Birthdays are a Dirty Bastard

{Cream cheese frosting}

I love a dark beer. The creamy, frothy foam. The deep, rich flavor. The strong amount of alcohol. The opaque color. I liken drinking it to having dessert. Funny then that I found a cupcake recipe on Laurenconrad.com where the two are together in effortless harmony. In my version I used Founders "Dirty Bastard" which is a scotch ale that I came across last year right around this time that I fell in love with. At that point my beer repetoire consisted of someone stuffing a Bud Light in my hand after I had had one two many so I could sober up before my ride home because I never drank it. I only kept beer in my fridge if I knew my father would be visiting. That man drank Busch...I KNOW. Now I can drink Guinness at room temperature. The darker the beer the more I enjoy the flavor it seems. I am like most working single moms in that I normally would scamper off to the local store and pick up a boxed cake mix and be done with it. In the past my homemade cakes turned out very dry and even fell in the middle. These came out flawless. Many of the ingredients were things that everyone already has at home. Now that I have met my beer mate, I always have some on hand. I know that makes my father happy. Cheers Dad.

3/4 c unsalted real butter
1-3/4 c sugar
2-1/2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 c beer (of your choosing)
1/4 c milk

I combined all the ingredients at once at mixed on high for about five minutes in my stand mixer until all the lumps were gone. I filled the cups 3/4 of the way after generously greasing the pan with cooking spray but you can always use cupcake liners as well. Bake for 18 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 24.

The second batch didn't fill the entire pan (excuse the mess) but as soon as they come out use the remainder of the beer to generously dust the tops for added flavor.

Perfect birthday dessert.