Blue Moon Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream Frosting

What type of cupcakes do you make when your sister is planning a birthday party for her husband that involves beer tasting and manly mustache decorations? Beer cupcakes of course! Living in Colorado we are spoiled with some great beer, and I have learned to appreciate a good wheat beer with an orange wedge. I figured that infusing the frosting with some orange would pair perfectly with these blue moon cupcakes. After a successful attempt at champagne cupcakes, I had a feeling these beer cakes would be super tasty.

Blue Moon Cupcakes
makes 12, adapted from spoon fork bacon

1/2 C vegan butter, softened
1 1/4 C sugar
1 2/3 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
2 flax eggs (2 Tbsp flax + 6 Tbsp water)
1 tsp vanilla
1 orange, zested + extra for garnish
2/3 C Blue Moon or wheat beer
2 Tbsp almond milk



Orange Buttercream Frosting
4 oz vegan cream cheese, softened
1/2 C vegan butter, softened
2 1/2 C powdered sugar
2 Tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice

Preheat oven to 375 F. 
In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the flax eggs, vanilla, and the zest from one orange and mix well.
In another bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In a small bowl whisk together the beer and the almond milk.
Alternatively add the flour mixture and beer mixture into the butter mixture. Stir until fully combined.
Line your muffin tin with cupcake liners and fill them 2/3 full with the cupcake batter.
Bake for 15-17 minutes, let cool completely.

To make the frosting cream the butter and cream cheese together, and then slowly add in the powdered sugar and mix. Stir in the orange juice. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes and top with orange zest.

These cupcakes were a big hit! The orange zest on top really gives it a pop of color and flavor that goes perfectly with the subtle taste of the wheat beer in the cupcakes. These would be perfect for those summer cookouts or for the beer lover in your life. I know it's an odd flavor for a cupcake, but it totally works.

What is the most unusual cupcake flavor you've tried?

Thanks for stopping by!