Root Beer Float Cupcakes

I came across the root beer float cupcakes right when I was thinking about what dessert to make for Ken's graduation party.  I initially planned on a cake (I just felt like making a cake, and a party is the only occasion when that is really appropriate) but these cupcakes sounded like something he would like.

I am so glad I did a test run of these.  They were lumpy and weird, did not really taste like root beer, and were just not right.  The recipe says the batter will be "slightly" lumpy but this goes beyond "slightly."  I decided that when I made them for the party I would whisk the flour mixture into the liquid mixture rather than the other way around.  This worked much, much better and obviously fit the definition of "slightly" lumpy.  So I was no longer concerned about the quality of my dessert and was able to bake them and do everything else I needed to do without stressing.

Before we went to the party, we dug little holes in the cupcakes.  The goal is to sit a tiny ball of ice cream in the hole, surround it with whipped cream, and top it with a cherry.  The original picture looks much nicer than mine, because I was not about to make my own whipped cream in 85 degree weather at a party, so I used whipped cream from a can, which made a ginormous mess.  It was also quite difficult to get people to eat these cupcakes when there was so much other food.  Those who did try them said they were delicious although I was told the root beer flavor was not really there.  (I thought the chocolate was overpowering to begin with, but when we looked up root beer ratings on google, the brand I used was frequently described as "watery" and "tasteless."  Oh well, how was I supposed to know?  I don't even like root beer.)  They were certainly fun to make, though, and since people enjoyed them I was happy.