Kentucky Derby Cupcakes

...or the cupcake that started it all.

These were the first cupcakes I remember making. I found the recipe at Coconut and Lime's blog back in May, just in time for what would become an absolutely gut-wrenching Kentucky Derby. My fellow is a Kentucky-native, and I wanted to impress him with my baking skills. Little did I know He would eat just about anything...


Luckily the recipe itself is sublimely easy and a crowd-pleaser to boot.

The Cupcakes:
(Yeilds 6 cupcakes)

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup half and half
1/4 cup bourbon
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, room temperature
3 tablespoons mint, bruised and minced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix milk and mint and allow to steep for at least 15 minutes. After mint and milk have steeped, add the bourbon and set aside.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Line six cupcake wells with papers. Spray lightly with Pam to allow for easy release.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and beat until well combined.

Add 1/3 of the milk and flour mixtures. Stir to combine. Repeat twice more, alternating between the milk and flour mixtures.

Pour into cupcake cups (about 2 ounces per cup) and bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.




And now, the icing.

Mix together the icing while the cupcakes are in the oven so you'll be ready to go when they're cooled.

Bourbon-icing
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 tsp bourbon
Half and half to thin
Food coloring--not essential, but I had green so I used it.

Beat together the butter and confectioner's sugar, using milk to smooth the mixture out into an icing-like consistency.



Delicious!