck!!!
May 1, 2014 at 1:41 pm
Thank you so much for the quick response! Yes, the SodaStream syrup is thick. I am going to order some concentrate online, and I will try both
May 1, 2014 at 4:11 pm
You’re very welcome! And this is the brand I ordered on Amazon:
Also, send me photos of your finished cupcakes and I’ll post them on the site! I love seeing people bake my recipes