Rum and raisin cupcakes recipe

These rum and raisin cupcakes are easy to make and if you have time to soak the fruit the night before you’ll notice the difference in flavour. 

This cupcake recipe is perfect for those who enjoy a boozy bake. The raisins are soaked in dark rum but spiced rum would also work nicely. If you prefer a classic buttercream for decoration that will work instead of the double cream. 

Ingredients

• 150g raisins
• 3 tbsp dark rum
• 130g self-raising flour
• 20g cornflour
• 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
• 150g caster sugar
• 150g butter
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 3 medium eggs
• 30ml of milk

For the cream topping:

• 300ml double cream
• 2 tbsp icing sugar

You will also need:

• Piping bag
• Wilton 1M nozzle

Method

1. The night before, chop up the raisins into chunks, place them in a bowl with the dark rum and leave to soak overnight.
2. Heat the oven to 160C (140C fan, Gas 3). Put 10 cases in a muffin tin.
3. Sift together the flour, cornflour and cinnamon.
4. Beat the sugar and butter with the vanilla essence until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
5. Add 1 egg, 1 third of the sifted flour mix and a splash of milk and beat until just combined. Repeat until all the ingredients are combined. Fold in the rum-soaked raisins, keeping 30g of raisins and a bit of juice back to decorate.
6. Divide the batter between the cases and bake for 20-25 minutes, until risen, golden and baked through.
7. Cool in the tins for 10 minutes before moving the cakes to a wire cooling rack.
8. To make the cream topping, add the cream and icing sugar to a large mixing bowl, then beat for 2 minutes with an electric whisk until smooth and firm enough to pipe. Don't whisk too long or the cream will be too thick to pipe and could split. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle, if liked.
9. To pipe a swirl, apply pressure to the top of the bag and pipe a star shape in the middle of the cake. Release the pressure and pull up quickly.
10. Then, start at the outside edge of the cake and pipe around the star and build up into a swirl. When you reach the end of the swirl press down slightly, release the pressure and pull up quickly.
11. Add the chopped raisins and a bit of juice to the tops to decorate.

Top tips for making rum and raisin cupcakes 

As we mentioned above, if you have time to soak the raisins the night before you’ll benefit from plump, juicy fruit which will keep your cupcakes nice and moist. If you want a booze free alternative, consider soaking the fruit in a little tea, earl grey or a herbal spiced tea are nice options. Continue reading below for more baking tips. 

We recommend using an electric hand mixer to combine the cake batter ingredients and to make the cream topping. 

KENWOOD Handmix Lite Hand Mixer Silver - View at Currys

Although it’s possible to make the cakes with an old fashioned whisk and some elbow grease, this electric mixer will make the preparation much quicker and more efficient. This mixer has five speed settings and comes with two sets of whisk attachments, one for mixing and one for kneading. The accessories can be cleaned in the dishwasher but we’d recommend handwashing to prolong the quality. 

For more baking inspiration, try our mini cupcakes or these rainbow cupcakes are always a hit with children. Our adorable ice cream cupcakes are easy and look very impressive.