White Russian Cupcakes

I came across these cupcakes while I was looking for a Russian recipe to take to class. Turns out Americans are more interested in the cocktail than the actual Russian culture. Regardless, my BFFL, Leia, and I decided to try them. :D

(If you can't tell, I did my photography in the laundry room.)

For a dessert recipe that doesn't include chocolate, these are pretty darn amazing. I might even pick them over certain chocolate desserts (which means something). The cupcake part is like a non-soggy rum cake (yum) and the frosting is just a nice Kahlua buttercream. They're kind of perfect.

In the final stage of frosting production: adding the Kahlua.

The Most Perfect Cupcake.

I got the recipe here.

White Russian Cupcakes

makes 12-14 cupcakes

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1 large egg and 1 egg white

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk (the higher the fat percentage, the tastier it will be!)

1/8 cup Vodka

1/4 cup Kahlua, divided

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners. If you plan on making large cupcakes, you might consider spraying the pan with Pam first. If they spill out over the top of the liner, that will keep them from sticking to the cupcake tin.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl or in a stand mixer, beat together the sugar and butter until combined. Add egg and egg white, one at a time. Then add the vanilla, vodka, and 1/8 cup of Kahlua. Gradually add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions, ending with the flour mixture.

Bake 17 -20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcakes comes out clean. While the cupcakes are still warm, brush the tops with the remaining 1/8 cup Kahlua. (I forgot to do this step until right before I frosted them, but they still turned out delicious!)  Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack or in the freezer (for a quicker turnaround)  before frosting.

Kahlua Buttercream Frosting

Makes more than enough frosting for 14 cupcakes... So be ready to eat the leftovers ;)

1 stick of butter, softened (very important when making frosting to actually soften the butter, as I found out)

3 cups powdered sugar, divided

pinch of salt

4-5 tablespoons Kahlua (to taste)

Beat butter until creamy. Add salt. Add half of the powdered sugar until combined, then add a tablespoon of Kahlua and add the rest of the powdered sugar. Add more Kahlua, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired flavor.