Strawberry Daiquiri Mini Cupcakes

My sister has wanted me to make these cupcakes for a while and i'd recently bought some mini silicone cupcake cases so I thought i'd give them a go. I've made Strawberry Daiquiri cocktails before and really like them so I was looking forward to tasting these.

I think they are really interesting cupcakes as you have the soaked strawberries at the bottom of each case which adds texture to the overall cake as well as giving the strawberry flavour.  You make up a classic sponge batter and then pour a small amount of the rum liquid over each cupake which gives them more flavour and makes them quite moist.

They are really light and taste really good and although they are quite sweet the small size of them means that they're not too much. They're also great because you can alter them to your taste, for example, if you wanted them more alcoholic you can add more rum and vice versa.  Lastly, they look really cute, although most mini things do. I would make these again and would recommend them as well, they're perfect for Summer gatherings especially. 

Recipe
(Cake Days - The Hummingbird Bakery)

Makes 24-30 mini cupcakes

For the Sponge:
          100ml (3.5 fl oz) white rum
          170g (6oz) caster sugar
          150g (5.5oz) strawberries
          40g (1.5 oz) unsalted butter, softened
          120g (4oz) plain flour
          1.5 tsp baking powder
          1/4 tsp salt
          1 large egg
          120ml (4fl oz) whole milk
          1/2 tsp vanilla essence 

For the Frosting:
          80g (3oz) unsalted butter, softened
          250g (9oz) icing sugar
          1/2 tsp finely grated lime zest
          4 tsp whole milk
          sliced strawberries, sprinkles or edible glitter to decorate.

One or two 24-hole mini muffin tins

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 170C (325F), Gas Mark 3, and fill a muffin tin with mini muffin cases. 
• Add the rum and 30g (1oz) of the sugar to a small saucepan and bring to the boil, allowing it to reduce by about half, then set aside to cool slightly. Hull and chop the strawberries into small pieces, then soak in the rum and sugar reduction for 30-40 minutes. 
• Meanwhile, using a freestanding electric whisk with the paddle attachment or a hand-held electric whisk, slowly mix together the butter, flour, remaining sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix until the ingredients have come together and resemble fine breadcrumbs. 
• In a jug whisk the egg, milk and vanilla essence together. With the mixer or electric whisk still running on a low speed, gradually pout the liquid mixture into the flour and butter and mix thoroughly, scraping down the sides of the bowl every now and then. 
• Drain the strawberries from the rum reduction, reserving the liquid and place a few small pieces of strawberry in each cupcake case. Spoon the cake batter on top, filling each case by two-thirds. Any remaining batter can be spooned into one to six more paper cases in a second mini muffin tin.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cupcakes are a light-golden brown colour and bounce back when lightly pressed. While they are still warm, spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of the rum reduction over each cake, then leave to cool completely before frosting. 
• Using the freestanding electric mixer or electric whisk, set on a low speed beat together the butter, icing sugar and lime zest until combined and crumb-like in texture, then mix together the milk and 4 teaspoons of the reserved rum reduction in a jug. Pour the milk and rum into the butter and icing sugar mixture, still mixing on a slow speed. When all the liquid has become incorporated, increase the speed to high and beat the frosting until soft and fluffy. 
• Smooth the frosting on to the cupcakes using a palette knife. Thee cupcakes can be topped with fresh chopped strawberries, or for a celebratory touch, a scattering of sprinkles or edible glitter. 

Thanks for reading,

Olivia xx