Dark N' Stormy Cupcakes

I had planned to test this recipe next weekend but since it was pouring and quite dreary on Sunday that baking a Dark N' Stormy cupcake would be most appropriate.

A Dark N' Stormy cocktail consists of dark rum and ginger beer over ice with a slice of lime. Using the same ingredients, I pictured a rum cupcake with ginger beer frosting, topped with lime zest and crystalized ginger. 

Most rum cake recipes I found used a basic yellow cake mix and even though that would be easiest, I wanted to do it all from scratch. I eventually found a rum cake recipe I adapted from here.  

Dark N' Stormy Cupcakes (yields about 12-16 cupcakes)

Basic Cake Mix

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup butter, sliced (room temperature)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Rum Recipe 

• 1 (3.4 oz) package vanilla instant pudding mix
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup dark rum (I used Whalers Original Dark Rum)
• 1/8 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ginger Beer Frosting

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 4 tablespoons ginger beer (I used Reed's Extra Ginger Beer) 

Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Fill cupcake tin with paper liners. Mix basic cake ingredients in a large mixing bowl on low speed until all particles are the same size. You will notice that the butter may not mix entirely and you will see small clumps, which is fine. Mix as well as you can. 


Add pudding mix, milk, eggs, rum, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract to the basic cake mix and combine on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl to thoroughly mix. The batter should be relatively smooth but a few clumps are okay. Normally, cake mixes need to be completely smooth but not for cupcakes. 


Spoon batter into paper liners. I've noticed that these cupcakes tend to rise a lot higher than the Irish Car Bomb cupcakes so I wouldn't fill the liners as much. Definitely do not fill more than 2/3 for each cake. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 - 22 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. I would check them after 20 minutes and then bake for another 2 if not done. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove and transfer to a cooling rack until completely cooled. 


While the cakes cool, you can start on the frosting. Whip butter in a medium bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Slowly add powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time. About 12 tablespoons was the right amount of sweetness for me so then I proceeded to add the ginger beer. You can add as little or as much as you like based on preference. I added 4 tablespoons because I wanted the ginger beer to really stand out in the frosting. After the ginger beer, I noticed that the frosting had watered down a bit so I added 2 more tablespoons of sugar to get the right consistency again. 


For decorations, I added lime zest and a crystalized ginger piece on top. The zest added the right amount of kick to the entire cupcake. Although the ginger piece added a nice effect as well, you may want to cut up smaller pieces unless you prefer a very intense ginger taste. 

 

 

 




Enjoy!


xo