Gin and Tonic Cupcakes
Take your favourite tipple and turn it into this Primrose Bakery creation! These lemon cupcakes are finished with a luxurious gin and tonic infused buttercream.
From the book
Primrose Bakery Celebrations
Every recipe you might need for a celebration
Sweet and savoury recipes to keep guests of all ages happy
Inventive ideas for festive treats
Introduction
This was the first cupcake we created with alcohol in both the sponge and icing, and we now sell them on a regular basis in our shops. We try to ensure that children are not eating them, but some have been known to, and they seem to go down very well!
Ingredients
| For the gin and tonic syrup: | |
| 85ml | tonic water |
| Juice of 1½ lemons | |
| 100g | granulated sugar |
| 1 | lemon, finely sliced |
| 85ml | gin |
| For the sponge: | |
| 150g | golden caster sugar |
| 140g | self-raising flour |
| 17g | cornflour |
| ⅔ tsp | baking powder |
| 150g | unsalted butter, at room temperature |
| 3 | large eggs, preferably free-range or organic |
| ½ tsp | good-quality vanilla extract |
| 2 tbsp | milk |
| Zest of 1½ lemons | |
| For the icing: | |
| 115g | unsalted butter, at room temperature |
| 60ml | reserved gin and tonic syrup |
| 1 tsp | good quality vanilla extract |
| 500g | icing sugar, sifted |
| Candied lemon slices or lemon zest, to decorate |
Essential kit
You will need a 12-hole muffin tray with muffin cases, and a food processor.
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C (fan)/350°F/gas 4. Line a 12-hole muffin tray with muffin cases.
First make the syrup by combining the tonic water, lemon juice and sugar in a pan. Place on the hob and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes, until it becomes syrup-like. Add the lemon slices and simmer for another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the gin and stir again. Allow to cool, then strain. Reserve 60ml of the syrup to use in the icing, and set the rest aside until needed.
In a food processor, mix the sugar, flour, cornflour and baking powder until well combined. Add the rest of the ingredients and process very briefly (roughly 10 seconds) until evenly mixed.
Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cases and bake in the oven for about 15-18 minutes, until risen and golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Take the cupcakes out of the oven and brush the surface of each one with some of the gin and tonic syrup. Then brush them again with more syrup. Allow to cool in the tray for about 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool fully before icing, by which time the syrup will have soaked through the sponge.
To make the icing, beat the butter, syrup, vanilla extract and half the icing sugar in a bowl until smooth. This will usually take a few minutes. Gradually add the remainder of the icing sugar to produce a buttercream of a creamy and smooth consistency. Ice each cupcake with the icing, and decorate with a candied lemon slice, some lemon zest or a slice of lemon.
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