Mojito Cupcakes

As I hinted in my last post, we made two batches of cupcakes. Car bomb cupcakes, and mojito cupcakes. The car bomb cupcakes were absolutely amazing, says I, but while the mojito ones were good, they weren't quite as mojito-y as I wanted. I think the first problem was messing up the lime curd that I was filling them with, and the second problem was that the only rum I had was coconut rum, so the frosting just tasted like coconut. Also, they weren't quite minty enough. Probably because the lime curd was overpoweringly lime-y, which, while good, is overpowering. Would I make these again? Definitely! But with changes.

So, we made two different kinds of lime curds. One was overcooked (the full fat version) and the other one (the healthy[er] version) wasn't sweet enough. We tried to do a mint-rum frosting, but, as I said before, it just tasted like coconut. The cake body itself was a mint chiffon cake, and tasted very yummy without all its accoutrements.

Mojito Cupcakes
1C flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp mint extract; optional but recommended
5 tbs hot milk
1C granulated sugar
2 eggs, whites and yolks separated
1/2 tsp salt
1C mint leaves, crushed

Preheat your oven to 350F.

Heat half a cup of milk with the crushed lime leaves, bring to a simmer for 5-10 minutes, then remove from heat and drain the leaves. Meanwhile, beat your egg whites to stiff peaks. Put hte yolks, 1/2C of sugar, milk, and vanilla into a big bowl and beat them to combine. Add the rest of the sugar, the flour, salt, and baking powder, and then fold in the egg whites. I did the folding in three steps. First I folded/stirred 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter, to lighten it up. Then I folded in another 1/3 of the egg whites, and then I folded in the last 1/3.

Bake your cupcakes either in cupcake wrappers or in an ungreased pan. The batter gets its lift primarily from the eggs, and needs to be able to climb up the walls of the pan. Only fill the cupcake molds 1/2 way up, as they'll rise a fair bit. Cook them 10-20min, and let them cool completely before frosting.

Lime Curd, V1.0 and V1.1
V1.0:
1/2C sugar
1/3C lime juice
4 large egg yolks
5 tbs butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1-1/2 tsp lime zest

Put all the ingredients into a saucepan, and heat on medium-low for 8-10 minutes. It should look slightly thickened, but it will thicken up more when cooled. Remove from heat and put into a clean bowl, and cover with plastic wrap so that a skin doesn't form. Chill for at least 1hr.

V1.1:
1/3C lime juice
1 tsp lime zest
5 tbs sugar (I suggest using more)
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a small saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar into the lime juice. Add the zest. Lightly beat the egg in a small bowl, then whisking constantly, slowly pour the sugar/lime into the egg. Beat for 2 minutes, then transfer back into the saucepan, and heat over low, stirring constantly, until it just starts to bubble at the edges. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hr.

Each of these recipes makes ~2/3-1C.

Mint-Rum Buttercream Frosting

1 stick butter
3C powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp mint milk (leftover from the same stuff you used in the cake)
1 tsp mint extract
1 tbs lime juice
3 tbs rum

Cream the butter and salt, then add half the sugar and the milk and beat until combined. Add the rest of the sugar, the mint extract, and the lime, and beat for a while. Add the rum, and any more sugar if you think its necessary to stiffen up the frosting. Chill for at least 10 minutes before using.

Assembly
Take a cold cupcake, and cut out a reverse cone, so that part of the middle is missing but you can put the "cap" back on. Put in a dollop of lime curd, then add the top again. Frost either using a plastic bag to pipe the frosting or spread with a knife.