Indulge in the nostalgic and unique flavors of Root Beer Cupcakes, a delightful twist on a classic dessert. These cupcakes capture the essence of the beloved soda in a light, fluffy form, topped with a creamy and irresistible Cream Soda Buttercream Frosting.
Try my Orange Crush soda cupcakes and chocolate pecan slab pie bars.
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Perfect for parties, family gatherings, or simply as a treat to satisfy your sweet tooth, these cupcakes promise to take your baking adventures to a whole new level of deliciousness.
🥘 Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour: 2 cups
- Baking Powder: 2 teaspoons
- Baking Soda: ½ teaspoon
- Salt: ¼ teaspoon
- Light Brown Sugar: ½ cup, packed
- Eggs: 2 large, room temperature
- Vegetable Oil: ¼ cup
- Almond Extract: 1 ½ teaspoons
- Vanilla Extract: 1 teaspoon
- Root Beer Syrup: ½ cup (reduced from 2 cups of root beer)
- Root Beer Soda: 1 cup, room temperature
Cream Soda Buttercream Frosting Ingredients
- Butter: ½ cup, room temperature
- Confectioners Sugar: 1 ½ cups
- Vanilla Extract: 1 teaspoon
- Heavy Whipping Cream: 2 tablespoons
- Cream Soda Syrup: 2 tablespoons (reduced from 2 cups of cream soda)
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Root Beer Cupcakes
This recipe will yield 12 cupcakes and enough buttercream frosting for all.
Instructions for Cupcakes
Cupcake Top Tip
The key to the unique flavor of these cupcakes lies in the soda reduction. Be patient while simmering the root beer and cream soda. The goal is to concentrate the flavors without burning the liquid. Let the reductions cool completely before using them in the recipe.
- Soda Reduction: Start with 2 bottles (20 oz each) of root beer and 1 bottle (20 oz) of cream soda. Reduce each soda from 2 cups to ½ cup by simmering for about 30 minutes. Let the reductions cool to room temperature. Refrigerate the reduced cream soda syrup for the frosting.
- Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease or line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. This recipe typically makes 12-14 cupcakes.
- Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, beat brown sugar, eggs, and oil. Add reduced root beer syrup, almond extract, and vanilla extract, mixing until combined.
- Combine: Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until just incorporated. Add the root beer soda and mix to achieve an even batter consistency.
- Bake: Fill each cupcake liner ⅔ to ¾ full with batter. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Instructions for Frosting
Frosting Top Tip
For the cream soda buttercream, adjust the amount of cream soda syrup and heavy cream to achieve the right consistency. It should be firm enough to hold its shape but still creamy and spreadable.
- Buttercream Base: Beat room temperature butter until creamy and fluffy.
- Adding Ingredients: Gradually add cream soda syrup and confectioners sugar, alternating with heavy cream. Start with a drizzle of cream soda syrup and ½ cup of confectioners sugar, followed by a drizzle of heavy cream and another half cup of sugar. Repeat until all sugar is added. Adjust the consistency to be firm but fluffy, suitable for piping.
- Frosting Cupcakes: Use a Wilton 21 piping tip to frost the cupcakes. Start in the center, swirl out to the edges, then spiral up to a peak. Optionally, drizzle with cream soda syrup.
- Final Touch: Optionally, sprinkle with finely pulsed root beer barrel candy dust for decoration.
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure your eggs and butter are at room temperature before starting. This helps to achieve a smoother batter and frosting.
- Mixing the Batter: When combining the wet and dry ingredients, mix until just incorporated. Overmixing can lead to dense cupcakes.
- Consistent Cupcake Size: Use a cookie scoop or measuring cup to fill the cupcake liners. This ensures that all cupcakes are the same size and bake evenly.
- Checking for Doneness: Use a toothpick to check if the cupcakes are done. Insert it into the center of a cupcake; it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cooling: Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. This helps them set and makes them easier to remove without breaking.
- Piping the Frosting: If you're new to piping, practice a few swirls on parchment paper before starting on the cupcakes. This helps you get a feel for the pressure and motion needed.
- Decorative Touches: The optional root beer barrel candy dust adds a fun and flavorful finish. You can also consider other decorations like sprinkles or a small drizzle of additional root beer syrup for extra flair.
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📖 Recipe Card
Root Beer Cupcakes with Cream Soda Buttercream Frosting
Indulge in the nostalgic and unique flavors of Root Beer Cupcakes, a delightful twist on a classic dessert. These cupcakes capture the essence of the beloved soda in a light, fluffy form, topped with a creamy and irresistible Cream Soda Buttercream Frosting.
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories: 302kcal
Prep 40 minutes
Cooking 18 minutes
Total Time 58 minutes
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Ingredients
Root Beer Cupcakes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup root beer syrup (reduced to ½ cup from 2 cups root beer)
- 1 cup root beer soda (room temperature)
Cream Soda Buttercream Frosting
- ½ cup butter (room temperature)
- 1 ½ cups confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoon cream soda syrup (reduced to ½ cup from 2 cups cream soda)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
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Instructions
Root Beer Cupcakes
- I started out with 2 20 oz bottles of root beer and 1 20 oz bottle of cream soda; you will need almost an entire bottle for the reductions (you can also use root beer extract if you have it available, or the soda syrups used in homemade soda or Italian sodas). Reduce each soda down from 2 cups to a ½ cup by simmering for approximately 30 minutes.
- Set your reductions aside to come to room temperature, then refrigerate the reduced cream soda syrup for use in the buttercream frosting.
- Preheat your oven to 350℉ (175℃) and grease or line your muffin pan with cupcake liners. (this recipe usually makes 12-14 cupcakes)
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and use a fork to combine the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the brown sugar, eggs, and oil. Add the reduced root beer soda syrup, almond, and vanilla extracts and mix until combined.
- Add the flour mixture (I like to add it in gradually while mixing the batter) until the dry ingredients are just incorporated into the wet batter and the batter is thick. Add the root beer soda and mix just enough to get an even batter consistency.
- Divide the batter between your cupcake liners, filling each about ⅔ to ¾ full, then bake for 16-18 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool for about 5 minutes before removing from the muffin pan to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
Cream Soda Buttercream Frosting
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat the room-temperature butter until creamy and fluffy. Incorporate the cream soda, heavy cream, and confectioners sugar gradually by adding a drizzle of the cream soda reduced syrup (and the vanilla extract when starting), then a half cup of the confectioners' sugar. Followed by a drizzle of the heavy cream with a half cup of the confectioners' sugar.
- Repeat until the confectioners' sugar has all been added. You may or may not need all of the liquid (cream soda syrup and heavy cream; if you have a little left over, that's fine). When you have all of the confectioners' sugar added, you need a firm but fluffy consistency that will pipe onto your cupcakes well.
- Frost the cupcakes using a Wilton 21 piping tip by starting in the center and swirling out to the edges of the cupcake, then spiraling up and into a peak. Drizzle cream soda syrup over the cupcakes, if desired. Pulse root beer barrels in a food processor to make a fine, sugary dust (optional) to sprinkle on top.
Nutrition
Calories: 302kcal (15%) | Carbohydrates: 40g (13%) | Protein: 3g (6%) | Fat: 14g (22%) | Saturated Fat: 9g (56%) | Cholesterol: 59mg (20%) | Sodium: 180mg (8%) | Potassium: 115mg (3%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 24g (27%) | Vitamin A: 324IU (6%) | Calcium: 49mg (5%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)
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