Since I forgot to post a recipe for a recipe a month in June, I’m posting two for July! :) Last month I made butter rum cupcakes, and it was the first time I decorated cupcakes with legit frosting tips!
I bought this set of four as an intro and used ziplock bags instead of buying specialty icing bags (Does anyone know whether icing bags are superior or if it’s all the same?). I still have a lot of practice to do, but for my first try, I thought I did alright. What do you think?
BUTTER RUM CUPCAKES RECIPE (adapted via)
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes
- 1 (18 1/2 ounce) box butter recipe cake mix (or yellow if you cant find it)
- 1 3/4 ounces vanilla pudding mix (approx half a standard packet)
- 1/2 cup whole milk, cold
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup dark spiced rum (we used Captain Morgan)
- 16 ounces powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons dark rum
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Toast coconut flakes over medium heat in a dry skillet for 10 minutes while stirring.
- Combine cake mix, vanilla pudding mix, eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and rum in a large mixing bowl, and beat for 2 minutes on high with an electric mixer.
- Stir in 2/3 or the coconut flakes (save 1/3 for garnishing later).
- Pour batter into lined cupcake pan (hard to see in photos, but these are what we used).
- Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow cupcakes to completely cool to room temperature.
- Place your stainless steel mixing bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes. (The cold bowl helps frosting have a stiffer shape).
- Mix powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and rum in cold bowl on medium-low until well blended.
- Blend on medium-high until frosting is light and fluffy.
- Pipe frosting onto the cupcakes and sprinkle with coconut.
Chef’s notes:
- For the butter rum frosting, you can add up to an additional 2 Tablespoons to fit your taste.
- The original recipe had a butter rum glaze, but I wasn’t a huge fan of it, so I made most of my cupcakes without it.
- Our kitchen aid mixer makes baking SO easy! I feel like I say this to Jacob every time I use it! If you’ve ever tried using one, you know what I mean. :) It’s amazing! We bought this as an anniversary gift to ourselves, but I encourage you to put it on your wedding, baby, any registry!
A few more photos of the process in case you want to see the consistency:
They might not be super pretty, but they get an A for effort & taste! :) We recently bought this cupcake caddy (shown below), since we like to take them to our friends to share. Since I was going all legit with the frosting tips, I figured why not up my game all around. :P Jacob made me promise that I would be making cupcakes once a month!
I also made some just with the glaze and sprinkled with coconut flakes on top.
What’s your favorite cupcake recipe?
Know any other rum recipes?
I do a recipe a month, and you can check out some of the others if you click on the banner below:
Alice
16 Jul 2014OK so now i’m really craving cupcakes :) they look fab! Might have to make some actually!
Esther of Local Adventurer
21 Jul 2014Thank you! :) You should try this one! Or what kind of cupcakes do you usually make?
Raewyn Smith
15 Jul 2014OMG YUM! I love baking <3
Esther of Local Adventurer
16 Jul 2014Oh really? :) I’d love some easy recipes then plz!!
Raewyn Smith
20 Jul 2014I will share some! I have a guest post tomorrow on some dessert! Check back for the link (And used the same recipe yesterday!)
Ashley Brooke Nicholas
15 Jul 2014Yum, yum, yum! These are definitely getting added to our menu this weekend!
Esther of Local Adventurer
15 Jul 2014Can’t wait for you to try em! :)
Carly
14 Jul 2014If I eat gluten-free, does that mean I can just have the rum?? Fine by me- but those cupcakes look amazing!
Esther of Local Adventurer
14 Jul 2014haha however you like it! I’m sure there’s a gluten free substitute. I actually haven’t done much gluten free baking.. I’ve tried a recipe once with substituting with coconut flour and it came out good. not sure how that works with butter cake recipe mix. it was just way easier buying it in the box. :)
Karissa Ancell
14 Jul 2014Yum! I love cupcakes.
Esther of Local Adventurer
14 Jul 2014Me too! :) I’ve been going through a cupcake phase recently and I just can’t stop baking / eating them!
Kristine Foley
14 Jul 2014Yes please! These sound so tasty and right up our ally! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Esther of Local Adventurer
14 Jul 2014You’re so welcome! :) Can’t wait for you to try them.
Anosa
14 Jul 2014RUM! My boo would love these, I better not show me as he will hound me to make them lol. Looks good for your first
Esther of Local Adventurer
14 Jul 2014haha you can make them for a special occasion. :) Thank you! I def need more practice.. but I figured they’re good enough to blog so far.
