Pum is King

 

It’s pretty accepted around here that Southern Tier is the best widely-available pumpkin beer out there.   A lot of breweries whip up something special for the October month and many of those one-offs are delicious but it’s nothing like waiting for Pumking to come out every year, and the first one of the season is always an indication that fall is truly here.

So, logically, I put it into some cupcakes.  Clearly this was not so I could drink the rest…

 

This recipe comes out so spongy and delicious, maybe it’s because it uses a box cake mix – GASP!  The icing calls for 4 C. Confectioner’s sugar (holy shit!) but I put in about half of that.  I like to be able to taste the cream cheese in the icing before my teeth start throbbing.  In the interest of time, I did not make the topping, however it looked amazing.  Thank you Snappy Gourmet for posting the recipe!

 

Ingredients

• Cake:
• 1 (18.25oz) yellow cake mix
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 3/4 cup pumpkin ale
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• Frosting:
• 2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• Streusel:
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (such as walnuts or pecans)
• 1/4 brown sugar (or granulated sugar)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 muffin pans with 24 paper liners.
2. Add cake mix to large mixing bowl. Add pumpkin, beer, eggs, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Stir or whisk until just combined. Spoon batter evenly into prepared pans.
3. Bake cupcakes for about 19-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean. Cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, prepare streusel but mixing together flour, nuts, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in small bowl. Cut in 6 tablespoons butter with pastry blender or knives until mixture is crumbly. Spread out on a large baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or silpat (or aluminum foil).
5. Bake streusel at 350 degrees F for about 20-30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so, or until desired crunchiness. Cool completely.
6. For frosting, beat together cream cheese and 1/2 cup butter with electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Beat in vanilla. Slowly beat in powdered sugar until desired sweetness and consistency.
7. To assemble, frost cooled cupcakes as desired and top with streusel crumbles. Store cupcakes in fridge but let sit at room temperature a few minutes before serving for best results.