Scarlett O'Hara cupcakes

I spend a lot of wasted valuable time looking up cake recipes online and found an interesting one for mojito cocktail cupcakes. This got me thinking about other possibilities for cocktail inspired cupcakes and led me to search for cocktails containing one of my favourite drinks southern comfort. The one that spiked my interest was the Scarlett O'Hara which is lime, cranberry juice and southern comfort.

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There were many different possibilities for making these but I finally decided on a lime infused cupcake with cranberry filling and a southern comfort butter icing. This was a bit of an experiment and could have gone horribly wrong. Overall I think it worked really well. The cranberry sauce did sink to the bottom of the cupcake but I don't think it's a big problem, the flavour was still great. I wrote the method as I did it but you might want to leave the filling until after the cupcake is cooked. Once cool cut a small hole in the top, place a teaspoon of sauce into the cake and replace the top.

I am not a big fan of the large amount of butter icing that is traditionally put on cupcakes. I find it can get a little sickly. Therefore I tend to just add a thin layer. If you would rather be more generous with the icing then you might want to double the butter cream ingredients.

Cupcakes (Makes 6-8 cupcakes)
35g unsalted butter
105g plain flour

125g caster sugar
tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
105ml whole milk
1 large egg
6-8 tsp cranberry sauce

zest and juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp southern comfort

Butter icing
60g butter softened
120g icing sugar
1 tbsp southern comfort

-Preheat the oven to 170  °C and place cupcake cases on a tray. Use an electric mixer to combine the butter, flour, baking powder and sugar to form a breadcrumb like consistency. 

-In a separate bowl mix together the egg milk and the juice and zest from 1/2 of the lime.

-Pour the wet ingredients into the dry gradually mixing well between each addition. 

-Fill the cupcake cases to half way, add a teaspoon of cranberry sauce to each. Top with the remain mix so they are 3/4 full. 

-Bake for 20-25 minutes.

-Once cool brush over the southern comfort and a little lime juice from the left over lime. 

-For the butter icing use an electric mixer to blend the butter until it begins to get pale and fluffy. Gradually add the icing sugar mixing well. Finally add in the southern comfort and mix until smooth. 

-Spread the butter icing over the cakes and top with the remaining lime zest.

Thanks for reading x