Root Beer Float Cupcakes
on Apr 17, 2015, Updated Oct 21, 2020
Here you have it… A tasty root beer float in cupcake form. Don’t these little cakes scream summer? I think they do and they will make for a great dessert at our summer bbqs this year.
Root Beer Float Cupcakes
The hubby and I are big root beer float fans. If I had a dime for every time we have enjoyed a tall old fashioned style root beer float, I would be one wealthy woman, ha ha!
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Root beer floats bring back so many great memories for me. My grandfather would enjoy a root beer float at home quite often. Floats were one of his favorite evening desserts. I recall not being too fond of the flavors when I was very young but when I got a bit older, they became one of my favorite summer time treats.
The vanilla ice cream combined with root beer is just perfect in a float so I thought to myself.. Why not in a cupcake? I am always on the hunt for cupcakes or cake that the hubby would enjoy. He is not a cake or cupcake person unless I make something different like our CopyCat Cracker Barrel Coca-Cola Cake. He loves root beer and he LOVED these cupcakes. In fact, he ate most of the batch I made. I did manage to score a few for our neighbors before he finished them off.
These root beer float cupcakes are moist and have a bit of the root beer flavor. I then topped them with a yummy root beer flavored buttercream frosting. They were a perfect combination of flavors, not overwhelming at all.
I made my root beer float cupcakes from scratch. They are very simple to toss together. You will have them in the oven baking in just a few minutes time. The only thing you may not have in your pantry is the root beer concentrate and the root beer soda.
INGREDIENTS
Cupcakes:
3/4 cup softened Butter
3 Eggs
2 1/2 cup Flour
2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 cup Sugar
1 tbsp Root Beer Extract or 1 tsp Root Beer Concentrate
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1 cup Root Beer
Frosting:
1 cup softened Butter
3 cup Powdered Sugar
3 tbsp Root Beer
1 tsp Root Beer Extract or 1/4 tsp Root Beer Concentrate
1 tsp Vanilla
DIRECTIONS
Line muffin pans with paper liners.
Preheat oven to 350.
Stir together flour, salt and baking powder.
Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.
Mix in eggs, root beer extract and vanilla.
Gradually add in flour and root beer until just combined.
Fill each cup about 2/3 full.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
Whip butter, root beer extract and vanilla for frosting until fluffy.
Gradually add powdered sugar.
Add root beer until you reach desired consistency.
Transfer to piping bag and frost each cupcake.
Top with a cherry and cut straw (optional).
Are you a fan of root beer floats?
Root Beer Float Cupcakes
Ingredients
- Cupcakes:
- 3/4 cup softened Butter
- 3 Eggs
- 2 1/2 cup Flour
- 2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 tbsp Root Beer Extract or 1 tsp Root Beer Concentrate
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla
- 1 cup Root Beer
- Frosting:
- 1 cup softened Butter
- 3 cup Powdered Sugar
- 3 tbsp Root Beer
- 1 tsp Root Beer Extract or 1/4 tsp Root Beer Concentrate
- 1 tsp Vanilla
Instructions
- Line muffin pans with paper liners.
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Stir together flour, salt and baking powder.
- Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Mix in eggs, root beer extract and vanilla.
- Gradually add in flour and root beer until just combined.
- Fill each cup about 2/3 full.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
- Whip butter, root beer extract and vanilla for frosting until fluffy.
- Gradually add powdered sugar.
- Add root beer until you reach desired consistency.
- Transfer to piping bag and frost each cupcake.
- Top with a cherry and cut straw (optional).
Fun for the whole family
Love these delicious Root Beer Float Cupcakes, seems amazing. Super excited to try this one . Thanks for sharing this one with us.
Love these delicious Root Beer Float Cupcakes. seems delicious, super excited to try this one.
Just made these for my nephew’s bday! The cupcakes have a good root beer flavor. I doubled the recipe for the frosting per some of the other replies. My frosting had a great consistency. I added root beer slowly alternating between the powdered sugar and root beer. My frosting is really sweet which is fine with me but would like a suggestion on making it less sweet but still have the nice consistency.
A pinch or two of salt will cut the sweet in the icing. It will not make it taste salty. This is seen in many icing recipes and that’s why it’s included in some.
does this use a cupcake pan or a muffin pan?
I love the simplicity of the direction.
Fun for the whole family
I love this recipe!!! I wish I didn’t have to use my feet to mix the batter every time but the rich flavor is so worth it ☆☆☆☆☆.
I found these made about 20 cupcakes filled to what I consider 2/3 full, but if you cut back a little, you could get 24. I added more root beer flavoring to the frosting. Make sure you use your whip attachment and whip the butter and flavorings first. Add your powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Once everything is blended, then slowly add the root beer soda, I didn’t measure, but added it in very small increments until the frosting became a pipeable texture. If you plan to pile it on like the pictures, double your batch. Came out very nice!
Correction to my post a few minutes ago. Recipe for Root Beer Float cupcakes I made prior was not a Better Homes & Gardens recipe, but a Midwest Living recipe.
Thanks for the scratch cupcake recipe! I made the Better Homes & Gardens recipe for Root Beer Float Cupcakes (from a mix) earlier this year & they were a hit, but I usually prefer scratch cupcakes. I placed root beer barrel hard candies on top of icing w/ a straw; looked cute. For my frosting, I made a browned butter frosting adding root beer concentrate and 3 oz. cream cheese…it was awesome. Can’t wait to make your cupcakes. I was planning to make these for my bridge group this Wednesday and am tickled I found your recipe!
How many does this recipe make?
I just made these as a trail run for a granddaughter for school. I don’t know if others sifted the powdered sugar or if they add all 3 Tbsp. Root beer at once. I actually used root beer concentrate and added extra to get more root beer flavor. I thought frosting was too sweet but not a big frosting person. Granddaughter loved them. I used sour candy cherries on top. I loved the cupcake without frosting too. For those who’s frosting would not hold together for piping you can always add more powdered sugar. I just keep tweaking it until I like how it holds up.
These are adorable and look so delicious! Root beer floats and cupcakes on their own are great much less together! Thanks for linking up with Delicious Dishes Recipe Party!
I absolutely adore these cupcakes, but, like several others here, my frosting was not a success. It was OK until I added the actual root beer soda. Then it turned runny and gloppy. Tasty, but ugly. Without the root beer, it didn’t have enough flavor. Please tell me how to fix this.
Do you think this recipe can be made in round cake pans? And if so, what size do you think one batch would make?
These turned out really, real tasty tasty and perfect! Thanks so much! I found that the consistency of the icing wasn’t great for piping so not sure what I did incorrectly there, but it tasted okay. I would’ve liked to get that multicolor thing in the picture happening too, did I stir in the extract too well?
Does it make a difference using the root beer concentrate versus extract? I used extract in both the cupcake and the frosting, but both are still very light in color.
My frosting didn’t thicken up at all, and I even tried adding more powdered sugar. What did I do wrong?
Maybe that the butter was to soft. : )
Don’t add all of the root beer soda at once, instead, add it a teaspoon at a time until you get a good consistency.
Hello! This is such a great recipe! I’m going to try it tomorrow! How many cupcakes does this recipe make?
thank you for your wonderfull resipies i love them all
This sounds delicious! Do you think the frosting would work with like a chocolate cake cupcake? Or is that weird? I’m just curious. I love cool flavored frostings that are totally unique.
I just luv root beer floats so I know I’m going to luv these cupcakes!!