Blue Moon Cupcakes

A cold refreshing beer to go with your hamburgers and Hotdogs?   Try these Blue Moon Cupcakes for dessert!

Recipe adapted from:  http://www.ericasweettooth.com/2012/01/blue-moon-and-corona-cupcakes.html

Cupcake ingredients:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp orange zest
1 cup Blue Moon, plus more for brushing on tops (And some to sip!)
1/4 cup milk
Orange wedges for garnish

Cream Cheese Frosting ingredient:
12 oz cream cheese
 6 tbsp butter, softened
1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
4 cups powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.  In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Next add eggs one at a time beating after each addition. Then add the vanilla and zest and mix.  Combine the liquid ingredients(milk and beer) and alternatively add this mixture and the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture with the mixer on low speed, starting and ending with the flour mixture. 

Fill two muffin tins lined with cupcake liners and bake for approximately 18 min, until a tooth pick is inserted and comes out clean.  While still warm use a tooth pick to poke holes in the top of the cupcakes and brush on some of the remaining Blue Moon beer.

For the frosting cream together the cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy.  Add the orange juice and zest, then gradually add the powdered sugar until well-combined, beat until smooth.   I will caution that the frosting was not very stiff (if desired add more powdered sugar), so I chose not to use a star tip and just piped the frosting with a wide mouth round tip, which ended up making it look more like a frosty cold beer!!