Gin and Tonic Cupcakes

Hubby likes Gin and Tonic, so these Gin and Tonic Cupcakes were just the thing.

Cake (Glaze and frosting ingredients below)
2 1/2 Cup Flour
1 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Baking Powder
Zest of 1 Lime
3/4 Cup Butter, Softened
1 3/4 Cup Bakers Sugar (if you can't find bakers sugar, pulse sugar in a food processor and pulse until ground smaller.  1 cup + 1 T of granulated sugar makes 1 cup of Baker's Sugar)
1/4 Cup Plain Yogurt
1/4 Cup Milk
2 Tbl Gin
1 Tbl Tonic
2 Eggs
2 tsp Vanilla

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and lime zest.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine butter and sugar on medium speed until smooth.  Add yogurt, milk, gin and tonic - mix on low until combined.  Slowly add in dry ingredients until combined, increase speed to medium.

Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.

Divid among cupcake tins - filling each half full.  My pans are a size to make 18 cupcakes - bake 12 to 15 minutes.  If yours make larger cupcakes, adjust cooking time accordingly so a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

While baking, mix glaze ingredients:

1 1/2 Tbs Butter, melted
3 Tbs Sugar
1 1/2 Tbs Lime Juice
3 Tbs Gin

Spoon over the cupcakes as soon as they come out of the oven.

Frosting:
1 1/2 Cup Butter
3 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 Tbs Gin
1 Tbs Lime Juice
Zest of one lime

Combine butter and sugar on medium speed until smooth.  Add Gin, Lime Juice and Zest - Whip.
Add sugar as needed to your taste.

Surprise Cupcakes

In honor of national chocolate cake day, I give you these cupcakes.  In honor of a friend's birthday, we enjoyed eating them.  Made with Special Dark Cocoa Powder, they are VERY rich, dark chocolate brownies, with peanut butter filling.  Regular cocoa powder can also be used.

  3/4 Cup Special Dark Cocoa Powder                                       3/4 Cup Sour Milk

  1 1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour                                                    3/4 Cup Water

  1 1/2 Cup Sugar                                                                       3 Tbl Vegetable Oil

  1 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda                                                             8 Tbl Butter

  3/4 Tsp Baking Powder                                                            1 Cup Jif

  3/4 Tsp Salt                                                                              13 Ounce Marshmallow Cream

  2 Large Eggs                                                                           

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat muffin cups with baking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, milk, oil, and 3/4 cup water.  Beat into dry ingredients on medium until smooth.

Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool about 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes to a rack and cool completely.

 

In a large bowl, beat room temperature butter and peanut butter and marshmallow fluff on high until fluffy. Transfer 1/2 to a frosting gun.  If you do not have a frosting gun, use a zip-top bag and cut off one corner to make a 1/2-inch opening.  With a melon baller, scoop out center of each cupcake top and put into a small bowl. Fill cavities with peanut butter mixture using the filling in your gun or bag.  Level off the filling to be even with the top of the cakes, returning any excess to the bowl with the reserved peanut butter mixture.

Crumble the cake removed with the melon baller into the reserved frosting.  Mix well and top each cupcake with this mixture.