Learn how to make some Caribbean inspired coconut rum cupcakes. These deliciously moist cupcakes are vegan friendly and grain free thanks to the use of almond flour and tapioca starch. No soaking required and there is the option to use rum essence/flavouring for those who don't drink alcohol.
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**I've updated the recipe by adding a video, so you can follow along visually instead for those of you who may need additional guidance or want to watch the recipe via video instead**
These cupcakes are perfect for the holiday season and also perfect to make throughout the year.
In my household, they tend to make a guest appearance during the festive season because most Caribbean households celebrate Christmas with rum.
Rum is a staple for most Caribbean islands, each island has their own signature rum.
Jamaica (Appleton/Wray & Nephew), Barbados (Mount Gay), Trinidad and Tobago (Puncheon), Haiti (Barbancourt) and so fourth.
Rum plays a crucial rum in both food and drink, in respect to baked goods, it is not uncommon for cake recipes to call for fruit to be soaked in rum.
Black cake is a classic example of a cake that is eaten by many Caribbean islands during Christmas.
The key to a good black cake is to soak the fruit in rum (the longer you do this the better the taste).
While the results are definitely worth the wait, some people don't have the patience, while others forget to soak their fruit.
Having said all of that, I've found the perfect solution in cupcakes. That's right cupcakes infused with rum (or rum essence).
Reasons to make these cupcakes
For those of you who are afraid of change, I'm not saying you should ditch your black cake.
What I'm encouraging you to do is open up your options, it is perfectly okay to serve these cupcakes along side your black cake.
It's also not a crime to substitute black cake for these cupcakes, without feeling like you are less of a Caribbean person, trust me there is room for both and your family/guests will appreciate them too.
These cupcakes are;
- Made from almond flour/tapioca starch making them naturally gluten free and grain free.
- Easier to make because they are individual, single serving cupcakes.
- Convinient to make as you can make them any time.
- Don't require any soaking or there is no "waiting time" to be had.
- Can be made with alcohol or alcohol essence making them suitable for those who like that booziness and those who don't drink or are abstaining from alcohol.
- Are a great alternative to the classic Rum Cake
As you can see from the points above, there are so many reasons to make these cupcakes.
I like to divide the batter into two, with half of the cupcakes made with actual rum and the others are made using rum essence for the non drinkers.
This is a great way to cater to both type of guests so noone feels leftout.
This is something I highly recommend, if you are making these cupcakes for a variety of people or want to impress your guests by going that extra mile.
The steps
- Preheat oven to 356F/180C.
- Add the cupcake liners to the pan and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, add the almond flour, tapioca starch, shredded coconut, raw cane sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and pink salt.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together to combine.
- In a jug, add the almond milk, olive oil, vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar and rum or rum essence.
- Whisk the wet ingredients together to combine.
- Slowly pour the wet ingredients to the dry bowl, in stages, whisking at the same time (you can use an electric whisk for this), only stir enough until everything is fully combined and smooth. Do not overbeat the batter.
- Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners (fill the cups no more than ¾).
- Bake the cupcakes for 15-20 minutes (mine took 18 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven, brush each cupcake with more rum or rum essence for a stronger taste in rum.
- Leave them to cool for 5 minutes before placing them on a cooling rack to completely cool down before applying any frosting.
To make the rum buttercream frosting
- Add the butter to a stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle (you can follow the instructions by using an electric whisk instead).
- Proceed to beat the butter, starting on the lowest and gradually increasing to medium speed until the butter is creamy.
- While the mixer is still running, add the cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extract. Carefully add the powdered sugar, in intervals. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the rum essence or rum (a tablespoon at a time) while continuing to beat the buttercream until it is fluffy.
- Use a piping bag or spoon/spatula to apply the frosting to the cupcakes accordingly
- Sprinkle the toasted coconut onto the frosting of each cupcake to garnish.
Frequently asked questions
The amount of rum/rum essence that you will use is subjective to your preference. The quantities included are to serve as a general guideline.
You shouldn't need more than 2 tablespoons of rum essence, but this does depend on the brand as some are more concentrated than others.
For those of you who are using rum, you may want to use ¼ cup of rum in the batter and dowse the cupcakes with more rum by the tablespoon once they are fresh out of the oven.
You can determine their readiness by inserting a tooth pick or a skewer directly in the centre of the cupcake.
The tooth pick/skewer should come out clean when it is ready. If it doesn't then you will need to bake abit longer.
I generally do this in 10 minute intervals, checking until they are done.
The key to making cupcakes light and fluffy is being careful not to overmix the batter.
You only want to mix the batter enough until everything is folded in and full combined.
If your cupcakes are dry it could be because the batter has been overbeaten. Also, it may be because the cupcakes have been over baked which will draw out the moisture.
Another thing, are the liquid levels to flour, the batter should be thick, but easy to mix, if the batter is too heavy this will make the cupcakes dry.
Notes and tips
- If it is your first time applying frosting to a cupcake, then use the spoon method as mentioned in this Chocolate Mint Cupcake recipe.
- This recipe should make 12 cupcakes in total.
- Use the quantity of rum/essence as a guideline, if you want a boozier tasting cupcake, dowse the cupcake once it comes out of the oven.
