The Cupcake Hero October flavor challenge is pumpkin.
Now, I like to do things just a little bit different than everyone else, so I decided to go outside the box and use MY kind of pumpkin flavoring. How about…
Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale cupcakes?!
Yeah, I think that’s a kick ass idea.
A little about the beer?

Let’s start with 8.0% alcohol. I think the beer is unbelievably tasty, but I like flavored beers. It’s brewed with pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and clove.
I’ve made chocolate stout cupcakes plenty so I decided to revisit those with a twist for my cupcake challenge.

Chocolate Pumpkin Ale Cupcakes.
1 cup Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale
(you could use any pumpkin ale but to make MY recipe you need this one.
This ale is very flavorful)
1 stick unsalted butter
3/4 of a cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup of sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 of a cup of sour cream
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350
Melt the butter over medium heat, once butter is almost melted add beer.

Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa and both sugars.

In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, vanilla and sour cream then add to the beer mixture.
In another bowl, sift the flour and baking soda, then fold into the batter.

Fill muffin cups and bake for 2o minutes (for my oven).
Cool on a rack.
The cakes are SO freaking tasty.

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Frosting.
1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
2 – 3 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Whip the cream cheese, vanilla and butter, then add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Once you have the consistency you want, blend in the pumpkin pie spice.
Check out these ridiculously cute Wilton Tombstone sprinkles I bought at Wal-mart.

yum!

Now hopefully you guys will vote for me this month. :) Once the link is up I will post it.