Rum Party Cupcakes: Dark and Stormy and Cuba Libre

Dark and Stormy Cupcakes
Originally uploaded by kel h

I went to a party where the theme was rum, and decided to make two kinds of rum based cupcakes. One was a layered Dark and Stormy Cupcake, and the other was a Cube Libre cupcake with coke frosting and homemade candied limes. The rum cake recipe makes a TON, in fact enough for two dozen Dark and Stormy cupcakes AND a dozen Cuba Libre (makes 2 doz full sized cupcakes)

Dark and Stormy Cupcake

Ginger Beer Cupcakes (bottom layer)

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup ginger beer
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp milk
1 egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk and ginger beer beat well. Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Beat until the batter is light and fluffy. Fold in the ginger.

Rum Cupcake (top layer):

2/3 c unsalted butter at rm temp
1c sugar
1c lt brown sugar
2 lg eggs rm temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp rum extract (or just 2 tsp vanilla)
1 1/3 c dark or spiced rum
2/3 c milk
4 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt

cream butter and sugars 3-5 min. Add eggs and extracts
in one small bowl combine rum and milk
In another bowl combine dry ingredients
add to butter mixture alternating wet and dry until combined.

Fill liner or well greased cupcake pan 1/3 full with ginger beer cupcake. Then pour another 1/3 of the way with rum cupcake (unfortunately I didn't have any food coloring, but it would be super cool if you could color the ginger beer layer a different color so you can see the layers). Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350.

Rum Frosting
1 lb powdered sugar
5 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter at rm temp
1/8-1/4 c milk
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp rum

combine sugar, butter and salt. Add rum. Gradually add milk to desired consistency. Mine was a bit runny (but I think i didn't use enough sugar)

Cuba Libre Cupcake

Cuba Libre (Rum and Coke) cupcakes
Originally uploaded by kel h

Rum Cupcake:
2/3 c unsalted butter at rm temp
1c sugar
1c lt brown sugar
2 lg eggs rm temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp rum extract (or just 2 tsp vanilla)
1 1/3 c dark or spiced rum
2/3 c milk
4 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325
cream butter and sugars 3-5 min. Add eggs and extracts
in one small bowl combine rum and milk
In another bowl combine dry ingredients
add to butter mixture alternating wet and dry until combined.
Bake 20 minutes

Coca-cola frosting
1/2 c butter
1/3 c coke
1 lb powdered sugar
3 tbsp powdered cocoa
a few dashes bitters if you have them
1 tsp vanilla

Melt butter. Add coke, powdered sugar and cocoa. whisk togegther and bring to a boil. remove from heat and add vanilla and bitters. Refrigerate until it sets

Candied Limes
1-2 limes (I got around four slices per lime)
water
1 c sugar

Slice limes into 1/4 inch slices
blanch for 2 min in pot of boiling water then place on paper towel and dry.
bring 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar to a boil. Drop the limes in and let them simmer for 15-20 min. Put on a cooling rack or a piece of foil sprayed well with cooking spray. Let them cool.

(the recipe creates a nice bonus of some lime simple syrup) Toss some mint, a few uncandied limes and some rum and you've got a mojito!

rum cupcake ideas

I have a friend who's birthday is coming up, and it is a rum themed party. Here are some ideas I'm playing with

Cuba Libre Cupcakes

rum cake cupcake
Coca Cola Frosting
topped with a candied lime slice

Also, maybe a cable car cupcake

use the rum cupcake recipe above and add some triple sec
lemon buttercreme frosting
candied lemon slices instead of lime

or a dark and stormy cupcake
layerd cupcake with half rum and half ginger ale cupcakes
with a rum/ginger buttercream

i'd try a rum runner cupcake but it's a lot of flavors. I may think on it some more.

Mojito cupcakes and Margarita Jigglers

Mojito cupcakes.jpg
Originally uploaded by kel h

I have successfuly made a mojito cupcake that i like. 1 cup softened butter 1 cup brown sugar 2 cups self rising flour .25 tsp baking powder 4 eggs (aka your basic cupcake recipe) zest of one lime juice of one lime 1 shot of rum 1 tbsp mint (or chop up a handful of fresh mint) mix it up, then put it in cupcake wrappers in a tin. bake for 20 minutes while that's going on mix 3 tbsp rum, 2 tbsp lime, 2 tbsp brown sugar and a tsp mint together in a saucepan and simmer it for 5 minutes. when the cupcakes come out, poke a few holes in the top and then pour a tsp or so of the syrup into the holes. (if you're feeling really wacky, also pour a bit of rum in the holes). the frosting i made was 3 tbsp softened butter 1.5 cup powdered sugar a shot of rum 1 tbsp lime juice 1 tbsp lime zest some chopped up mint brown sugar to taste/texture mix it up.

I also made some scary margarita jigglers 4 packets of lime jello .5 cup lime juice 1.5 cup water or seltzer .5 cup tequila (i did mine with 1 cup seltzer and 1 cup tequila, but i think they are too strong) heat up the lime juice, then mix in the jello. once it's all disolved, turn off the heat and add the tequila and water. pour in a pan and let it set. the great thing about doing it this way is that it sets wicked fast, AND they are solid enough that you can pick them up with your fingers.