Summer Shandy Lemon Oreo Cupcakes

It's a hot Summer day, you hear a lawn mower in the distance, you smell a grill firing up, your mouth starts salivating, and all you can think is... B E E R. But not just any beer—a light, crisp, refreshing, citrus Summer beer. 

I remember the first time I tasted Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy. My senses were tuned in to all of the above, I took a sip out of this brightly colored can, and suddenly - Summer was literally dancing in my mouth. It sounds gross—it's not—it's delicious. 

But, sometimes you don't feel like drinking a beer {I know, the S H A M E, the horror! But it happens.}, yet you still want that citrus-shandy taste. That's when these cupcakes were born. And while I was making them, they just kept evolving. "Aha! I'll use lemon cake mix." "What if—what IF—I put a lemon Oreo on the bottom?!" And thus, in a beautifully 350 degree ceremony, lemon Oreos married Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy, and this beautiful baby was born.

 

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. While you're preheating, drop a lemon Oreo into each cupcake liner. {Let's talk about liners for a quick second. Did you know that you're supposed to remove the white liner inside of the Reynold's Foil cupcake liners? They are only placed there during manufacturing to ensure the foil doesn't stick, but they should be removed before baking. A little naive baking tip for you ::naive, party of one::}

 

Second, douse your lemon Oreos with the Summer Shandy-induced lemon cake batter until they fill 2/3 of the cupcake liner.

 

Third, bake those babies for about 18-20 minutes, until their tops are golden brown.

Fourth, once cooled, glaze your cuppycakes to perfection. Seeing as how this glaze is a bit thinner and messy {thanks a lot Summer Shandy! I'm just kidding—please never leave me.} it would be quite difficult to pipe, so I just flip my cake upside and d u n k - just like a true Oreo should be dealt. 

The best part about glazed cupcakes? The drippage. "Oh, let me get that for you..."

  

 Baby got back. Or bottom, whatever—she's got it.

 

 I now pronounce you Oreo & Shandy—you may gobble the cupcake.

 

Summer Shandy Lemon Oreo Cupcakes

Makes 18-24 cupcakes

Total Time: Approximately 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 Box of Betty Crocker Lemon Cake {or any lemon cake mix. I don't discriminate against cake mixes - I'm not that sophisticated of a baker...}
• 1 Package Lemon Oreos
• 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 3 Eggs
• 1 Cup + 2 Tbl of Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy {you're welcome to use any citrus Summer beer... but I DO discriminate with my Summer Shandy. Sorry, Sam Adams.} 
• 1 Tub of Cream Cheese Icing 

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line 2 12-cup muffin pans - I like to use a sturdy liner like Reynold's Foil Cupcake Liners, because this cupcake is no joke. 
3. Plop a lemon Oreo into each cupcake liner. 
4. In a large mixing bowl, mix the lemon cake mix, 1/2 cup of vegetable oil and 3 eggs. Then slowlyyy pour in the Summer Shandy. Yes, it will fizz and bubble like you just sloshed around a bottle of beer—no worries, just let it settle. Then slowly fold it into the mixture until smooth.
5. Fill your cupcake liners about 2/3 of the way, pouring the cake mixture over your Oreos.
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. While your cakes cool on a wire wrack, whip up your icing. Combine the tub of cream cheese and two tablespoons of Summer Shandy in a bowl and then pop in the freezer to harden a bit.
8. When your cakes are completely cooled, dunk them cake-side down into the Summer Shandy cream cheese glaze. Flip upright and let settle—I suggest placing them upright onto some parchment paper to catch drippage. Or place it in your hand to catch drippage, but that might make it difficult to continue dunking. Your call!
9. Take a bite and TELL me that doesn't taste like a Summer Shandy!

{Best kept in the fridge, like the real beer, duh.}

XO,

Nikki

{You may also like these Pink Champagne Cupcakes!}