20th Mar2012

Innis and Gunn Beer Cupcakes

by cupcakedaydreams

Innis and Gunn Beer Cupcakes

In the last installment of our “Beer Cupcake” series I wanted to incorporate my all-time favorite beer, Innis and Gunn. It’s a Scottish beer and their flagship flavor is beer that has been aged in old bourbon barrels – do I REALLY need to say anything more? If that doesn’t make you want to go out and try it—it has a golden honey color, soothing oak flavor with hints of vanilla and toffee—a perfect candidate for a vanilla based cupcake. They also have a flavor that has been aged in old rum barrels–this is seriously an addicting beer.

I paired this with a basic buttercream flavored with bourbon but a caramel frosting would also be perfect with this cake!

Innis and Gunn beer cupcake

Innis and Gunn Beer Cupcakes

Ingredients

    Innis and Gunn Beer Cakes
  • 2 3/4 cups Flour
  • 1 2/3 cups sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 4 large eggs whites plus 1 whole large egg
  • 1 cup Innis and Gunn beer
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Bourbon Buttercream
  • 2 sticks of butter, room temperature
  • 3-4 cups of confectioners’ sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons bourbon

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
  2. Line 2 standard cupcake pans
  3. In a mixer with a paddle attachment combine all of the dry ingredients and mix until blended.
  4. Add the butter and continue mixing until crumbly
  5. Add the egg whites one tablespoon at a time, then the whole egg, beating well after each addition.
  6. In a bowl or measuring cup combine the Innis and Gunn beer with the vanilla.
  7. Add the beer mixture, 1/3 at a time, to the batter. Beat 1 to 2 minutes after each addition, until fluffy.
  8. Fill the cups about 3/4ths full and bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick/cake test comes out clean.
  9. For Bourbon Buttercream frosting
  10. In a mixer with a paddle attachment cream butter.
  11. Add confectioners’ sugar ½ cup at a time until you reach desired consistency. Mix in bourbon in to taste.
  12. Additionally you can drizzle with some caramel on top of the frosted cupcakes.
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http://www.cupcakedaydreams.com/blog/2012/03/20/innis-and-gunn-beer-cupcakes/

04th Mar2012

“Flaming” Stout Beer Cupcakes

by cupcakedaydreams

stout beer cupcake flame

My go to chocolate cake is by far any one that incorporates a dark rich beer; it really enhances the cocoa flavor and it’s always a crowd pleaser. I recently made these for a birthday party and wanted to give it a new twist, that cake itself is already great so didn’t want to mess with that. I was trying to think of an “adult” birthday candle and immediately thought of the 151 rum flames that are found on scorpion bowls at tiki bars.

You can really use this concept on any flavor cupcake because frankly the strawberry (or any other fruit vessel you choose to use) itself is pretty intense with the 151 and unlikely that anyone would want to actually drink/eat it. As I mentioned before I’m admittedly pretty worthless when it comes to liquor knowledge. I had no idea that 151 is not commonly drunk and after smelling it I know why… works great as catalyst for a birthday flame though!

Once you have frosted the cupcakes, simply hull a strawberry and carve out an inverted cone (careful not to cut through the berry). Place the strawberry on top of the frosting and carefully fill with 151 and light on fire. Since the well in the berry is so small it’s easiest to fill it once you have the cupcake placed in its final destination (read: it’s hard as heck to move it once you have the 151 in it).

stout beer cupcake flame trio

“Flaming” Stout Beer Cupcakes

Ingredients

    For the Stout Beer Cake
  • 2 cups flours
  • 2 cups sugar
  • ¾ cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 12 oz your favorite Stout, I used the Brooklyn Brewery Chocolate Stout
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ¾ cup sour cream or vanilla yogurt
  • 3 eggs, room temperature
  • For the Espresso Buttercream Frosting
  • 6 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
  • 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoon instant espresso dissolved in 3 tablespoons of water

Instructions

    For the Stout Beer Cake
  1. Preheat oven 350 degrees.
  2. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.
  3. In a saucepan over medium heat the Porter, butter and vanilla. Stir until butter is melted.
  4. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
  5. In a bowl fitted for an electric mixer combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda and whisk until thoroughly combined.
  6. Add the cooled Stout mixture in three batches until fully combined.
  7. Mix in sour cream until incorporated.
  8. Add eggs in one at a time.
  9. Divide batter among cups, about 3/4ths full.
  10. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  11. For the Espresso Buttercream Frosting
  12. In a bowl fitted for an electric mixer cream the butter until smooth.
  13. Alternate the sugar and espresso and mix until smooth.
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http://www.cupcakedaydreams.com/blog/2012/03/04/flaming-stout-beer-cupcakes/

26th Feb2012

Raspberry Lambic Beer Cupcakes

by cupcakedaydreams

raspberry lambic beer cupcakes

Admittedly, I’ve never been much of a drinker which definitely changed after I started dating a semiprofessional Irish drinker. In the beginning, you could not pay me to drink me beer—that is until I was handed a Belgium Lambic. What kind self-respecting sugar addict would NOT like this sweet brew? That’s all it took to get me hooked. Lagers, ales, porters, stouts—dark, pale, whatever… I was on board. Not only did I begin to enjoy them but slowly began to CRAVE them. We may or may not have hit up the Guinness brewery at 10 in the morning (immediately following a nonstop day of traveling to Dublin and on no sleep).

So to kick off a trio of beer cupcake recipes (more to come in the next couple of weeks) is an ode to my gateway beer, a raspberry Lambic cupcake. These cupcakes turned out better than I could have hoped for. The cake is light, moist and surprisingly there is a fizziness/carbonated quality to them. The raspberry garnish also serves as a nice little cup for a sip of the beer.

raspberry lambic beer with bottle

Raspberry Lambic Beer Cupcakes

Ingredients

    Raspberry Lambic Cake
  • 2 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup raspberry Lambic beer
  • 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • Raspberry Lambic Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2-3 cups powdered sugar
  • 10-15 fresh raspberries (more for garnish if desired)
  • 2 tablespoons raspberry Lambic beer (or to taste/texture preference)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees
  2. Line 2 standard cupcake pans
  3. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, whisk until smooth
  4. In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, set aside
  5. In a mixer with a paddle attachment cream the butter until smooth
  6. Once the butter is smooth slowly add butter while continuing to mix
  7. Continue to cream the butter and sugar mixture until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes), occasionally stopping to scrape the butter down the sides of the bowl
  8. Begin to add the eggs one tablespoon at a time, again stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat until smooth and the sugar has been fully incorporated (it shouldn’t be sandy in texture)
  9. By hand mix in about 1/4 of the dry mixture with a rubber spatula and then alternate with 1/3 of the beer mixture until completed
  10. Fill cups about 3/4ths full and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cake should be light and fluffy!
  11. For the Raspberry Lambic Cream Cheese Frosting
  12. Combine cream cheese and unsalted butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
  13. Whip until soft and creamy.
  14. Add the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time alternating with the raspberry Lambic beer until the frosting is your desired consistency. The more sugar you add the thicker/sweeter the frosting will be. Alternately, the more beer you add the thinner the frosting will be.
  15. Once you’ve reached your desired consistency on medium speed mix in all fresh raspberries – the mixer will break up the berries and speckle the frosting.
  16. Frost cupcakes and garnish with a fresh raspberry, I even put in a bit of the beer into the raspberry cavity!
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http://www.cupcakedaydreams.com/blog/2012/02/26/raspberry-lambic-beer-cupcakes/

raspberry lambic beer cupcake