Cosmopolitan Cupcakes

By cakequeen

Ingredients

• Cupcakes:
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup frozen cranberry juice concentrate or cranberry punch concentrate, thawed
• zest of 1 lime
• 1 cup dried cranberries, chopped
• Glaze:
• 1/4 cup thawed cranberry juice concentrate
• 1/4 cup vodka
• Lime-Cointreau Buttercream:
• 1/2 c butter
• 4 c confectioner’s sugar
• 3 T Cointreau
• juice from 1 large lime

Preparation

Step 1

1. Allow all ingredients to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line muffin pans with cupcake papers.
2. With a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time and beat until well combined.
3. Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
Combine buttermilk, thawed concentrate, zest, and cranberries 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.
4. Fill cups with batter two-thirds full. Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes or until cupcakes spring back in the middle when touched lightly. Cool for 10 minutes in pan.
5. Brush with cranberry/vodka glaze when cupcakes are still slightly warm. When cupcakes are completely cooled, frost with lime-cointreau buttercream.
6. Mix all ingredients on high speed until fluffy. Double this recipe if you are doing a lot of piping or have more than 2 dozen cupcakes.
7. Sprinkle with sanding sugar (colored if desired), a lime wedge and a dried cranberry.