Joanna Sormunen
14 Jul 2014Oh how delicious! I totally can imagine how good these are going to taste! I really have to try them out!
Esther of Local Adventurer
14 Jul 2014Please do! :) They’re my fave cupcake recipe so far.
Katreena Short
14 Jul 2014Baked goods and alcohol. YUM!
Katreena
Esther of Local Adventurer
14 Jul 2014I know.. great combo right? :)
Amberly-A Prioritized Marriage
13 Jul 2014Yum!!! I need cupcakes :)
Esther of Local Adventurer
14 Jul 2014I’m craving some more too right now! :)
Deidre Miller
13 Jul 2014Looks great! Your food photography is always so great too!
Esther of Local Adventurer
14 Jul 2014Thank you Deidre! I’m always working on it. :) Styling is always so tricky for me!
Jessica Doll at Hej Doll
13 Jul 2014These sound delicious! I am not usually a fan of rum but I know the flavor softens as it’s baked.
Esther of Local Adventurer
14 Jul 2014Yeah.. I definitely would not drink captain morgan for the taste of it.. but I love the extra flavor it adds the cupcakes. Not that strong at all. :)
Ashley Ziegler
13 Jul 2014mmmmm looks good!
Esther of Local Adventurer
14 Jul 2014Thanks Ashley! :)
Amby Felix
13 Jul 2014I think they look great! What’s important is that you took the time to share a yummy sounding recipe with your readers and organized the directions for easy reading. A lot of food bloggers are more worried about how stuff looks or sounds and don’t bother to take the time to organize their posts. These sound super yummy!
Esther of Local Adventurer
14 Jul 2014Thank you Amby! I think I had some practice. My first few recipes were horrible and then after getting tons of feedback on it.. and questions asking to clarify things I started getting a little better. I’m not a expert in the kitchen.. so I’m totally okay with answering more questions though. :)
Amanda Wooldridge Haney
13 Jul 2014Those look and sound amazing! I need to bookmark this and refer back to it. My Husband doesn’t like coconut, but my Daughter and I do. :)
Esther of Local Adventurer
13 Jul 2014I’m sure you can make it without the coconut as well! but I do like the coconut in it. :)
Jemma Andrew-Adiamah
13 Jul 2014These look totally amazing!
Esther of Local Adventurer
13 Jul 2014Thank you Jemma!
Miranda Ronevich
13 Jul 2014Wow! Like everyone else has said, those look amazing! What a great combination of flavors!
Esther of Local Adventurer
13 Jul 2014Thank you Miranda! Rum definitely adds good flavor! ;)
Jordan
12 Jul 2014Yummm, Does the flavor of the alcohol cook off? Or does it stay relatively ‘zingy’?
Well done on getting your goal done! Can’t wait to see the second one this month!
I did a strawberry mojito cupcake a few weeks ago, A strawberry rum cake with a vanilla mint frosting. It was AWESOME.
xo
Esther of Local Adventurer
13 Jul 2014Not all of it! :) I’m sure it cooks off in the cupcake itself during the baking process, but you add some into the frosting and it’s definitely still there. :) Strawberry mojito cupcakes sound amazing too! Do you use light or dark rum? if I could use the same rum, maybe i’ll have to try it out!
Lisa Marie Heath
12 Jul 2014Ohh yummy! These look amazing!
Esther of Local Adventurer
13 Jul 2014Thank you so much! :)
loveforlacquer
12 Jul 2014wowww those look incredible!
Esther of Local Adventurer
13 Jul 2014Thank you!
Jenn
12 Jul 2014these look and sound awesome! love all of your recipes, Esther! :)
Esther of Local Adventurer
13 Jul 2014Thanks Jenn! Still trying to learn to be more comfortable in the kitchen :P
Kristin
11 Jul 2014These look and sound fantastic – and they’re so beautiful! When I make cupcakes, they might taste delicious but they look…well…looks aren’t everything, are they?
Esther of Local Adventurer
12 Jul 2014Thank you! Taste is way more important!! :) I have the opposite problem usually. I focus so much on making things look good for the photo that sometimes they don’t end up tasting very good. Usually takes a few tries for me.
Chelsea Jacobs
11 Jul 2014These sound amazing!
Esther of Local Adventurer
12 Jul 2014Thank you Chelsea! :)
Hsiao-Ting
11 Jul 2014you did a great job with the frosting too!!
Esther of Local Adventurer
12 Jul 2014Thanks!! I really wanna learn how to do the kind that looks like an ice cream cone.. :) you know what i’m talking about?
Hsiao-Ting
13 Jul 2014i think they just use a 1M tip?
Shannon Kennedy
11 Jul 2014I use ziplock bags instead of icing bags too. It’s all the same to me, although not everyone might agree. I try to use what’s on hand.
PS. They look pretty to me!
Esther of Local Adventurer
12 Jul 2014Yeah I don’t really get what’s so special about them. Thank you Shannon! :D