Caribbean Coconut Rum Cupcakes (Vegan, Gluten Free, Grain Free)

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.

Course Baked goods

Cuisine Caribbean

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 20

Total Time 1 20

Servings people

Calories 645kcal

Author Charla

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 (4g)
½ teaspoon cinnamon (1g)
½ teaspoon nutmeg (1g)
¼ teaspoon mixed spice (0.5g)
¼ teaspoon pink salt (1.5g)
1 cup almond milk (300ml)
¼ cup olive oil (60ml)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (4g)
1 tablespoon apple cidar vinegar (15ml)
2 tablespoon rum essence (30g)(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 (0.5g)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon (0.5g)
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (1g)
2½ cups powdered sugar (300g) I used unrefined powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoon rum essence (15g)(3-4 tablespoon of rum)
¼ cup toasted coconut for the garnish (optional) (20g)

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..

Nutrition