Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes

A recent phenomenon in the world of cupcakes is cuptails! Or caketails. Basically, cocktail flavoured cupcakes. I love cupcakes and I love cocktails! Perfect match :)

There have been a few big birthdays recently! These strawberry margarita cupcakes were for Rachel's 21st. She works in a cocktail bar and started birthday celebrations with a cocktail, so I thought it was the perfect idea!

I really struggled to find a recipe that didn't use actual rum. I had bought rum flavouring, as I don't drink rum, so buying a whole bottle would be a waste. Next time I might use real rum as the flavouring wasn't quite right and smelled quite orangey. I also wanted to use canned strawberries because they are out of season at the moment, so the fresh ones are very expensive! I spent ages looking and in the end I decided that I should just kind of follow a recipe, making my own alterations as I went.

Recipe:

Cupcake:

- 175g butter

- 175g caster sugar

- Finely grated zest of 1 lime

- Juice of 1/2 a lime

- 1 tsp rum flavouring (or 2 tbsp rum)

- 3 large eggs

- 175g strawberries (if canned, then drain and chop them, if fresh, then hull and chop them)

- 280g self-raising flour

Icing:

- 500g icing sugar

- 60g butter

- 60g strawberries (if canned, then drain and chop them, if fresh, then hull and chop them)

- Zest of 1 lime

- Juice of 1/2 a lime (you can add extra at the end as long as it doesn't ruin the consistency!

- 1 tsp rum flavouring (or 2 tbsp rum and add extra icing sugar until you get the desired consistency)

Decorations:

- pink/red and green neon sugar (for the sugar rim)

- Lime, quartered and sliced

Before making the cakes and icing, everything should be at room temperature.

The recipe says it makes 15 cupcakes, but I managed to make 22!

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line 2 muffin trays with cupcake cases, or bake one tray and reuse it.

2. Cream the butter for as long as you can. 

3. Add the sugar, lime zest, lime juice and rum flavouring, mix.

4. Beat in the eggs one at a time.

5. Sift in the flour in and mix again.

6. Put a heaped tablespoon of batter into each cupcake case. 

7. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.

8. While the cakes are cooling, start to make the icing. Cream the butter until it is pale and fluffy. 

9. Add the icing sugar, strawberries, lime zest, lime juice and rum flavouring. Mix it together s-l-o-w-l-y at first so that icing sugar doesn't fly everywhere!!

10. Pipe the icing onto the cakes.

11. Sprinkle the coloured sugar onto a plate, and roll the edges of the iced cupcakes in the sugar, to create a sugar rim. Put a piece of lime in the side. You can also cut up strawberry pencils and use them as a 'straw'.

These are all of Rachel's cakes!

Zoe x

Coconut and Lime Cupcakes

We used to make a coconut and lime cake with a lemon-lime syrup when we were younger, and it was my favourite kind of cake. The syrup adds extra bursts of flavour. 

I haven't made it at all since being at university, so this summer I bought a bag of dessicated coconut so that I could make it. 

Then I thought 'what about turning it into cupcakes?' and ta dah! The coconut-lime cupcakes with a lemon-lime syrup and lemon butter icing were made. 

I split my cupcake mixture into two, one half had coconut, and the other didn't. I definitely preferred them with the coconut, but I also had to cater for the fussy people!

Recipe:

Cupcake

- 125g butter

- 125g caster sugar

- Zest of half a lime

- 2 eggs

- 150g self-raising flour (or 150g all-purpose flour plus 1 tsp baking powder)

- 60g dessicated sweetened coconut (Can be left out if you don't like coconut)

Syrup

- Zest of half a lime

- Juice of two limes (make the icing before you make the syrup)

- 4 tbsp lemon juice

- 100g caster sugar

Icing

- 75g butter

- 125g icing sugar

- Zest of 3/4 a lime

Lime Zest Curls

- 1/4 lime zest, peeled and chopped into thin strips (see pictures)

- 2 tbsp caster sugar, sprinkled onto a plate

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line a muffin tray with 12 cupcake cases.

2. Cream the butter for as long as you can with a fork, or an electric whisk.

3. Add the sugar and lime zest, mix.

4. Beat in the eggs one at a time.

5. Sift in the flour in and mix again. Stir in the coconut.

6. Put a tablespoon of batter into each cupcake case. There should be enough for about 13 cupcakes, or 12 and some batter for you to lick up!

7. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes.

8. While the cakes are cooling, start to make the icing. Cream the butter until it is pale and fluffy, either with a fork or an electric whisk. 

9. Add the icing sugar and lime zest. Mix it together s-l-o-w-l-y at first so that icing sugar doesn't fly everywhere!!

10. Cut the lime into super thin strips like the picture below.

11. Make up the syrup with the sugar, lime zest, lime juice and lemon juice. Heat it in a saucepan gently, until the sugar is dissolved. Add the lime strips. Boil the syrup for 5 minutes, or until it has thickened. Remember it will thicken more when it cools.

12. Remove the lime strips from the syrup and roll them in sugar that is sprinkled over the plate.

13. Poke holes into the top of the cupcakes with a cocktail stick. Carefully spoon the syrup onto each cupcake. You can add another spoonful of syrup onto it when the previous spoonful of syrup has soaked in.

14. When your cakes and syrup are cooled, decorate them with the icing, either piping it on or spread it on with a knife!

Let me know if you make these, and what you think of them!

Zoe x