Dark + Stormy Cupcakes
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Yield: About 18 cupcakes
 
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
  • 1 cup (115 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (115 g) whole wheat flour
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • Scant ¾ teaspoon fine salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1¼ cups (250 g) sugar
  • ½ cup (120 ml) canola oil
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) molasses
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon fresh-grated ginger
  • 1 tablespoon fresh-grated lime zest
  • 1½ teaspoons rum extract
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons milk (I used 1%)
Frosting:
  • 1½ cups (290 g) vegetable shortening
  • 1 tablespoon clear extract (I used coconut, but vanilla would also be great)
  • 6 cups (1½ lbs/680 g) powdered sugar
  • 3-5 tablespoons milk (preferably non-dairy “milk” – such as almond “milk” – so the frosting is stable at room temperature)
  • Natural blue or purple food coloring (see note below)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F; line a muffin tray with 18 paper liners.
  2. Whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cloves, and black pepper in a medium bowl.
  3. Whisk together the sugar, canola oil, molasses, and eggs until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in the ginger, lime zest, rum extract, lime juice, and milk.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir just to combine, being careful not to over-mix.
  5. Fill each lined muffin well about ⅔ full of batter (you should have just enough) and bake until a toothpick inserted inside comes out clean or with just a crumb or two, about 20 to 22 minutes.
  6. Cool in the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
  7. For the frosting, beat the shortening and extract together with a hand-held electric mixer until smooth.
  8. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and beat until fully incorporated; add another cup and beat, and continue this way until all the powdered sugar is added. (The frosting will look dry and crumbly.)
  9. At this point, beat in enough milk to make the frosting smooth and creamy, about 3 to 5 tablespoons, adding it gradually so you don’t add too much.
  10. Add the natural food coloring in different areas of the frosting and gently swirl it so you get a streaked effect. (Start out with just a few drops and gradually add more until you reach your desired color.)
  11. Top the cupcakes with a generous spoon of frosting, spreading it haphazardly so it looks like a wave.
Notes
Using Natural Food Colorings To Get the Same Frosting Look Shown Here: To get the same exact coloring that is shown in these pictures, follow the frosting recipe I give in this post, but instead of the milk, use a mix of natural purple and natural teal food colorings (about half of each; both can be made using the red cabbage method). Then once you have your light bluish purple frosting base, swirl in about 1 to 2 teaspoons of natural blueberry food coloring for a streaked effect.
Recipe by An Edible Mosaic™ at https://www.anediblemosaic.com/dark-stormy-cupcakes-fare-thats-fit-for-a-pirate/