Beer Me! Hefeweizen Cupcakes.

Yum, Yum.

You're probably reading the title of this post and saying to yourself: Seriously, Tori? Beer in cupcakes?  Trust me, you aren't the first one. But are you REALLY surprised? Any excuse to get booze in a cupcake and I'm there. You know this.

I think it's a pretty wonderful idea to have beer in a cupcake. Not just ANY beer, but one of my favorites. Good ol' Shocktop. This "Belgian white" beer (which is more of a hefeweizen beer to me) is quite similar to the consistency of Blue Moon but has more of that orange citrus flavor I so crave. I have seen quite a few Blue Moon cupcake recipes on the web so I knew my idea of trying Shocktop wouldn't be such a bad idea. These cupcakes turned out wickedly awesome!

The cake was moist, light and fruity, with hints of citrus and wheat. The frosting was nice and frothy (just like beer foam!!) Heck, they looked like mini Shocktops! And tasted like it!

a match made in heaven.

Shocktop Hefeweizen Cupcakes

**recipe adapted from Miss Make **

3/4 c unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 c sugar

2 1/2 c flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

3 drops red food coloring

4 drops yellow food coloring

1 tsp orange zest

1/2 tsp orange extract

1 cup Shocktop beer

1/4 c milk

small oranges slices for garnishing

The How To:

1. Line 24 cupcake trays with liners. (I would suggest white so the orange cake can peek through.)

2. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking power and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar a little bit at a time, beating well. Once it's all added beat for 2 more minutes.
3. Add eggs, beating until fully combined after each.
4. Add vanilla, food coloring, orange zest and orange extract and beat.
5. Mix beer and milk in a measuring cup. Alternatively add beer/milk mixture and then flour mixture to butter mixture in the large bowl, beating after each. End on the flour mixture.
6. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake for 18 minutes at 375 degrees until cupcakes are golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Once cool, frost each cupcake with a generous amount of frosting. Just before serving, garnish each with a small orange slice.

Frothy White Frosting

2 egg whites, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp orange juice

1 c sugar

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/3 c water

1/4 tsp orange extract

1. In a saucepan, mix sugar, water and cream of tartar. Cook on medium heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is bubbly.
2. In a large bowl, beat egg whites, vanilla and orange juice until soft peaks form. Slowly add hot sugar mixture, beating continuously. Beat for 7 minutes until stiff peaks form.

**Note: do NOT add the sliced oranges until you are ready to serve the cupcakes. I stupidly garnished them all and stored them for a day. The acid from the orange eats at the frosting and my cupcakes were NO good the next day because the frosting morphed. Learn from my mistakes ladies and gents!**



they're adorbs.

If you want a quirky cake that will impress your friends, take a stab at this recipe. They're super easy to make! I think they would make a great addition to a tailgate party, a backyard BBQ, or just for the heck of it ;)