Baking with Bevrage

Baking with alcohol makes baking even better. Dudes, I am so excited about this right now.

GIN & TONIC CUPCAKES WITH ELDERFLOWER ICING.

[are you kidding me]

I trolled Pinterest to find this amazing recipe for cupcakes and I just HAD to try them out.

Who doesn’t love a G&T in the summer time? It’s like pine needle freshness in your mouth, and it gets you drunk. Win-Win.

I just had to gather the ingredients:

Cupcakes [makes 24]

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 3/4 cup white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 Tb lime zest
• 1/4 cup Plymouth gin
• 2 Tb milk
• 3 Tb tonic water
• 1 1/2 Tb fresh lime juice

I halved the ingredients, you know, in case they turned out crappy. Then I would only have to eat 12 terrible cupcakes instead of 24. I used Plymouth Gin because a.) it rules, and b.) Bevrage has an offer on it- so I get $5 back when I buy it.

Do this:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake tin with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In a large bowl, or in a stand mixer bowl, beat butter and sugar until white and creamy, 3-4 minutes.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat briefly after each egg. Mix in vanilla and lime zest.
5. Add about half of the dry ingredients and mix gently.
6. Add gin, milk, tonic water, and lime juice and mix until just barely combined.
7. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Batter will be thick!
8. Spoon about 1/3 cup batter in to 24 pre-lined cupcake wells. Bake in preheated oven 24-26 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
9. While cupcakes are still warm, poke holes all over the tops of each cupcake with a skewer. Spoon Gin Glaze over each cupcake. Try to get the glaze in to the poked holes.
10. Let cool completely and frost with Elder Flower Frosting.

Drinking gin & tonic’s while making gin & tonic cupcakes is mandatory optional, but highly recommended. Let me just also say that stand up mixer’s are l i f e c h a n g i n g. You can literally walk away to make another drink and your mixer totally has your back. Now take a sip of your G&T before you make this killer glaze.

You need these things also:

Gin Glaze

• 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 3-4 Tb gin

1. Whisk powdered sugar with 3 Tb gin until glaze forms. If glaze seems too thick, add an additional tablespoon of gin and whisk.

Dudes, this is the easiest thing ever. It literally takes two seconds. Seriously, look:

Then glaze those beauties,

and set them aside to frost.

Now make this:

Elderflower Frosting (adapted from The Best Frosting)

• 3/4 cup milk
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 Tb elderflower liquor
• 2 Tb tonic water
• 1/2 Tb lime juice
• 1 cup butter, room temp
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• Zest of one lime

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk milk and together flour. Heat over medium and stir continuously until mixture thickens, about 7 minutes. It should look like a thick batter.
2. Whisk in St. Germain, tonic water and lime juice. Let cool completely!
3. In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar until fluffy and white, 3-5 minutes. The sugar should be well incorporated and no longer gritty.
4. Once the milk and flour mixture has cooled, add it to the butter and sugar mixture. Beat on high for 1 minute until frosting is smooth and very fluffy.
5. Add in lime zest and beat for another 20 seconds. (I omitted this step from my frosting because testing limes takes for-GD-ever- and I was tired)

Yes, that is a Mickey Mouse hand silicone mixer. No, you cannot borrow it.

After you’ve frosted [see above], zest some lime over the top to give them some color. Seriously guys, zesting lime is the bane of my existence. I did it for you. You’re welcome.

Last step, make yourself another drink and EAT THEM ALL.

-xo