Cake

Cup of Yum
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake tin with paper liners.
2. In a mixing bowl, add the butter and granulated sugar. Mix until light and fluffy about 3 minutes.
3. Add in the vanilla bean paste and each egg separately and mix until incorporated.
4. In a separate bowl, add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine.
5. In a measuring cup, measure out the cream soda and buttermilk. I added mine together.
6. Alternately add the flour and cream soda/buttermilk mixture always starting and ending with the flour. I did 3 parts flour and 2 parts buttermilk. Scrape down the sides and mix to combine.
7. Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners.
8. Place in the oven and bake for 23 - 26 minutes or until done. Place a skewer into the center of the cupcake, if it comes out clean or with moist crumbs it's done. If it still has batter, let it bake a while longer and test again. Mine were done at 23 minutes.
9. Remove from the cupcake tin and let cool completely.

Frosting

1. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, add in butterscotch chips and heavy cream. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir. Repeat 2 additional times or until the mixture is completely smooth. It will take a minute or two of stirring for the heavy cream and butterscotch chips to incorporate.
2. Add in 1 tablespoon of cream soda and stir until thoroughly incorporated.
3. Add in the 2 remaining tablespoons of cream soda and stir until that's thoroughly incorporated.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to cool until thickened. It should take about 45 minutes.
5. Once the ganache has thickened, remove it from the fridge. If it's rock solid, it needs to sit out to take the chill off and loosen up or you'll burn out your hand mixer trying to mix it. Mine was thick but still pourable.
6. Mix the ganache with a hand mixer on medium until light and fluffy.
7. Add in the butter and continue to mix until incorporated.
8. Add in the powdered sugar and mix on low until the powdered sugar is almost incorporated. Turn the hand mixer on high and mix for an additional 2 - 3 minutes until the frosting is whipped.
9. Place frosting in a piping back with a 1M tip. Pipe swirls on top of the cooled cupcakes.

Garnish

1. Heat the yellow and milk chocolate candy melts together. Start with 45 seconds and stir.
2. Add another 30 seconds and stir again. If it's still not smooth, do one more round of 30 seconds and stir until smooth.
3. Pour in a sandwich bag and cut a tiny hole in one of the corners. Pipe lightning bolts on a large piece of wax paper.
4. Let the candy melt lightning bolts harden and stick in the frosting.