Cosmopolitan cupcakes/sexy beasts

I came across this idea while cruising that inter-web thingy everyone seems so fond of these days. Anyway, it's a blog called 'A cup full of cake'. These took my fancy because they are a)boozy, and b) sugary, which sort of means they're like my two favourite things colliding. A bit like if Russell Brand and Matt Smith collided. You know. Sort of amazing. Enough of this rubbish, now to the cakes! Oh - the ingredients are all in cups, because that's how the Americans roll. I'm into it if you're into it, as Flight of the Conchords once sang.

As a footnote (so I can pretend I'm still at uni) I am not at all a fan of Sex and the City. However, if you do like watching a bunch of facially challenged women discussing the latest bout of chandelier-swinging they've been engaging in, then you might like to make some before watching. No offense. I'm sure it's a great programme. Honest.

Another footnote. The actual cake is pink. Pink sponge. I'm not sure I'd impressed on you quite how cool that is. (Probs time to get out more.)

Sponge 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 plain flour
1/4 cup buttermilk (Waitrose stocks this. True story.)
Zest of 1 lime
Pink food colouring

Makes about 20 million. Or, in non-hyperbolic terms, 24.

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees c, and line your muffin tin with cases (oooh, that sounded positively RUDE. muffin tin. ha.)

2. Just beat it! Beat it....beat that sugar and butter. Then add your eggs one by one and beat after each. Add your lime zest.


3. Combine your dry ingredients and set aside.

4. Make up a batch of cosmopolitans (can be virgin if you so choose) according to the recipe at the bottom. Set aside. Do not, I repeat, do NOT drink the whole lot. See picture below - that's right, kids - put your alcohol in a mug, it doesn't make you look at all like a tramp.

5. Now take it in turns with the wet and dry ingredients, adding a bit at a time. This stops the mixture from curdling.


6. Add as much or as little food colouring as you like. I found this groovy all natural stuff called 'Queen' in Waitrose, so I went nuts and poured in a fair amount. Then fill your cases, about two thirds up to the top.

7. Into the oven with you! Around 20 minutes should do the trick nicely.




Icing ingredients
1 1/2 cups butter room temp
4 cups confectioners sugar
Pinch salt
1 tsp lime zest
Pink food colouring
3-4 tbsp of Cosmopolitan mix (told you not to drink it, didn't I)

1. Now, icing wise, I am a wild child. I don't conform to ruuuules, man. I tend to just chuck random quantities in the bowl and play it by ear. But I also understand that this does not a good recipe make. So feel free to shake off the shackles of the recipe and do your own thing, or equally follow it to the letter. You are your own person. Don't ever let them take that away from you.


2. My icing bag is broken. Yeah. Life treats me very badly, you're right. As a result, I 'drizzled' (slopped) icing on my cakes. Then grated lime across the top, and added a few dried cranberries on top, you know, just to make it mega healthy.


Have crazy fun, little ones.

Cosmopolitan recipe - makes roughly 15 ounces.
5 (1.5 fluid ounce) jiggers vodka
1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon cointreau
1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
3/4 cup and 3 tablespoons cranberry juice