IPA Cupcakes with IPA Honey Frosting
I was asked to share this recipe, so typing it up here seemed the most logical! I based it on this recipe: http://www.denveroffthewagon.com/2011/04/08/ipa-cupcakes-with-lavender-honey-frosting/
I Loved the lavender frosting and I’ve made them with that frosting before (they won an award at the MOBOT Trivia Night). However, this time I was making the cupcakes for a bunch of homebrewers. They’re not usually the lavender type. What follows is the recipe with all my alterations.
Cupcake:
2 1/3 cups all purpose flour (you could use cake to make it fluffier)
1 1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda (scant)
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 TBSP milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup IPA (something pretty floral and strong preferably). I also suggest letting it sit and get uncarbonated before mixing it in.
Frosting:
1 cup shortening (or butter, softened)
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
2 TBSP honey (scant)
4-5 TBSP IPA
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line your cupcake tin with liners or spray with non stick spray. I did half of these as mini-cupcakes without wrappers and they were the perfect size for these flavors!
In a small bowl, sift the flour, salt, and baking soda together. Set aside. In your large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy. Add the sugar and eggs. Beat on medium until combined. Mix in the milk, vanilla, and IPA until combined. Slowly add the flour mixture. The mixture might be a little thicker than normal cake batters, but it should still be pretty liquid.
Scoop out the batter into the cupcake tins. I filled mine about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full to get a slightly rounded top. Bake on the middle rack of the oven (15-20 minutes for full sized, about 8-10 minutes for minis). The are finished when a toothpick comes out of the center clean.
For the frosting, I used shortening for convenience sake because it’s already soft and I was limited on time. I’m going to try it with butter next time to see how it tastes.
Beat the shortening or butter until creamy. Add in the honey and then a little bit of sugar at a time. Alternate adding the sugar with the IPA. Feel free to add a little bit more IPA or honey and perhaps less sugar based on your taste preference. I did just under a full 2 TBSP of honey and upped the IPA because I wanted the punch.
Once the Cupcakes are cool, frost them carefully. I decorated mine with a sliced strawberry (and a pinch of hops for the homebrewers). The fruit works really well with the IPA.
What you’ll end up with is a slightly dense, moist cupcake with a bit of the floral IPA taste! (It pairs well with my husband’s IPA) Enjoy!
