Good Housekeeping UK/Kris Kirkham Photography

Blackberry gin gimlet cupcakes

Sweet, sharp and juicy blackberries marry beautifully with gin and a twist of lime in these striking cupcakes.

By The GH Kitchen TeamPublished: 04 October 2017

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Yields:

Prep Time:

30 mins

Cook Time:

35 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 5 mins

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE BATTER

175 g (6oz) unsalted butter, softened
175 g (6oz) caster sugar
175 g (6oz) self-raising flour
3 Tbsp. gin
Finely grated zest of 2 limes

FOR THE SYRUP

2 Tbsp. gin
40 g (1 1/2oz) Juice of 1 lime

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

200 g (7oz) blackberries, plus 12 to decorate
2 Tbsp. Chambord
125 g (4oz) unsalted butter, softened
400 g (14oz) icing sugar, sifted

Directions

1. Step 1
  Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with cases (we used tulip cases). In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar together using an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Gradually add eggs, beating well between each addition. Sift over flour and a pinch of
  salt and fold in, then fold in gin and lime zest.
2. Step 2
  Divide the mixture between the muffin cases (an ice-cream scoop is useful for this) and bake
  for 20-25min until risen and a skewer inserted
  in the centre comes out clean.
3. Step 3
  Meanwhile, make the syrup by gently heating all the ingredients in a pan, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then bring to the boil and simmer for 1min. When the cakes are cooked, remove from oven and poke holes all over with a skewer or cocktail stick. Brush cakes with gin syrup and leave for 5min; remove cakes from tin and set aside to cool on a wire rack.
4. Step 4
  For the buttercream, put 200g (70z) blackberries into a pan with 1tbsp water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10min, stirring occasionally, until berries are soft and juice thickened. Blend until smooth, then pass through a sieve into a bowl. Stir in Chambord, if using. Set aside to cool.
5. Step 5
  In a bowl, beat butter using an electric whisk until soft, then whisk in icing sugar in 2 batches; continue to beat until light and fluffy. Whisk in cooled blackberry purée.
6. Step 6
  Pipe buttercream on to cakes and top each one with a blackberry.
  
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Per Serving:

Calories: 487
Fibre: 1 g
Total carbs: 64 g
Sugars: 53 g
Total fat: 22 g
Saturated fat: 13 g
Protein: 3 g

The GH Kitchen Team

The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor ⁠Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce ⁠Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time