Gin & tonic cupcakes are here (and our lives are complete)

It's a beautiful thing when booze meets baked goods. 

From Baileys cheesecake to bourbon brownies, some of the most enduring flavour combinations are those involving sugar, flour and a hefty splash of alcohol. Something about this trendy treat by Bake It Instinct made us a little more eager than usual to dig out the mixing bowl however. And that thing is gin. We can confirm: Gin and tonic cupcakes are a thing and they are beyond delicious. Here's how to make them... Ingredients For the cakey bit:

• 175g unsalted butter softened
• 175g golden caster sugar
• 175g self raising flour
• 3 medium eggs
• 4 tbsp tonic water
• 2tbsp gin

For the icing:

• 250g unsalted butter softened
• 500g icing sugar
• Juice of one lime
• 4tbsp gin

To decorate

• Zest of one lime
• 1 lime halved and thinly sliced

Method

1. Pre-heat your oven to 170c and line a cupcake/muffin tin with 12 cases
2. Beat butter and sugar together until light and creamy
3. Add the eggs one at a time whisking in and making sure each one is fully combined before adding the next
4. Sift in the flour and fold in. Do not to over-stir
5. Stir in the tonic water
6. Divide the mixture between the 12 cases. Don’t fill more than 2/3
7. Bake for approximately 20 mins until golden and a skewer comes out clean
8. Remove from tins and place on cooling rack. Pierce each one with a skewer six and brush on as much gin as you think you can get away with
9. For the icing, soften the butter with your whisk, add in the icing sugar and whisk fully, a batch at a time
10. Squeeze the juice of the lime into the icing and add the gin. Whip again until soft and light and fluffy
11. Pipe on to the cakes and add a slice of lime and some lime zest to decorate.

We recommend making three times as many as you think you need. These things are guaranteed to make you wildly popular at the office. Recipe and images: Bake It Instinct