Recipe of the Week: Rum Butter Cupcakes

Switching things up a little this week with a baking recipe. These cupcakes taste as good as they look. But because they are so time-consuming to put together, the last time I made these was a year ago, for the first gallery walk of the season at Artists' Own. If you'd like to skip some steps, you can use yellow cake mix.

Ingredients

Toppings

• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes

Cupcake

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 2/3 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups sifted cake flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/3 cups milk
• 1 3/4 ounces vanilla instant pudding mix (about half a standard packet)
• 1/2 cup dark rum

Butter Rum Glaze

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup dark rum

Rum Buttercream frosting

• 16 ounces confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons dark rum

Directions

Baking 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line muffin pan with paper liners.
3. Toast pecan and coconut over medium heat in a dry skillet for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
4. Combine all cake ingredients in a large stainless steel bowl. Beat for 2 minutes on high. 
5. Pour batter into prepared cups. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out of center completely clean.
6. Prick top of cupcakes with toothpick (to help it absorb the glaze).

While waiting for cupcakes to bake, make the glaze!

Glazing 

1. Melt butter in saucepan. 
2. Add rum and sugar. Boil and stir until glaze is thickened. Remove from heat. 
3. When cupcakes are done and pricked, spoon warm glaze over the warm cupcakes. This step is super gooey and messy but is what makes the cupcakes awesome! Let glazed cupakes cool completely.

Frosting

1.  In large bowl, beat sugar, butter, vanilla, and 4  

     tablespoons rum until blended, light and fluffy. Add more  

     rum as needed for desired consistency for frosting.

2.  Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes and top off with 

     remaining toasted coconut and pecans.

p.s. The next Gallery Walk is Friday, 13th of July (6-10pm). Artists' Own will host an opening reception for the new show Hidden Treasures of Our Community and there will be a torch demo by artist member Lisa Walsh.