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

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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
  9. In a mixer with a paddle attachment cream butter.
  10. Add confectioners’ sugar ½ cup at a time until you reach desired consistency. Mix in bourbon in to taste.
  11. Additionally you can drizzle with some caramel on top of the frosted cupcakes.
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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

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“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
  11. In a bowl fitted for an electric mixer cream the butter until smooth.
  12. Alternate the sugar and espresso and mix until smooth.
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21st Apr2011

Chocolate Dipped Coffeehouse Porter Cupcakes with Espresso Buttercream

by cupcakedaydreams

coffee collage

This past weekend we hosted a dinner birthday party for our friend Lauren at The Red House in Cambridge. As good cupcaketeers we made cupcakes as party favors for the guests. Naturally, she served as our inspiration—she loves chocolate, coffee, beer and to most of our dismay– cats! Not to eat or drink but as companionship.  Our original idea was to create a cupcake that looked like a cat. While this idea was cute in theory in practice it didn’t work out so well. Moral of the story— cats do not make cute cupcakes.

We decided on a chocolate cupcake flavored with Berkshire Brewery’s Coffeehouse Porter topped with an espresso buttercream and then dipped in candy chocolate. The result was a fluffy cake with a “full-bodied” rich coffee taste. The hard chocolate candy coating added texture but made the larger cupcakes a little more difficult to eat. The small bite size cupcakes were perfect with the candy coating. We decorated the cupcakes with a stylized “L” for Lauren and a little paw print for the tiny cupcakes.

Coffeehouse Porter 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 Berkshire Brewery Coffeehouse Porter

1 teaspoon vanilla

¾ cup sour cream

3 eggs, room temperature

  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 Porter 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. Frost after they have completely cooled.

Espresso Buttercream Frosting

6 tablespoons of butter, room temperature

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 ½ teaspoon instant espresso dissolved in 3 tablespoons of water

  1. In a bowl fitted for an electric mixer cream the butter until smooth.
  2. Alternate the sugar and espresso and mix until smooth.

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