Flaming Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1½ cups all purpose flour
• 1½ cups sugar
• 1½ tsp baking soda
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup hot water
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 3 tbsp canola or other vegetable oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting:

• 2 sticks softened butter
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

Strawberries:

• 18-24 Strawberries - you'll need as many as you have cupcakes
• Vodka, rum, or your choice of liquor 80 proof or higher (use Bacardi 151 for fail-proof results)

Instructions:

Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line muffin tin with cupcake papers and set aside.
3. Sift together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, water, heavy cream, oil and vanilla.  Mix with a hand held mixer until smooth.
4. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each half full.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Let cool before frosting.

Frosting:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, cream together sugar, cocoa and butter; beginning on low speed then increase to high.
2. Beat until fluffy and lightened in color.  Transfer mixture to a piping bag fitted with a decorative tip. 
3. Frost cupcakes.

Strawberries:

1. Hollow the strawberries carefully.  If you pierce the side of the strawberry accidentally, start with a new one. 
2. Since you'll be setting the liquor aflame, it is important that your strawberry is leak-proof.

Assembly:

1. Set one strawberry atop each frosted cupcake. Fill strawberries with liquor just before lighting (see tips).  If you need to light them all at once, (say, for a party) use a turkey baster to quickly fill all the strawberries and a grill lighter in lieu of matches.

Note : 
Makes about 20 cupcakes,

Any alcohol below 80 proof will not light well. (Bacardi 151 works good).  
Do not attempt to eat a flaming strawberry.  It's a relatively short burn time, lasting about 30 seconds to 1 minute.


Photo Credit: sprinklebakes.com
Source : https://sites.google.com/site/sprinkleprints/chocolate-cupcakes-with-flaming-strawberries