Cupcakes Week 19

Who likes Cosmos? I do! I do!

Who likes Cupcakes? Me! Me! Me!

Who likes the two combined? EVERYONE WILL!!

Cosmo Cupcakes

Cupcakes

You will need:
1 stick butter, room temperature
2 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 tsp salt
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 1/4 cup Cosmopolitan (recipe below), room temperature
zest of 1 lime
Red food coloring

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line muffin pans with cupcake papers.

With a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time and beat until
well combined. Add the lime zest. Combine salt, baking powder, and flour in a separate bowl and set aside.
Make the cosmopolitan and measure out 1 ½ cups in a separate bowl.

Add in 1 cup each of the dry ingredients and cosmo mixtures alternately, beating on low until the whole
mixture is well combined. Last, slowly add the red food coloring until you achieve the desired color. I choose
to keep my cupcakes on the lighter hot pink side, but do whatever color you would like!

Fill cups with batter two-thirds full. Bake at 350 F for 18-22 minutes or until cupcakes
spring back in the middle when touched lightly. Cool for 10 minutes in pan.

Glaze

You will need:
1/2 cup cosmopolitan

Heat the cosmopolitan in a sauce pan over med heat until thickened and slightly reduced. Allow to cool slightly
and then brush glaze on the tops of each cupcake while the cupcakes are still slightly warm.
Allow the cupcakes to completely cool before frosting with Cosmo Buttercream.


Cosmo Buttercream

You will need:
3 sticks butter, room temp
4 c confectioner’s sugar
1 tbsp meringue powder (optional)
a pinch of salt
3-4 tbsp of the Cosmopolitan (or more until you reach desired consistency)
red food coloring

Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the powdered
sugar one cup at a time beating well with each addition. Add the meringue powder and the salt. Add the Cosmopolitan
one tablespoon at a time until you reach desired consistency. And lastly add red food coloring, slowly, again until you
reach your desired color. Pipe onto cupcakes, and top with a straw or a drink umbrella!

Cosmos

You will need:
1 (1.5 fluid ounce) jigger cranberry flavored/infused vodka
1/2 fluid ounce cointreau
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1 1/2 fluid ounces cranberry juice
1 twist lime zest, garnish

Pour all the ingredients into a shaker with lots of ice.
Shake vigorously for several seconds and strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with a lime twist.