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.
2tablespooncream soda syrup(reduced to ½ cup from 2 cups cream soda)
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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.