Root Beer Float Cupcakes

It’s been a while since I’ve made cupcakes, and I’ve been really itching to create a new recipe. So many ideas floating in the back of my head!  I was all set to work on a Mango recipe today, but many baking websites I came across suggested that plain mangos don’t give enough flavor.  So I ordered some Mango extract, and that will have to be my next project!

I did have everything I needed to work on a root beer flavored cupcake though, so that’s what I worked on today! Since I love vanilla so much, I thought a root beer float cupcake would be even more fun.   I used Barrel Brothers root beer, which we picked up in California, and I used real vanilla beans and organic honey to give it an old fashioned natural flavor.

The root beer flavor in the cupcakes turned out to be nice and light.  You can taste the root beery flavor, and the vanilla, but it’s not overpowering or as strong as the sweet treat beverage would be.  I think it’s how a root beer float cupcake should be! It is a fun dessert!

 

Root Beer Float Cupcake

 

For the Root Beer Cake: 

1 Cup Butter

1 12 oz Can or Bottle Root Beer

2 Eggs

1 Tsp Vanilla

1/2 Tsp Root Beer Flavor

1 1/4 Cup Sugar

2 Tbsp Honey

1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

1 Tsp Baking Powder

3 1/4 Cups Cake Flour

Brown Food Coloring (optional)

 

For the Vanilla Cake:

1/2 Cup Butter

1/2 Cup Sugar

1 Tsp Vanilla

1/2 Vanilla Bean Scraped

1 Egg

1 Cup Cake Flour

1/3 Cup Buttermilk

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.   Prepare cupcake tins.  This recipe makes about 30 regular sized cupcakes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugar and vanilla.  Mix well.  Beat in eggs, honey and root beer flavoring.  Mix in root beer.  Add in the flour, baking powder and soda a little at a time, beating well after each addition.   Set aside.

In a smaller mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for vanilla cake, and beat until smooth.  Set aside the remaining half vanilla bean for the frosting

Fill each cupcake tin about half full with root beer cake batter.   Add a small dollop of vanilla cake batter to the top of each cupcake. They should end up being approximately 3/4 full.  Bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes, or until firm to the touch.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.

For the Frosting:

4 Cups Powdered Sugar

1 Cup Butter

1 Tbsp Milk

1/2 Vanilla Bean

1 Tsp Vanilla extract

1 Tsp Root Beer Flavor

Brown Food coloring (optional)

 

Beat together Butter and half the powdered sugar.  Beat in the vanilla bean seeds.  Mix in the remaining powdered sugar and the milk (if needed).    Take this frosting mixture and do a base coating of vanilla frosting on each cupcake.  Once this is done, mix in the root beer flavoring, vanilla extract and brown coloring.  Top off each cupcake with a dollop or kiss of this vanilla root beer frosting!

 

Root Beer Float Cupcakes

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