Have I ever mentioned how much I love spiced rum? I have? Well, just a little reminder: I LOVE IT. Anyone who knows me well knows that a rum and coke is my go-to drink and is sure to cure any bad day I may have had. My favorite is definitely Sailor Jerry. I ended up trying this rum because I ordered Captain at a bar in Grand Rapids, MI and they told me they only carried Sailor Jerry. At first I was super disappointed because I thought it was going to be a lame substitute. Guess what. It wasn’t. It’s actually a higher proof than Captain Morgan and, if you’re lucky, some stores still sell it for LESS! That is the true definition of ‘more bang for your buck’ if you ask me!
So, somehow, I always end up with a few almost empty pints or fifths of this stuff on top of my fridge. That of course got me to thinking, why not bake with it?
Rum and Coke Cupcakes:
2 cups flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) – room temperature
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 cup regular coke (+ another 1/2 cup for basting after they are cooked)
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. dark spiced rum (+ another 4 Tablespoons for basting after cooked)
1 tsp. vanilla
Vanilla Rum Frosting:
1 stick of butter – room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. rum
Pre-heat your oven to 350-degrees.
First, whisk your flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder together in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, or mixer, add your butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Next, to your sugar mixture, add both of your eggs, mixing on low speed until smooth and combined.
To the egg mixture, add your coke, rum and vanilla. I didn’t take any pictures of this step because quite honestly, it looked disgusting and I didn’t want to turn anyone off on this recipe. Trust me, it is going to curdle, but when you add your dry ingredients, everything comes together and it’s fine!
Once you have your curdled mess, slowly start to add your dry ingredients about 1/3 at a time. Mix with a spoon until all combined and you have a boozy, chocolate batter.
Pour into cupcake liners in a muffin tin about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 13-16 minutes (mine took an exact 16 each batch) and then take them out and allow them to cool completely.
Once they’re cool, it’s time for the fun part! Mix 1/2 cup coke with 4 Tbsp. rum and then brush the tops of each cupcake with about 1 Tbsp. of the mixture. I told you these babies were boozy!
For the frosting
Add 1 stick of butter and your vanilla to your mixer and beat until smooth. Then, slowly add 1 cup of your powdered sugar. Next, mix in your rum then the rest of your powdered sugar. Beat on a pretty high setting until everything is all fluffy and delicious. If it feels too wet, add a bit more powdered sugar. If it’s a little dry, add very small drops of milk until it’s just right.
I used a sandwich baggie with the corner cut off to put my icing on my cupcakes. This was my first time doing this and you can see I need a little practice! But, hey, we all have to start some time, right?
Out of curiosity why did you add cocoa powder
Hi Charmain, I added the cocoa powder to get that rich, dark color in the cupcakes. Without the cocoa powder they are a light brown color that isn’t as appetizing to me. However, if you’d like to omit the cocoa powder, you absolutely can!
So, the recipe calls for 1 cup of Coke. In one part it says to mix 1/2 cup Coke with rum to “baste.” Does that mean the earlier reference to “adding the Coke” to the batter is the other 1/2 cup? Or is the total needed for the recipe 1.5 cups?
Thanks!
You will use an extra 1/2 cup of coke for the basting! Thank you for pointing this out, I will add it to the instructions to clarify :) You will need 1 and 1/2 cups total Coke for this recipe. Hope that helps!
Mmm I love rum and Coke, I bet these are the best!