[hounddog]

I let mr. hounddog do the cooking...he's a lot better at it than me. :) I do the baking. Here's an awesome cupcake recipe:

Root Beer Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes

For the cake:
1 cup root beer (not diet)
1/2 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg

For the frosting:
1 ounce 60% cocoa, melted
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons - 1/4 cup root beer

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

To make the cake:

Preheat even to 325 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.


In a small saucepan, heat the root beer, cocoa powder and butter over medium heat until butter is melted. Add sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.

In a small bowl whisk the eggs until just beaten. Then whisk into the cocoa mixture until combined. Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy. Don’t over beat the batter or it could cause the cake to be tough. The batter is very loose.

Pour the batter into the pan, filling each cup about 3/4 of the way full and cook 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking until a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using an electric hand mixer, beat softened butter and cocoa powder. Once combined add the melted chocolate, salt, powdered sugar and root beer. Beat together until smooth. Spread on top of cooled cupcakes.