- Don't add too much rum to the batter, start with 3tbsp and add more only AFTER the cupcake has baked or you risk throwing off the liquid to dry ingredient ratio/baking time.
- Rum essence varies, some are more concentrated than others so I suggest doing a taste test to the batter in case you need to adjust..
- Feel free to add some dried fruit or nuts if you want to.
- Store the cupcakes (frosted and unfrosted) in an air tight container for up to 3 days.
- Alternatively you can carefully wrap the cupcakes in plastic wrap on the countertop, away from heat.
- Do not refrigerate the cupcakes, they hold up much better when stored correctly at room temperature.
- Freeze the cupcakes (unfrosted) for up to 3 months , be sure to wrap them securely in several layers of plastic wrap and defrost them before using them.
- Don't overmix the batter, you only want to stir enough times to fully combine the ingredients.
- You can use either cassava flour or arrowroot starch in place of tapioca starch.
- When making the buttercream, you will want the butter to be at room temperature and soft to the touch (leave the butter out on the countertop a few hours or overnight ahead of time).
- Don't overbake the cupcakes or the texture will be dry and crumbly.
- Don't overfill the cup liners with too much batter, fill by no more than ¾ on the liner..
More festive vegan recipes to try
- Jamaican Ginger Beer
- Vegan Irish Cream
- Sorrel Drink
- Sugar Cookies
- Non Alcoholic Mulled Wine
- Shortbread Cookies
- Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding
- Air Fryer Black Eyed Peas
- Orange Cranberry Oatmeal
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Caribbean Coconut Rum Cupcakes (Vegan, Gluten Free, Grain Free)
Ingredients
To make the cupcakes
- 2½ cups almond flour (280g)
- ½ cup tapioca starch (60g)
- ½ cup shredded coconut (40g)
- ½ cup raw cane sugar (100g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon mixed spice
- ¼ teaspoon pink salt
- 1 cup almond milk (300ml)
- ¼ cup olive oil (60ml)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon apple cidar vinegar
- 2 tablespoon rum essence (if you are using rum instead, add 3tbsp ) see instructions
To make the rum buttercream frosting
- ½ cup vegan butter (113g) softened
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (
- 2½ cups powdered sugar (300g) I used unrefined powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoon rum essence (3-4 tablespoon of rum)
- ¼ cup toasted coconut for the garnish (optional)
Instructions
To make the cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 356F/180C.
- Add the cupcake liners to the pan and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, add the almond flour, tapioca starch, shredded coconut, raw cane sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and pink salt.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together to combine.
- In a jug, add the almond milk, olive oil, vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar and rum or rum essence.
- Whisk the wet ingredients together to combine.
- Slowly pour the wet ingredients to the dry bowl, in stages, whisking at the same time (you can use an electric whisk for this), only stir enough until everything is fully combined and smooth. Do not overbeat the batter.
- Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners (fill the cups no more than ¾).
- Bake the cupcakes for 15-20 minutes (mine took 18 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven, brush each cupcake with more rum or rum essence for a stronger taste in rum.
- Leave them to cool for 5 minutes before placing them on a cooling rack to completely cool down before applying any frosting.
To make the rum buttercream frosting
- Add the butter to a stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle (you can follow the instructions by using an electric whisk instead).
- Proceed to beat the butter, starting on the lowest and gradually increasing to medium speed until the butter is creamy.
- While the mixer is still running, add the cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extract.
- Carefully add the powdered sugar, in intervals. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the rum essence or rum (a tablespoon at a time) while continuing to beat the buttercream until it is fluffy.
- Use a piping bag or spoon/spatula to apply the frosting to the cupcakes accordingly.
- Sprinkle the toasted coconut onto the frosting of each cupcake to garnish.
Video
Notes
- If it is your first time applying frosting to a cupcake, then use the spoon method as mentioned in this Chocolate Mint Cupcake recipe.
- This recipe should make 12 cupcakes in total.
- Use the quantity of rum/essence as a guideline, if you want a boozier tasting cupcake, dowse the cupcake once it comes out of the oven.
- Don't add too much rum to the batter, start with 3tbsp and add more only AFTER the cupcake has baked or you risk throwing off the liquid to dry ingredient ratio/baking time.
- Rum essence varies, some are more concentrated than others so I suggest doing a taste test to the batter in case you need to adjust..
- Feel free to add some dried fruit or nuts if you want to.
- Store the cupcakes (frosted and unfrosted) in an air tight container for up to 3 days.
- Alternatively you can carefully wrap the cupcakes in plastic wrap on the countertop, away from heat.
- Do not refrigerate the cupcakes, they hold up much better when stored correctly at room temperature.
- Freeze the cupcakes (unfrosted) for up to 3 months , be sure to wrap them securely in several layers of plastic wrap and defrost them before using them.
- Don't overmix the batter, you only want to stir enough times to fully combine the ingredients.
- You can use either cassava flour or arrowroot starch in place of tapioca starch.
- When making the buttercream, you will want the butter to be at room temperature and soft to the touch (leave the butter out on the countertop a few hours or overnight ahead of time).
- Don't overbake the cupcakes or the texture will be dry and crumbly.
- Don't overfill the cup liners with too much batter, fill by no more than ¾ on the liner..
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