Cupcake of the Week: Fiery Dark & Stormy Cupcakes || Week 7

With it being Valentine's Day and all, I wanted to make a special little treat for my beau who is perhaps one of the biggest Ginger Beer consumers I know.  Instead of going all girly with hearts and bows, I decided to turn one of his favorite drinks, the Dark & Stormy into a Fiery cupcake.

So I present...

Fiery Dark & Stormy Cupcakes
I did a double recipe so there would be plenty to share!
3.5 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 sticks of butter, softened
2 cups of sugar
3 eggs
3 tsp. vanilla extract
1.5 cups milk
3 tsp lime juice
2 tsp dark rum
2 tbsp ginger crystals (or sub ginger candy)

mix everything together well.  it helps to use a hand mixer or professional mixer.  makes lots of air bubbles which help make these cupcakes awesome. the mixture should be a little wet and nice and light.

fill cupcake tins 2/3 of the way full.

pre-heat oven to 375 & bake 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the cupcake has a nice sponge-y texture.

not gonna lie, these are perhaps THE BEST cupcakes i've ever made.

Yummy Frosting
1 stick of butter
1 box of powdered sugar
2 tsp lime juice
2 tsp dark rum

in a large bowl, whip softened butter until it's nice and fluffy.  slowly add in the powdered sugar until it's incorporated.  about halfway through making the buttercream, add your liquids to flavor the frosting. 

Garnish
ginger crystals (or ginger candy)
key lime's
dark rum

after frosting, i added on a few sprinkles of ginger crystals for an extra boost.  then using your knife, hollow out half of a key lime.  set it on top of your cupcake, fill with rum, and carefully light on fire!  be sure to wait until the fire has gone out completely before eating!! 

enjoy! 

and don't burn down any houses please.