Fig and Whiskey Cupcakes

I just picked the last of the figs from the tree and decided to make some into cupcakes. After some experimentation, I came up with a rich, moist cupcake. The whiskey adds complementary flavor to strong spices such as cinnamon and clove and adds a lot of complexity.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 45 mins
• Calories: 589 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup whiskey
• ¾ cup vegetable shortening (such as Crisco®)
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• ½ cup fresh figs, finely chopped

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

Step 2

Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.

Step 3

Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes.

Step 4

Soak figs in whiskey in a bowl for at least 30 minutes.

Step 5

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cream of tartar, and cloves in a bowl.

Step 6

Blend white sugar, oil, and brown sugar together in a separate bowl using an electric mixer. Add egg and mix until creamy. Mix in buttermilk and vanilla extract. Reserve 1 tablespoon of fig mixture for frosting, and mix remainder into batter. Beat in flour mixture until just combined.

Step 7

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to wire racks to cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Step 8

Beat cream cheese and shortening together in a bowl using an electric mixer until creamy. Add powdered sugar slowly, 1 cup at a time, until creamy. Add vanilla extract. Slowly drizzle in reserved fig mixture; mix frosting until combined.