Chocolate Cupcakes with a Beer and Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In the bowl of stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar, and mix until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, blending well after each egg. Add the vanilla and mix again.

In a separate bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.

In another bowl, combine the milk, coffee and the oil. With the mixer on low, add the dry and wet ingredients into the creamed mixture, a bit at a time, alternating between the two.

Line (20 or so) muffin tins with cupcake papers and fill each one about 3/4 of the way full (about 1/4 a cup of batter).

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the cupcakes spring back when touched. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, put the beer into a sauce pan over high heat and allow to boil until reduced by half. I used a Firestone Pale Ale, microbrews are great for this recipe but IPA’s may be too hoppy and “light/lite” beers won’t have enough flavor. Once it reduces, remove from heat and while the beer is still very hot, add the brown sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Note: If you don’t want to use beer, you can subsititute 1/2 cup of very hot water, and then mix with the brown sugar to make a brown sugar simple syrup. Allow to cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, salt and powdered sugar until combined. Add the room temperature beer mixture and mix slowly until mostly combined, then turn the mixer on high and whip until the frosting is fluffy and well combined.

Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes.

I prefer these at room temperature, but they are still pretty great chilled.