Ginger Ale Cupcakes

Get the party started with Ginger Ale Cupcakes! Sweet, lightly ginger and bubby-tasting, these are perfect for birthdays and summer picnics.

Today I have a fun little giveaway with my favorite party supply shop – Cranky Cakes (formerly of Hey YoYo)!  Whenever I need a jolt of inspiration, I just hop on over to the online store to get a fix of kitsch and color.  Amanda is the shopkeep, and she has an eye for the cutest cupcake papers, treat bags and partyware of all kinds!

I recently received some squee!-worthy items from the shop, like the party hats we’re wearing. They’re reversible! And how cute are those confetti napkins? The pattern reminds me of sprinkles, so I was in for those immediately! Honestly, I fell in love with the entire line of paper napkins, cupcake liners, pinwheel toppers and etcetera. Gimme, gimme, gimme!

My good friend Christen was having a birthday, so she was the perfect person to help model party hats. She also came up with the idea for ginger ale cupcakes (which look extra cute in those liners). They really turned out delicious and quite apropos for party fare.

Christen’s cute pooch Possum tagged along and he was caught giving crazy puppy-dog eyes for a bite of cupcake. Awww!  And you should have seen him and Biscuit-the-pug playing together, they were double trouble!

The ginger ale cupcakes were light and delicious. Christen commented that the cake portion tasted “bubbly”, and with their light gingery flavor, they do! We toasted each other with them after a day filled with laughing and chasing rambunctious pups.  Hope you’ll enjoy them too!

Ginger Ale Cupcakes

Heather Baird

Get the party started with Ginger Ale Cupcakes! Sweet, lightly ginger and bubby-tasting, these are perfect for birthdays and summer picnics.

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 18 minutes mins

Total Time 43 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 18

Equipment

• cupcake liners (18)

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

Ginger Ale Cake

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup ginger ale

Ginger Ale Buttercream

• 1 cup ginger ale
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

 

Cakes

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and ground ginger; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup ginger ale and 1/2 cup sour cream (mixture will fizz and bubble a little). Add flour and champagne mixture alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Batter will be thick.
• Fill cupcake papers with 1/4 cup level measures of batter. Bake for 17-22 minutes. Set aside.

Buttercream

• Place the 1 cup of ginger ale in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup. Reduce heat to low. In a small cup, whisk together cornstarch and water until no lumps remain. Add mixture to 1/2 cup ginger ale reduction. Whisk constantly as you heat. Mixture will thicken and have a soft gel appearance. Remove from heat and whisk in ground ginger. Transfer mixture to a bowl and allow to cool completely.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream softened butter and cooled ginger ale mixture together until smooth. Stir in confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time on low speed until thickened to piping consistency. You may not have to use all the confectioners’ sugar. Conversely, If the ginger ale gel mixture is added while still slightly hot or if it was not cooked enough, you may need to add more confectioners’ sugar.
• Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Decorate with white nonpareils.

Keyword birthday party cupcakes, Ginger ale, ginger ale buttercream, ginger ale cake batter, ginger ale cupcakes, soda cupcakes

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