Pumpkin Ale Cupcakes with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

 

First off: I know these are far from grain free (or even vegan, like my usual posts) but hey, not everyone is perfect. Irregardless, these cupcakes are amazing and worth every bite. I have made cupcakes using Guinness and dark chocolate in the past, and they have always turned out wonderfully. Today when I found a plethora of pumpkin-flavored products at the grocery store, including the new seasonal pumpkin wheat Shock Top, I just had to figure out something to bake. So I created this recipe to keep the beer and cupcakes theme alive through fall!

What you'll need:

(You don't actually need the coffee... but how delicious does THAT sound?)

Makes 12 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

• 6 oz Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat (or any other pumpkin ale)
• 1 stick butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 
  

For the icing:

• 1 (8 oz) packet of cream cheese, softened
• 1 stick of butter, softened 
• 3/4 to 1 cup confectioners sugar (you may adjust this based on your sweetness preferences)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 teaspoon caramel sauce (homemade or store bought), plus extra for drizzling 
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, for garnishing

**For the caramel, I made my own... but it burns very easily on the stove if you aren't extremely attentive when making it, so I would recommend a store bought version.

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F.  Line your cupcake pan with papers, or grease with oil. In a medium skillet or sauce pan, melt your butter cubes over medium heat. Add the pumpkin ale, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. In a separate bowl with an electric mixer, beat the egg, greek yogurt, and pumpkin puree together until smooth. Add this to the butter-ale-mixture and stir.

3. Add the butter-ale mixture to the flour mixture, and beat until combined. Divide the batter evenly amongst a 12-cupcake tin. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a knife inserted into the cupcake comes out evenly.

4. While your cupcakes are baking, prepare your icing. With an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese and butter together. Add the vanilla and caramel, and mix until combined. Place in refrigerator to cool.

5. When your cupcakes are done baking, allow them to cool on a baking rack for about 20 minutes. Once your cupcakes and icing are cool, ice your cupcakes. Drizzle with caramel sauce and sprinkle with cinnamon. Enjoy!