For those of you unfamiliar with a Screwdriver, mix vodka with orange juice to taste. So easy a child could do it (though not recommended). So how, you ask, do you make a screwdriver cupcake? Even easier! (Not really, I am using literary embellishment-baking a cupcake from scratch is actually more difficult and time-consuming than mixing a drink.) I actually adapted the recipe from The Recipe Link. (Recipe copied below with my notes in purple). With a drink in hand and a helper in the kitchen, Daniel and I set forth to conquer the Screwdriver Cupcake.
The Cupcake:
3 eggs
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated orange zest **I didn't feel like doing this, so I mixed in 2 tsp orange marmalade instead.
2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup orange juice **I used Simply Orange No Pulp-it really is the only way to go!
1/2 cup orange-flavored vodka **I used regular Smirnoff vodka because I forgot it needed to be orange-flavored at the grocery store when I bought it and my husband even asked me if it should be, we argued-he was more correct than I was.
1 cup sweetened flake coconut **I absolutely DESPISE coconut so I left this out.
1. Preheat to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pan.
2. Beat eggs until pale and foamy. In a mixing bowl, cream butter; mix in sugar and orange zest (orange marmalade). Beat in the eggs; set aside.
3. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. (I enlisted my brother, Daniel, to help with the heavy lifting).
4. In another bowl, mix together orange juice and vodka.
5. Add flour and vodka mixtures to egg mixture in three alternating additions. Fold in coconut (If you want...). Divide batter into muffin cups.
**The recipe should make 12 cupcakes. I fill my cups 3/4 full and wound up with 12 regular-sized cupcakes and enough batter leftover for 24 mini cupcakes.
6. Bake for 21-23 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.
**I baked my large cupcakes for 20 minutes and they came out slightly harder than I like. The mini cupcakes stayed in for 10 minutes and were perfectly spongey when they emerged.
I couldn't wait to eat one. It was worth the burnt tongue!!
The Orange-Vodka Buttercream:
3/4 stick unsalted butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons vodka
1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar 3-5 minutes or until light and fluffy. **My lovely assistant mixed this concoction for 5 minutes to lumpy sugar results. We nuked the mess for 10 seconds to no avail. finally, we added the vanilla in early and mixed for another 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
2. Mix in vanilla, orange juice and cream. Fold in vodka. **After we added the orange juice, the icing was way too watery. My brother, the helper, mixed on medium setting for 2-3 more minutes until it thickened, then we added the cream and mixed for another 2-3 minutes. after adding the vodka, I tried folding the icing, as instructed, but it was so runny and then the sugar began to lump. I threw it back under the blender until it thickened and was fluffy.
**I added red and yellow food coloring to give the icing an orange tint and then experimented with different piping and sprinkle for fun!
The Result:
My brother, my husband and I actually really liked this recipe! The cupcake mix, before baked, tasted a lot like a sugar cookie with a hint of orange. I suppose if I actually used the orange zest and orange-flavored vodka, like instructed, it probably would have been a lot stronger, but it was still super tasty! The icing had more orange flavor, but it wasn't over-powering. Overall, the cupcake tasted very light and was perfect for the start of summer.
Cupcakes did not actually result in underage drinking.
