NASCAR Cupcakes - Salt and Vinegar Pork Rind Cupcakes with a Beer Glaze

This NASCAR cupcake is for Nanette Biddle Taylor who posted the following on the Cupcake Project Facebook Page last week:

Might I suggest some type of NASCAR-themed cupcake in honor of the start of the racing season at Daytona in less than 10 days??? I'm having withdrawals and can't wait for Daytona.

After seeing Nanette's request, I polled the Cupcake Project Facebook Community to see what types of food you thought best represented NASCAR.  Beer was the clear winner!  I've been around that track before.  If you want a beer cupcake, check out my beer cheese cupcakes, Hefeweizen (wheat beer) cupcakes, or my cupcakes with a built-in cup for beer.  Another popular food on the list was hot dogs; if you want to make a hot dog cupcake for NASCAR, I've got a recipe for that as well.  So, I was forced to race toward another popular suggestion - pork rinds!

Hipster Cupcakes - Vegan PBR Cupcakes with Vegan Buttercream Frosting

I'm someone who always smiles for photos, rarely wears skinny jeans, and has never worn glasses just for style.  I'm so not a hipster that I had to ask the staff at Plato's Closet to tell me what to wear for this shoot.  I felt like someone else as I posed by this beat up door (compliments of Clover Hill Interiors) for my hipster cupcake shoot.  But, playing dress up was fun (those of you who have seen my Wild West cupcakes and my absinthe cupcakes know that I don't shy away from costumes).  Many of us dress up for Halloween, but I encourage you to play with new looks throughout the year - you might just discover one that fits more than you expect it to.  I'm going to wear the hat again - for real, not as a costume - and I've already worn the jeans quite a few times.

Dressing up is extra fun if you can get the kids into the act.

What About the Hipster Cupcakes?

The hipster cupcakes are vegan Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) cupcakes made with my vegan buttercream.  (See the article on Quora to learn how PBR became known as the hipster drink of choice.)  The PBR flavor comes through in the cupcakes just enough for you to know it is there, but not quite enough to make you feel like you are eating beer.  It's tempered by brown sugar, and once frosted, the PBR cupcakes end up being something you'll sit on your front stoop snacking on while chatting about the latest indie music. 

Hipster Cupcake Recipe

Yield: 10 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup PBR
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• vegan frosting (get the recipe in my vegan frosting post)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together PBR, apple cider vinegar, sugar and oil until slightly frothy.
3. Mix in the flour, baking soda, and baking powder until just combined.  
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until cupcakes bounce back when lightly touched.
5. When cool, frost with vegan buttercream.

More Hipster Fun


For more hipster fun, head over to Best Friends for Frosting to see a guest post from my friend Brooke (of Sucre Shop fame).  She's prepared just the thing to serve with these cupcakes!

Hefeweizen (Wheat Beer) Cupcakes

I'm in puppy love with my Hefeweizen cupcakes.  Maybe it's because I've been on a quest to find the Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake and the past 15 or so cupcake recipes I've made have been some variety of vanilla, or maybe these Hefeweizen cupcakes really are just that good.  If you are a beer fan (I'm talking about the kind of person who drinks beer for the taste, not chugs for the buzz), and you like wheat beer, you will truly appreciate this cupcake.  With beer in both the cupcake and the glaze, these cupcakes have a noticeable beer flavor.  The cupcakes also contain a touch of lemon as though you squeezed some into your bottle.  

Beer cupcakes are typically heavy and manly.  The beer cupcakes I've created in the past are no exception.  I've done a beer cheese cupcake with bacon cheddar frosting (trust me on this one - it is a fan favorite), chocolate stout cupcakes, and Trappist cupcakes with a Trappist-style cheese.  Unlike those, these Hefeweizen cupcakes are beer cupcakes for the summer.  They are moist, fresh-tasting, and just the snack to tide you over while you're waiting for your burgers to finish on the grill.

Want More Details and the Recipe?

You'll have to head over to Jenn's blog, Beantown Baker, where you can read a guest post that I wrote.  While you're there, be sure to take a look around.  Not only does Jenn have a wealth of great posts of her own, but she's been having guest bloggers each Friday.  Check out all of her Friday Favs to discover new, fun blogs to read.

The Devil and The Monk

The story of The Devil and The Monk Cupcakes begins in 1812 with a beer...

Beer Cheese Cupcakes with Bacon Cheddar Cream Cheese Frosting: The Ultimate Super Bowl Cupcake

Beer and cheese dip show up at every Super Bowl party. Beer cheese Super Bowl cupcakes are sure to be a new and unique (to say the least) addition to the same old thing. Oh, and let's not forget that these Super Bowl cupcakes are topped with bacon and cheddar cream cheese frosting. Can you say artery clogging?

Beer Cheese Super Bowl Cupcake Review

The house smelled amazing throughout the entire cupcake process. First, there were smells of beer and cheese. It basically smelled like beer cheese soup. Then, there were smells of bacon.

The taste was sweet and smoky with a hint of beer.

But, Don't Let Your Super Bowl Cupcake Baking Stop Here

Read on for the beer cheese Super Bowl Cupcake recipe, but be sure to also check out my buffalo chicken cupcakes and my chocolate cupcakes baked inside of egg shells that look like footballs.

Beer Cheese Super Bowl Cupcake Recipe

I came up with the recipe by modifying the recipe I used for chocolate stout cupcakes which was a modification of Big City, Little Kitchen's Guinness cupcakes.

Yield: About 18 cupcakes

• 1 cup beer (I used Bud Select. I'm not usually a Bud gal, but they do sponsor the Super Bowl, so I had to go there.)
• 1 stick, plus 1 tb, unsalted butter
• 1 cup grated cheddar (I'd go for the good stuff here. Get something nice and sharp, not the cheap stuff that comes shredded in a bag.)
• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 tb vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking soda

1. Heat beer and butter in a large saucepan on medium-high heat until butter is melted.
2. Add cheddar. 
3. Remove from heat, and whisk in the sugar.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla.
5. Mix the sour cream mixture into the beer mixture. 
6. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda.
7. Fold flour mixture into the batter. 
8. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 fill.
9. Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes, or until inserted cake tester comes out clean.

Bacon Cheddar Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

• 8oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup grated cheddar
• 1 cup bacon bits (I made my own by cooking some bacon in a glass pan in the microwave for 3 minutes between paper towels and food processing it.)

1. Beat cream cheese and butter until creamy. 
2. Add grated cheddar.
3. Slowly mix in powdered sugar. 
4. Stir in bacon bits.

How to Make Football Cupcake Toppers

I learned how to make football cupcake toppers from a post on Team Sugar. It's simply a chocolate covered almond with white decorator gel on it. It's so easy and so cute!

Final Words on the Super Bowl

Since St. Louis isn't in the game, I've got to cheer for NY. Go NY GO! FYI - The only reason I know NY is even in the game is because my friend mentioned it in her Super Bowl party invitation.

If You Like the Concept of Bacon in Cupcakes

You may also want to consider:

• Vanilla Garlic's Maple Bacon Cupcakes with with Maple Frosting
• Cupcake Bakeshop's Sweet Corn, Maple, and Bacon Cupcakes
• Ooh you tasty little things' Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies with Maple Cinnamon Glaze

Hmm... did I miss the memo that all bacon desserts must have maple?


If You Like the Concept of Beer in Cupcakes

You may also want to consider:

• Chocolate Stout Cupcakes 
• Trappist Cupcakes
• Hefeweizen Cupcakes
• Big City, Little Kitchen's Guinness Cupcakes

Happy Super Bowl!