Come summertime, I always miss living back in Wisconsin. Things like BBQs and pool parties are just too rare in a city where no one really has yards or pools. When I visit my parents, I love knowing that a back porch is there waiting for me whenever I want it. Here in NYC, I have to make up for lack of outdoor space by hanging outside at various restaurants. bars and parks. As soon as it gets warm out, it seems to be all about which places have outdoor seating! Though I’d prefer my own back yard, I have grown to love sitting outside somewhere with a cool drink watching the diverse crowd walking by….
No summer drink is more refreshing to me than a Mojito. Tart lime and fresh mint seem to be the perfect combination when the air is thick and an icy beverage is in order. My inspiration for making these simply came on a day when all I wanted was to drink one. I loved the Strawberry Margarita cupcakes so much that these seemed like a great next choice! I actually used the same lime cupcake recipe and jazzed it up with some fresh chopped mint and a rum glaze. Topped with a Minty-Lime cream cheese frosting, these cupcakes were the perfect mix of light and decadent. Cheers!
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tbsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 limes, zested and juiced
- ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup sugar
- ⅛ cup water
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup rum
- 5 Mint Sprigs
- zest of 1 lime
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 teaspoons lime zest
- 2 tablespoons chopped mint
- 1 teaspoon rum
- 5 cups confectioners' sugar
- Mint sprigs for garnish (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 325? F. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir with a fork to blend. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Blend in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the lime zest, lime juice, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat each addition just until incorporated. Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ full. Bake 20-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water and butter over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often. When the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved, remove from the heat. Carefully add ¼ cup of rum and mix until incorporated. Add the zest of 1 lime and sprigs of fresh mint, and let the syrup infuse for 5 minutes.
- Beat cream cheese, butter, lime juice, lime zest, and rum together until smooth and fluffy.Add confectioners' sugar in 2 additions. Fold in mint. Beat until creamy. Add more icing sugar or juice as needed for easy spreading.
- Using a fork, poke holes in the top of each cupcake once cool. Dip the top of each cupcake in the rum syrup and allow to cool. Spread or pipe icing on as desired. Garnish with a mint leaf. Enjoy!
Rum Syrup: Adapted from Two Peas Blog
Tina says
June 9, 2011 at 12:43 pmThese look moist yet airy. I love boozy cupcakes and the syrup really puts this over the top. Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe-buzz
Sabrina says
June 9, 2011 at 1:00 pmi love mojitoss so already I am loving this recipe! I really love how they are soaked!! I will have to try this!
The Harried Cook says
June 9, 2011 at 1:12 pmThose cupcakes look light and fluffy & the flavors sound fantastic! Thank you for sharing :)
icancookthat says
June 9, 2011 at 1:25 pmThese look fantastic! What a great recipe!
Erin says
June 9, 2011 at 1:35 pmOOo I love how there is mint IN the frosting, so pretty!!
Lindsey@Lindelicious says
June 9, 2011 at 2:39 pmI love alcohol themed cakes! The rum syrup and the frosting sound soo good. Aaah I need to find time to make these. =)
Sandra says
June 9, 2011 at 2:59 pmThese look amazing..so beautiful and on top of it sounds like very delicious cupcakes! I love your pictures..very well done!
Carolyn says
June 9, 2011 at 5:31 pmI’m a serious mojito fan, so I know I would love these. Think these will keep you cool in the middle of an NYC summer???
Audra says
June 9, 2011 at 9:06 pmCarolyn- I think I’d need a real thing on a really hot today like today! (103 out!) :)
Jen at The Three Little Piglets says
June 10, 2011 at 2:39 amI’m currently imagining what other ways I could use that rum syrup…(I think drinking it straight my be a sign of sickness!)
All That's Left Are The Crumbs says
June 10, 2011 at 8:01 amThe mojito is probably my favorite cocktail so I know that these cakes would be a winner for me. I love how you photographed them too.
Kimberly (unrivaledkitch) says
June 10, 2011 at 9:30 amI’ll have a mojito and a mojito cupcake and then another mojito to wash it down.
lovely photos!
Happy summer time even if it is in the city :)
Foodness Gracious says
June 10, 2011 at 3:56 pmAwesome looking blog and these cupcakes look killer.
Thanks for sharing!!
Isabelle @ Crumb says
June 10, 2011 at 7:27 pmBeautiful cupcakes… and such a great flavour inspiration, too. Summertime and mojitos totally go hand-in-hand!
I have a giant patch of mint in my garden, and I’m always excited to find a delicious recipe that helps me use some of it up. :)
elmundodelola says
June 21, 2011 at 10:51 pmwhat a clever idea to infuse mojitos with cupcakes! Once I get a chance I will try to prepare these to taste these delicious looking cupcakes! yumm
Stacey Cakes says
October 7, 2012 at 4:05 amJust made these and they’re fabulous! However, instead of dunking the cupcakes in the syrup, I poke holes all over the tops wth a toothpick and liberally bush them with the syrup. The cupcakes absorb more this way. I also increased the amount of rum in the frosting. Oh, and I added 1/2 cup rum to the cupcake batter.
courtney says
November 3, 2013 at 9:44 amFound your site. Through a google search for mojito cupcakes. I’ve been wandering around it and I think it’s awesome. However your recipe for mojito cupcakes appears to have been taken down. The blurb and everything is still here, but no recipe :-( I was really looking forward to making these.
Audra says
November 3, 2013 at 9:55 amThanks for letting me know- I fixed it! :)
Donna says
November 24, 2013 at 11:28 pmJust wanted to check to see if there was a typo in the amount of confectioner’s sugar in the frosting. The recipe says 5 cups, but that seems to me to be too much. Usually, frosting recipes like this call for 1-2 cups of powered sugar sugar to one block of cream cheese. Is 5 cups of powered sugar really correct? Thanks!
Audra says
November 24, 2013 at 11:56 pmYes! 5 cups of sugar is correct. If you want to use less you may- but the frosting will be runny and won’t pipe well. The powdered sugar is what helps make the frosting more stiff.
Donna says
November 25, 2013 at 12:21 amThank you so much for your prompt response and all your help! I’m really looking forward to making these cupcakes to take onboard a cruise in two weeks. Thanks again!!! :)
Maggie says
April 26, 2014 at 2:05 pmLove this but want to know. I want to use rum extract instead. How much would I use?
Audra says
May 3, 2014 at 10:07 pmI’d start with a teaspoon!
Jessica says
April 23, 2018 at 7:43 pmI noticed that in the syrup instructions it says to add the zest of 1 lime but lime is not listed in the ingredients for syrup. Also, the instructions say 3 sprigs of mint while the ingredients list 5 sprigs of mint. Which is it?
Audra says
April 27, 2018 at 10:06 pmSorry! You found one of my first recipes! I am going to check out the recipe and try to clarify :)