Denver Broncos Orange Crush Cupcakes

I have to admit that post-season games always get my blood pressure up.  Playoffs have been causing trepidation and fear ever since the days of Elway, Mecklenburg, the Three Amigos and Rulon Jones (who I had a really big girlie crush on mostly because he was 6-6 and that sure sounded like the most perfect height. Indeed.)   Those playoff games were always so close and then so disappointing that part of me just can't shake that post-season fear.

Fingers crossed for no disappointment Sunday.  It's been quite awhile since I've posted a game day eats recipe.  With the big playoff game coming up on Sunday, it seemed appropriate to post a recipe that had a bit of orange or blue in preparation for  game day.  I say double points here for not only bringing in the orange and blue, but for adding a little extra team spirit to the recipe. 

We call this Rocky Mountain champagne.  Now if you can actually drink the stuff, you are badder, tougher and cooler than me.  But it is the official drink of game day, (okay beer probably is) so you have to have it on the table at least as an offering.   OR, you can put it in the cupcakes.

I'd bookmarked a Mountain Dew cupcakes recipe awhile back because I'd planned on making some for my Mountain Dew addict brothers but never got around to it.  I mixed it up a bit and swapped out the Dew for some of the Rocky Mountain Champagne and was surprisingly pleased. It's not a full on chocolate cupcake with chocolate truffle frosting, but it's definitely a fun game day food.

I opted to make the cooked flour frosting that I'd made earlier this year, minus the dried ground strawberries.  Every time I say "cooked flour frosting" people turn up their nose and every time I make a cake with it, people ask for the recipe.  If you've never had it, I'd describe it as being really just a stabilized whipped cream type frosting.  It's basically the same core make up (butter is extra, extra whipped cream yes?) except with the flour which stabilizes it all so that you can frost cakes and leave them out.  

Make sure you cool the cooked flour mixture before adding to the butter.  Current weather conditions can be used to your advantage here.  I'd suggest pressing plastic wrap all the way down on the flour mixture to prevent a skin from forming.

Don't the little mini helmets just make you smile?  These are fully painted/printed so you can wash and reuse them if you are so inclined, but I've found that they tend to disappear with the guests.  

Here's hoping for a Sunday full of orange and blue magic and some good Orange Crush defense.

Orange Crush Cupcakes

adapted from Forkful  of Comfort

For the Cupcakes
Ingredients
1 cup butter (2 sticks) softened
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest

1/2 tsp orange extract
4 large eggs at room temperature
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups Orange Crush soda

1 batch of Cooked Flour Frosting(minus the strawberries) 

Orange Sprinkles

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In stand mixer beat butter until light. 

Add in sugar, orange zest and beat until fully mixed and fluffy. 

Add in eggs on at a time. 

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. 

Starting with flour mixture, add 1/4 flour mixture then 1/3 Orange Crush alternately to the butter mixture, mixing to combine after each addition. 

Pour evenly about 2/3rds of the way up in a paper lined muffin tin. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned and tooth pick comes out clean. 

Remove for pan and allow to completely cool on wire rack before frosting and dipping in sprinkles.