You don't have to be a beer and pretzel type of person to enjoy these cupcakes. The sweet and salty flavors are combined to make a tasty treat. If you don't want to use beer, use hot coffee instead. If a less dramatic look is what is wanted, chop the pre
Cake:
1 cu. (4.5 ounces) all purpose flour
1 cu. plus 2 tbl. (7.3 ounces) sugar
1/3 cu. plus 2 tbl.(1.5 ounces) Unsweetened Natural Cocoa Powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp.salt
1/2 cu. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and warm
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cu. Guinness Stout
Ganache Frosting:
3/4 cu. heavy cream
4 tbl. butter
1/4 tsp. vegetable oil
14 oz. chocolate, chopped
Pretzel Topping:
12 pretzel sticks
2 oz. chocolate, melted
2 oz. caramel, warmed
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
Put flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, mix thoroughly to combine. Add in butter, eggs, and vanilla, beat on medium speed for one minute. Add 1/4 cu. of beer into the mixture and beat for 20 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl, add in remaining beer. Beat for 20-30 seconds until the batter is smooth. The batter will be thin enough to pour.
Divide evenly among the lined cups. Bake 18-22 minutes just until a toothpick inserted into a few of the cupcakes comes out clean. Set the pan on a rack to cool. Frost the cupcakes when they are completely cool.
TIP: For light tender cupcakes, spoon flour and cocoa lightly into measuring cups (instead of dipping the cups into the flour or cocoa) and then sweep the measures level without tapping or shaking them.
To make ganache frosting
Bring heavy cream, butter and vegetable oil to a light boil. Pour hot heavy cream mixture over chocolate. Using a spatula gently fold chocolate through heavy cream until well combined. Set aside to cool for at least an two hours or until frosting consistency is acheived. Frosting will thicken as sits.
Assembly:
Pipe frosting on top of cooled cupcake. Cut pretzels into shards and place on top of cupcakes. Drizzle chocoalate and caramel on top.
Makes 12 cupcakes
**To make this non-alcoholic, replace the beer with hot coffee.
**To keep things simple spread frosting on top of cupcake and sprinkle with crushed pretzels.