Root Beer [Float] Cupcakes

So these were made for a housewarming party along with the Banana Pecan Cupcakes. Originally, I planned on actually adding ice cream on top of the root beer cupcakes so that they would actually be root beer float cupcakes like in the post that these are inspired from, but alas, being cheap, I decided not to get ice cream. I did get whipped cream though and I topped them with that. In addition, I had found these cool jellybeans that tasted like root beer and had topped the cupcakes with them. It was pretty awesome.

The cupcake itself was really dense and didn't really taste like root beer, but that might be because I had added in chocolate chips and so it tasted more chocolate-y. The denseness of the cake was definitely set off by the whipped cream. It was just so good together. The lightness of the whipped cream and the dense cake was just heavenly.

I really enjoyed making these and it was fun making these on a random Thursday night because I was done with homework. It's just college life I suppose.

Recipe for the cupcakes:
[adapted from here]
2 cups root beer (do not use diet root beer)
1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Line your cupcake pan with liners.
In a small saucepan, heat the root beer, cocoa powder, and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted.
Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved.
Remove from the heat and let cool.
While cooling, add in the vanilla extract.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.
In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined.
Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy--do not overbeat, as it could cause the cake to be tough.
Add in half of the chocolate chips and start filling your cupcake liners.
Add in some chocolate chips to the middle of the cupcake after filling.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean.

So I was experimenting and I found a great way to take cupcakes out of the pan without burning yourself and letting it cool in the pan. You can take two toothpicks and stick them on each side of the cupcake liners and just squeeze a little at the bottom part and you can pull them right out.