Pumpkin ale cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and streusel

Pumpkin ale cupcakeswith cream cheese frosting and streusel

Prep time: 35 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Makes 24 cupcakes

Maude Hodo of Natomas saw a recipe in The Bee recently that called for pumpkin ale. Hodo wanted to know what it was and where she could find it.

There are many varieties of pumpkin ale, or beer. Most brewers use real pumpkin, in pieces or puréed, for best results. Some just use pumpkin flavoring.

Roasting the pumpkin first converts some of the pumpkin's starch so sugars can be extracted, enhancing the flavor of the ale. Pumpkin ales are usually mild, not bitter, and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg.

Many breweries make pumpkin beer or ale. Some include Buffalo Bill's, Kennebunkport Brewing Co., Blue Moon Brewing Co., Shipyard Brewing Co., Samuel Adams and Weyerbacher Brewing.

Several markets carry pumpkin ale, including Raley's and Bel Air, Cost Plus World Market, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.

It is best to call your market before you shop to make sure it is in stock. This is a seasonal item and most markets get one shipment; once they run out, they won't be getting more.

Today's Mailbox features two recipes that call for pumpkin ale.

This recipe comes from Snappy Gourmet, at www.snappygourmet.com.

Ingredients

Cake

1 (18.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix

1 cup canned pumpkin

¾ cup pumpkin ale

2 eggs

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Streusel

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

¼ cup brown sugar or granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Frosting

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 muffin pans with paper liners. Add cake mix to large mixing bowl. Add pumpkin, beer, eggs and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Stir until just combined. Spoon batter evenly into prepared pans.

Bake cupcakes for 19 to 23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, prepare streusel by mixing together flour, nuts, brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in small bowl. Cut in 6 tablespoons butter with pastry blender or knives until mixture is crumbly. Spread out on a large baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Bake the streusel at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so, or until it reaches desired crunchiness. Cool completely.

For frosting, beat together cream cheese and ½ cup butter with electric mixer on medium speed until well-combined. Beat in vanilla. Slowly beat in powdered sugar until desired sweetness and consistency.

To assemble, frost cooled cupcakes and top with streusel crumbles. Store cupcakes in refrigerator but let sit at room temperature a few minutes before serving for best results.

Note: The cook time for cupcakes overlaps the cook time for streusel.

Per cupcake: 354 calories; 4 grams protein; 46 grams carbohydrates; 17 grams fat (9 saturated); 55 milligrams cholesterol; 213 milligrams sodium; 1 gram fiber; 44 percent calories from fat.