These Cherry Root Beer Spice Cupcakes are a simple cupcake base with root beer concentrate and maraschino cherries blended in.
I have been looking for an excuse to use some of the Root Beer Concentrate I have in the pantry, and my son's teacher's birthday provided me with an opportunity to experiment with some cupcakes.
The Root Beer Float Cookies were awesome, but I went with something different and tossed in some maraschino cherries (complete with the syrup) for a nice pink hue for Valentine's Day. Then topped them with sprinkles and some heart shaped cherry jelly beans. Adorable and delicious!
The flavor is not overpowering root beer. The vanilla and spices in the concentrate gave them a great spice cake taste that we loved. But if you can't find it with the other extracts in your grocery store you can ask them to order it. Or if the thought of root beer flavored cupcakes doesn't thrill you, just use vanilla or almond extract instead.
Since the cupcakes were for his teacher, I forced J to help. And by forced I mean I said "Do you want to make cupcakes?" then quickly got out of the way as he ran to get his apron and toque.
We pulled out the Cake Boss: Recipes from Mia Famiglia cookbook and used the Vanilla Cake recipe as our starting point. I hope his teacher enjoyed them as much as I did.
Cherry Root Beer Spice Cupcakes
Ingredients
CUPCAKES
- 1 ½ cup cake flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon root beer concentrate
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 1 jar maraschino cherries (10 ounces)
ICING
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup butter
- 1 teaspoon root beer concentrate
- milk (for thinning the icing)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Remove 12 cherries from jar for decoration if desired. Chop remaining cherries and set aside. In a small sauce pan, cook down the cherry syrup to about one half it's starting volume.
- In a large bowl of stand mixer, add flour, sugar, vegetable oil, baking powder, root beer concentrate and salt. Using the paddle attachment, mix on low until combined. Scrape down sides of bowl, then beat on medium low for 1 minute.
- With the motor running add one egg at a time pausing in between until egg is thoroughly integrated. Scrape down sides of bowl, add chopped cherries then beat on medium low for 1 minute.
- Pour half of the reduced cherry syrup into a measuring cup, add enough milk to equal ½ cup. With the motor running on the mixer, slowly add the milk into the batter. Scrape down sides of bowl, then beat on medium low for 1 minute.
- Pour batter into the prepared cupcake pan. Bake until done, approximately 20 minutes.
- While cupcakes bake, combine powdered sugar, butter, root beer concentrate and remaining reduced cherry syrup. Add milk a tablespoon at a time until it reaches desired consistency. Put in refrigerator until ready to use.
- Remove cupcakes from oven and move to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- When cool, ice cupcakes and decorate with reserved cherries, sprinkles, etc.
Until next time, happy eating.
~Audrey
Nancy Laws (@chicmompreneur)
These look amazing, as always Audrey! #ibabloggers #pinned
Jamie
These sound so yummy!! Pinned it to try one day!
Meg
They look so good! Shared 🙂 #ibabloggers
Carolann
Those look great! I've been wanting a good cupcake recipe thank you! Pinned!
Michelle
Definitely pinning to my dessert board! Yum!
Lorelai @ Life With Lorelai
Looks like you guys had a great time creating your root beer cupcakes! The flavors sound delicious, and they are decorated really cute too. 🙂 Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty 🙂
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
Kim @ This Ole Mom
Wow! Your cupcakes look delicious. I'll have to try them out. Thanks for sharing your recipe. Pinning.
Christine from SoDomesticallyChallenged
oh. my. gosh. Those look amazing!
Leia @ Eat It & Say Yum
Yum, love cupcakes! Thanks for sharing at On Display Thursday!
Amberjane
Look amazing but I am not fond of root-beer if I am honest - but I do love cherry. Thanks for linking up to Pin Worthy Wednesday, I have pinned your post to the Pin Worthy Wednesday Pinterest Board.
Kelly @ Mum-bo-Jumbo
There are no words except Wow!!!! Thanks for linking up at #mum-bomonday
Jen @ The Halfway Homemaker
These look super yummy. Thanks for sharing with Tasty Tuesdays!
Lou Lou Girls
Hello cute lady! I’m loving it. Pinned and tweeted. Thank you so much for partying with us. I hope to see you tonight at 7 pm. We love to party with you! Happy Monday! Lou Lou Girls
Kayla
This sounds so awesome! Root beer is such an amazing taste and I bet it's wonderful in these cupcakes 🙂
Winnie
These look GOOD !!
It's been years since I've had root-beer 🙂 We don't have it here.
I'd looooooove to have one of your cupcakes now 🙂