While working at Xbox, I’ve started a tradition where I bring in cupcakes after we do an event. I pick one of my favorite aspects of the event and let that be inspiration for the flavor. At PAX West, we had a super cool area for Fallout 76 where people could guess the amount of bottle caps in an atom bomb and put their guesses into a replica Fallout computer. Those who completed this task were rewarded with Xbox and Fallout-branded bottle caps. I instantly knew I’d have to do a Nuke Cola cupcake!
For those not in the know, Nuka Cola is a blue cola available in the Fallout universe. It claims to be made with a variety of fruit flavors, but come on, it’s called a cola. So I ignored the fruit and made Coke-flavored cupcakes. I don’t think anyone minded. 🙂
I used blue cupcake liners and made a cupcake with a Coca-Cola reduction, but you could use cola flavoring or a cola concentrate/syrup you might have for your Soda Stream instead. I also brush the tops of the cupcakes with some Coke and incorporate a bit of the reduction into the buttercream frosting as well. The flavor is still fairly mild, but you get a good cola aftertaste.
- 2 cups Coca-Cola, separated
- 3 cups flour
- 2 tsps. baking powder
- 1 tsp salt (plus an additional pinch)
- 5 cups unsalted butter, room temperature, separated
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 3 tsps vanilla, separated
- 1 cup milk
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- gummy cola bottles
- Heat 1 cup of Coca-Cola in a small pan until boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes until it's reduced between ½ to ¼ its original amount. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place cupcake liners in the cupcake tins (I recommend blue liners for Nuka Cola).
- Mix the flour, baking powder, and 1 tsp salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- Beat 1 cup butter and 2 cups sugar together in a mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs to the butter mixture, mixing fully between each egg. Mix in the vanilla and 3 tbs of the cola reduction.
- Mix in half of the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Add half of the milk and mix. Continue with the rest of the dry ingredients and milk. Make sure everything is fully mixed.
- Using an ice cream scoop or a large spoon, put one "scoop" of batter in each cupcake liner. They should be ¾ full.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Brush the tops of each cupcake with Coca-Cola.
- Remove cupcakes from the tins and let cool completely on a wire rack.
- Make the frosting: Beat 4 cups of unsalted butter in a mixer until it's fully smooth and light colored, making a "slapping" sound.
- Mix in 4 cups of powdered sugar, adding 1 cup at a time until fully mixed.
- Add in 1 tsp of vanilla, 1 tbs of Coca-Cola reduction, and a pinch of salt.
- Mix everything together on high until frosting is super fluffy.
- Place frosting into a piping bag and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Top each cupcake with a gummy cola bottle.
Are you a Fallout fan? Will you be playing Fallout 76? Let me know in the comments!
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