Cosmopolitan Cupcakes

My mom got me a set of jumbo cupcakes pans and I have been dying to use them and since I don't ever really need an excuse to bake but a friend's birthday is always a good reason. My friend Julie is a huge fan of Sex and The City and LOVES Cosmos just like Carrie so I decided to try my version of the Cosmo cupcake and make them JUMBO

I made an actual Cosmo for the liquid in my batter and added in a touch of pink coloring to enhance the pink color of the cupcake. I LOVE how pink they came out. I also added in lime zest so when you took a bite there were little flecks of green here and there throughout the pink cake

I baked 6 jumbos and made the rest of the batter regular sized. They looked so tiny compared to the jumbo. And made me think why have I been making regular sized all this time when we could be eating Jumbo. If I had made mini's that would have been eating like popcorn - by the handful. Ha ha.

I then made another cosmo - how I didn't get a buzz during this process I do not know - and reduced it into a glaze which I brushed over the still warm cupcakes with a pastry brush. I really wanted that cosmo flavor infused into the cake.
I used a few teaspoons of the cosmo reduction in the buttercream and added pink sprinkles. I made little lime curls to garnish. I had attempted making candied limes but I didn't do them right so that is another item on my list of things to try to do. Another time

What girl doesn't love the girliest of girly drinks made into a cupcake!!
These tasted amazing!!

Cosmopolitan Cupcakes with Cosmopolitan Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter room temp
2 cups sugar
2 eggs room temp
1/2 tsp salt
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cup Cosmopolitan ( recipe to follow)
zest of 1 lime
Red paste or gel food coloring.(optional, if you would like a stronger reddish tint in the cake)

Directions:

Allow all ingredients to come to room temperature. 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 all dry ingredients 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 and wet mixtures alternately, beating on low until the whole mixture is well combined.

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.

For glaze:
1/2 cup cosmopolitan

Heat the cosmopolitan over med heat until thickened and slightly reduced.

Brush with cranberry/vodka glaze when cupcakes are still slightly warm.
When cupcakes are completely cooled, frost with Cosmo Buttercream

Cosmopolitan Buttercream Recipe

Ingredients:
3 sticks or 1 1/2c butter room temp
4 c confectioner’s sugar

1 tbsp meringue powder ( optional)

pinch salt

1 tsp lime zest
3-4 tbsp of the Cosmopolitan (or more until you reach desired consistency)

red food coloring

Directions:

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. Mix in the zest. Add the Cosmopolitan one tablespoon at a time until you reach desired consistency.

Garnish with: (optional)
Dusting of Lime zest
Dried cranberries

Cosmopolitan Cocktail Recipe

Ingredients:

1 (1.5 fluid ounce) jigger vodka (cranberry or any citrus vodka works best)

1/2 fluid ounce cointreau

1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

1 1/2 fluid ounces cranberry juice

1 twist lime zest, garnish

Directions

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.

 

This is for one drink  or roughly 3 ounces of a cocktail. I needed about 15 ounces (I think) so I converted it to 5 servings. I may have had enough I can’t remember since I made this recipe a while ago but here it is .

 

Ingredient amount for roughly 15 ounces.

5 (1.5 fluid ounce) jiggers vodka (cranberry or any citrus vodka works great)

1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon cointreau

1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons fresh limejuice

3/4 cup and 3 tablespoons cranberry juice

5 twists lime zest, garnish

 

You can always err on the side of needing more and make more. And if there are leftovers you get a martini glass out and fill with the remaining cosmo and drink up!!

Side note : this recipe makes a lot of cupcakes. Because I made jumbos and the rest regular size I really don't know how many it makes if you do all jumbo or all regular. Bake the jumbos about 25-28 min and the regulars 18-22 min.