Compost Cupcakes

While I'm very proud of my own recipes, I can't help but get ideas from elsewhere at times. These cupcakes come courtesy of The Pink Patisserie. I have made only slight modifications to the recipe. I removed chocolate chips from the batter in favor of chopped chocolate, recommend different beer, and have adjusted amounts so that the recipe yields an even 2 dozen cupcakes. I could check out the original recipe though. It is inspired.

Compost Cupcakes
yield: 2 dozen cupcakes

8oz brown ale (or other darker beer)
1 cup butter

2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tbsp finely ground coffee

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream

1/3 cup each quick oats, crushed plain potato chips, finely chopped chocolate crumbled cake or cake donut, shredded coconut*

In a medium saucepan set over medium temperature, heat the ale and butter until the butter is melted. Once the butter melts, add the cocoa and coffee, whisking to dissolve. Let it cool for about 30 minutes.

In the mean time, preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 if using dark pans). Line cupcake tins with 24 cupcake liners. In a large bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the eggs and sour cream until homogenous. With the mixer running on low, slowly pour in the beer/butter mixture in a steady stream until incorporated. Gradually add in the dry ingredients (either in 3 separate additions or gradually with the mixer on low). Finally, fold in the odds and ends, everything from the oats to the coconut.

Pour roughly 1/4 cup batter into each cupcake liner. Bake for 17-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to rack to cool completely. Frost with vanilla frosting.


*This is the general mixture I use when I make these cupcakes. I highly recommend trying out other odds and ends. Crumbled pretzels would work great in place of chips, for example.

Vanilla Frosting

1 cup salted butter, softened
3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
4 - 5 tbsp heavy cream

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add in 2-3 cups of the confectioner's sugar. Add in the vanilla and half the cream. Add in the remaining confectioner's sugar. Add cream until you've reached a spreadable consistency.

Garnish

An incredibly tasty way to garnish these guys is to pulse some coffee, potato chips, and coconut in a small food processor or coffee grinder. You wind up getting a powdery garnish that tastes like the cupcake filling and looks a bit compost-y. I suppose it depends how you want the cupcakes to look though.