Chocolate Ale Cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Frosting

Remind me to never run errands on a weekend! I tried to go just a few places today and I found myself muttering obscenities the entire time. I decided to come home and find comfort in my two most favorite things… baked goods and beer! To celebrate the season finale of Game of Thrones tonight I picked up a bottle of Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale.. I figured it’s only appropriate since there’s at least a few hundred deaths every episode! The chocolate cake and fresh strawberry frosting makes for a delectable combination!

…..

(makes 16-18 cupcakes)

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar (I substituted one cup of regular sugar for Stevia to make them a little healthier)

1 ½ tsp baking soda

¾ tsp salt

¾ cup light sour cream

2 eggs

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

For strawberry frosting:

1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and cut in half

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 ½ cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin tin with paper liners.

(1.) In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour sugar, baking soda, and salt. (2.) In a large bowl, use an electric mixer, and cream together sour cream and eggs until smooth. (3.) In a medium sauce pan, heat butter, vanilla extract, and beer over medium to high heat. (4.) Bring to a simmer and then whisk in cocoa powder until well mixed.

(5.) Remove from heat and add to sour cream and egg mixture. Stir until just combined. (6.) Slowly add flour mixture and stir until all ingredients are mixed. (7.) Fill muffin cups about ¾ of the way full with batter and place in the oven. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (8.) Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and place on cooling rack for an additional 10-15 minutes.

While you wait for your cupcakes to bake and cool, start on the frosting!

Place strawberries in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a small sauce pan and heat over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir every few minutes for 20 minutes. Puree should reduce by at least half. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

In a medium sized bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer until fluffy.

Mix in 1 cup of sugar until blended. Beat in half of the strawberry puree and 1 tsp of vanilla extract until blended.

Beat in another cup of sugar, followed by remaining strawberry puree. Slowly beat in remaining 1 ½ cups of sugar until mixed. Transfer frosting into a zip-lock bag with the corner tip cut off or a pastry bag and frost cupcakes.

Serve right away or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy!