Today is a good day to blog about these sunshine-y cupcakes. Because it’s been raining in Los Angeles. A LOT.

We need a little reminder of the (almost) perennial Southern California sunshine around here. The weather is getting people all depressed! I personally love all this rain, but the fact that most Angelenos are mopey and boo-hooing this strange weather is the perfect opportunity to write about these yummy, summery cupcakes.

I made them for my friend Sara’s birthday. We were all going to have dinner at Loteria Grill, a Mexican restaurant on Hollywood Boulevard (awesome food!) I wanted to bring dessert that would pair well with all the enchiladas and tacos we’d eat with wild abandon, and at first I thought I’d make a Mojito Birthday Cake. The lime and mint in it, typical Mexican flavors, would do just the trick. And oh, yes, the rhum!

But as a lot of restaurants in the city, Loteria was going to charge me a (stupid) cake-cutting fee. Simply said, if you bring a cake into a restaurant that observes this policy, they’ll charge you for cutting and plating your dessert. Why would I or my friends have to pay to eat something I baked? Ridiculous! I called up the restaurant and countered, “Well, if I brought in some cupcakes, they won’t need cutting…would you charge me for those?” The person over the phone admitted no, they wouldn’t charge me if I chose to bring in cupcakes. Ha! HA!

These cupcakes were so much fun to make. I first set about making cupcakes with my favorite vanilla cupcake recipe (out of the Magnolia Bakery cookbook).

I used these really pretty cupcake liners from Bake It Pretty.

I then modified the rhum syrup from this recipe. This was the sweet, alcoholic kick that really elevated these from sweet, innocent vanilla cupcakes that they were to the sinful indulges that they became. I mean sugar + alchohol? Come on now, that’s debauchery in a cupcake right there!

After poking holes into the cupcakes and spooning the syrup on top, I waited a bit to make sure the syrup was throughly absorbed, infusing each little cupcake with the bright flavors that inspired the popular cocktail.

With a little help from Nonna, my little grater girl, I made a cream-cheese frosting with lime zest mixed right in.

After garnishing the tops with lime slices and sprigs of mint, I decided the cupcakes still kind of looked naked. Ayayay.

I realized I had some green sanding sugar in my decorating “toolboox,” and sprinkling those on completed my sweet, little sinful things!

¡Salud!

I hope it’s bright and sunshine-y where you are, and that you’re enjoying a mojito in the sun and thinking about me.