Mojito cupcakes

I love the idea of a cocktail in a cupcake, or a "cuptail", as they are known. And I love mojitos, so I thought I would try to make my first cuptail. Verdict: success! Now I can't wait to try other combinations.

The only thing I didn't incorporate on the recipes was mint, and I'm not a fan of minty flavoured sweets, so I only used mint to garnish each cupcake.

I did some research on different recipes and I couldn't find one that completely convinced me, so I did my own version of two basic recipes for cupcakes and buttercream. I used a Swiss meringue buttercream, which takes time, but it's very light and fluffy. You could use a simple buttercream frosting too.

The result were moist and tasty cupcakes, with the right amount of alcohol and a tangy and fresh buttercream. Enjoy!

Mojito cupcakes: lime and rum cupcakes with lime Swiss meringue buttercream 

For the lime and rum cupcakes

Makes 14-16 cupcakes. Recipe adapted from BBC Food Recipes

220g/8oz butter or margarine, softened at room temperature (I used margarine)

220g/8oz caster sugar

4 eggs, lightly beaten

Zest of 2 limes

200g/8oz self-raising flour

4 tbsp milk

Rum syrup

3 tbsp of dark rum per cupcake

Zest of 1 lime

25g/1oz caster sugar

For the lime Swiss meringue buttercream

Enough to cover 16 cupcakes. Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.

6 egg whites

1 ½ cups sugar

2 cups unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and softened

1/2 cup pure vanilla extract

Juice of 1 lime, freshly squeezed
1 tbsp lime zest
Green food colouring (optional)
Small lime slices/wedges for garnish (optional)

Directions

For the cupcakes:

1.  Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line a muffin tin with paper cases. 
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale (about 3-4 minutes). Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the lime zest and beat for another minute. 
3. Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon, adding a little milk until the mixture is of a dropping consistency. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until they are half full. 
4. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into one of the cakes comes out clean. 

While the cupcakes are baking, prepare the rum syrup. Place the rum, sugar and remaining lime zest in a pan and let it simmer in low heat until the sugar in completely dissolved. 

Once the cupcakes are ready, remove from the tin and while still hot, pour 3 tablespoons of the rum syrup on top of every cupcake. Let them cool in a wire rack.

For the lime Swiss meringue buttercream: 

1. Whisk together egg whites and sugar in a heatproof mixer bowl. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water, whisking until sugar is dissolved and mixture is hot. Take the bowl out. 
2. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat mixture on high speed until stiff peaks form, and the bottom of the bowl comes to room temperature (10-15 minutes). 
3. On low speed, add butter in small additions until incorporated. Increase speed to medium, and mix until fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add the lime zest and juice, mixing until smooth and creamy.

Finish up:

1. Fill a piping bag with the buttercream and pipe it on top of each cupcake. Alternatively, you can spread it with a pallet knife. 
2. Garnish each cupcake with a lime slice and a mint leaf.
3. Enjoy!