Root Beer Cupcakes take all the goodness of a classic root beer float and bake it into cupcake form. Add a nostalgic paper straw to complete the look. All that’s missing is a soda fountain counter and swivel stools.
Recipe development is not always as wonderful as most people imagine it to be. My friends and family probably think I sit around eating cupcakes all day (which not gonna lie, somedays that does happen). But there are days where no recipe will work right, and you find yourself dreading tasting one more failed root beer dessert. That was what happened to me this week.
I knew I was going to do something dessert like with root beer, but I couldn’t decide what. So I tried Root Beer Float Popsicles. MAJOR FAIL. Then I tried a layer cake, but all it tasted like was chocolate – no root beer. Sure it was delicious (hellloooo, it was a chocolate cake — of course it was delicious), but it didn’t taste like rootbeer.
So, I moved on to cupcakes. I tried two different batches, with two different brands of root beer. I tried the good stuff and the cheap stuff…and the cupcakes all tasted like chocolate cupcakes with a very slight hint of hidden root beer.
So I eventually found myself at the store buying the one item I hoped I wouldn’t have to buy…Root Beer Concentrate. And guess what, delicious Root Beer Cupcakes with Root Beer Whipped Cream came together in a glorious Root Beer Float Cupcake.
I did still include a whole 1/2 cup of real root beer in the cupcakes (which leads to a delicious fluffy cake), but the root beer concentrate makes the cupcake. You can find it in the spice section by the other extracts. It’s not expensive and is so worth the final product!
Root Beer Float Cupcakes
Ingredients
Root Beer Cupcakes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon root beer concentrate
- ½ cup root beer
Root Beer Whipped Cream Icing
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup Dixie Crystals Confectioners Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon root beer concentrate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer, cream together butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, vegetable oil and root beer concentrate, mixing until combined. Then mix in flour mixture, alternating with root beer, mixing until smooth.
- Spoon batter into prepared tin, filling 3/4 full. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
- In bowl of a stand mixer, combine the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar. Using whisk attachment, mix on high for 1-2 minutes, or until soft peaks have formed.
- Add vanilla extract and root beer concentrate and beat for about a minute longer, or until stiff peaks have formed.
- Transfer whipped cream to a piping bag and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
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