drunken pirate cupcakes
The seeds of this recipe came to me while I was on my honeymoon in the Bahama's last year. The Bahama's have a very unique food culture with bold and aromatic jerking spices, and sweet and subtle vanillas and coffees. But the strongest and most powerful flavors I experienced while on island side was --RUM! So much so that along with my jerking spice and vanilla teas, I decided to stock pile as much rum as customs was willing to ignore on my departure from the Island. I discovered a Tortuga Bay rum shop in Nassau in particular I enjoyed. I bought several of there totally awesome flavored rums; for which I've yet to find anything of equal that is sold in Jacksonville. Their flavored rums are actual flavored rum, the flavoring is part of the rum making process, making the flavor rich... and very alcoholic! Unlike the "flavored rums" I've found in town, which are just plain rum, infused with a flavoring after the fermentation process. Also while in the Bahama's I picked up a few coconut flavored rum cakes. Now this rum cake was my real inspiration for my drunken pirate cup cakes. A few months after having that coconut rum cake I searched for recipe after recipe for coconut rum cake, but refused to try any recipe in fear of wasting my oh so prized Tortuga Bay coconut rum. I stumbled upon a few so called "Drunken Sailor" rum cakes until I got the idea to make awesome cup cakes off of the idea of a rum cake. Which resulted in my Drunken Pirate Cup Cakes.
Ingredients For drunken pirate cupcakes
- FOR CAKE BATTER:
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1 1/2 ccake flour
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1/2 tspsalt
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1 csugar
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4eggs (room temp please!!!!)
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1 tspvanilla extract
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1.3 ozvanilla instant pudding mix
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1/2 cheavy cream
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1/3 ccoconut flakes, sweetened
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1/2 crum (i used coconut flavored rum, experiment with different flavors, might be fun!))
- FOR RUM BUTTER GLAZE
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1/2 cunsalted butter
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1 csugar
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1/2 crum (again i used coconut flavored rum)
- FOR CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
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16 ozcream cheese, softened
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1/2 csalted butter, softened
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2 cconfectioners' sugar, sifted
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1/2 tsprum (again coconut)
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1 tspvanilla extract
How To Make drunken pirate cupcakes
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1For cake batter: 1-Pre-heat oven to: 325`F 2-Sift dry ingredients (minus the coconut flakes) together in a big mixer bowl. 3-Add oil, cream, vanilla extract, then rum to the dry mixture in that order. (You shouldn't fully incorporate each ingredient individually before you add the next. Wait until you start adding eggs before you really start to stir things up!) 4-Add each egg, one at a time, fully incorporating each egg before you add the next. 5-Fold in the coconut flakes. (these are wonderful, they practically dissolve in the batter while cooking, adding just a slight bit of texture and a nice head of coconut to the flavor.) 6-Pour into cupcake cups. 7-bake for about 21 minutes.
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2For Butter Rum Glaze: 1-Heat a small sauce pan on medium low. 2-Once pan is warm melt butter until completely liquid. 3-Add sugar. (Do not stir, or your glaze will get grainy as the sugar melts.) 4-Add Rum when the sugar is almost completely melted. 5-Now stir until glaze thickens. Side note: Use glaze immediately. It does not store well, and isn't very good for more than 30 minutes after making. It dries up quick, just enough time for you to coat your cakes! So budget your time accordingly when baking these cakes.
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3For Cream Cheese Frosting: 1-Cream together the creamed cheese and butter until complete mixed together. 2-Mix in vanilla and then Rum. 3-Slowly add the confectioners' sugar until completely mixed in. Side note: This frosting refrigerates well for later use. You can make it several days in advanced and it retains its flavor and texture in my experience.
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4ASSEMBLY: 1- When the cupcakes have cooled, poke 5 holes into each cupcake with a tooth pick. 2- Dip the tops of each cupcake into the rum glaze and let dry. 3- Pipe on cream cheese frosting.I like to let some of the pretty glaze show, so I don't completely cover the cake, just the middle bits. 4-Garnish with toasted coconut and pecan pieces like I did if you like. Side note: I don't like to pipe on too much frosting, the rum glaze already serves to sweeten the desert some, so less frosting is needed for flavor--unless you are a frosting fiend, then have at it! I love the glaze so much actually I left some of my cakes completely un-frosted.
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