Southern Comfort Alcohol Infused Cupcakes

These simple Southern Comfort alcohol-infused cupcakes are as delicious and indulgent as cupcakes can be.

Chocolate Cupcakes spiked with just a hint of Southern Comfort are a fun cocktail cupcake idea to make for your next celebration.

Topped with a rich and fluffy boozy chocolate frosting and a thick drizzle of caramel these might be the best cupcakes you’ll ever make. They’ll certainly make you say, “Cheers!”

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Southern Comfort Alcohol Infused Cupcakes

This easy recipe starts with a fudgy chocolate cupcake base. It’s super moist and almost chewy. YUM!

I use Southern Comfort in place of some of the milk. The result? Melt in your mouth cupcakes that scream “Salud!”

I’ve never met a chocolate cupcake I didn’t like, but when you infuse it with a little Southern Comfort liqueur… it really takes the flavor to the next level.

I typically bake my cupcakes from a cake mix, but this time I decided to make the recipe from scratch.

It’s still a pretty quick and easy dessert to make. Because you know I wouldn’t make them otherwise.

As a cocktail lover who loves cupcakes, it’s natural that I would want to add alcohol to my cupcake batter.

It’s such a great way to add flavor to a basic cupcake recipe.

What is Southern Comfort?

What is Southern Comfort, you say? It has an interesting history.

For most of its life, it didn’t actually have any whiskey in it but was, in fact, a whiskey-flavored liqueur.

Liqueurs are typically flavored spirits that are sweetened and flavored. While I don’t usually love them in cocktails, they work really well in baked goods.

SoCo, as Southern Comfort alcohol is sometimes called, was purchased a few years ago by a larger liquor company and they planned to start adding whiskey to the secret formula.

So the bottle that is dusty and sitting in your cupboard may be liqueur. But the ones on the grocery store shelf could be whiskey.

Either way, it has some fruity and spice notes which make it a great pairing for just about any cupcake flavor.

How to Infuse Cupcakes with Southen Comfort

Southern Comfort has apricot and cinnamon notes that make it the perfect alcohol to mix with a chocolate cupcake.

There are several ways to infuse a cupcake with Southern Comfort.

1. Add the liquor to the cake batter before baking, like I did here.
2. Let a shot of alcohol soak into the cupcake after baking.
3. Include a little pipette of liquor for the person enjoying the cupcake to add on their own. 
4. You can also include Southern Comfort in the frosting.

How to Make Southern Comfort Cupcakes

If you love traditional chocolate cupcakes, you’re going to LOVE these Southern Comfort cupcakes even more!

Ingredients for the cake: 

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup Southern Comfort

Ingredients for the frosting: 

• One batch the Very Best Vanilla Frosting
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 TBSP Southern Comfort
• pinch of cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1/2 cup caramel sauce
• chocolate shavings for garnish, optional (But not really. So yummy.)

Tips:

Don’t forget to read my post for the Best Vanilla Buttercream. It’s a simple recipe but I use that as the base, plus the ingredients noted above, to create the SoCo infused frosting.

A good cocoa powder is key to that really rich chocolate flavor! I like to use Valrhona. It creates such delicious treats.

Don’t have Southern Comfort? Just use regular whiskey or bourbon instead. I use Drizly if I want alcohol delivered right to my door that I need for a recipe. It’s super convenient!

You can also pick up just a few of those small, airplane sized bottles from Bev Mo or Total Wine. Those are perfect to keep on hand to add to recipes.

Store-bought caramel sauce is the easiest to use but if you have time and want to make the most delicious caramel/butterscotch sauce ever you totally should.

I made this caramel recipe for my ice cream sundae party and I dream about it.

You can make your own chocolate shavings with this cute little tool or buy them ready-made.

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners and set aside. 

In a bowl combine sugar, flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Add eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, Southern Comfort and water.

This is also where you make time to take a shot of SoCo. I mean, it just makes sense.

Mix until everything is well incorporated and there are no lumps left.

Divide the batter between the cupcake liners and put in the oven. Bake for 18 minutes or until done.

Remove from the oven and let them cool completely before frosting. 

Meanwhile prepare the frosting.

In a bowl whip up a batch of the Very Best Vanilla Frosting with cocoa powder, Southern Comfort, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Transfer to a piping bag.

Once cooled, frost the cupcakes with the Southern Comfort spiked buttercream frosting.

The cinnamon and hint of nutmeg, amps up the chocolate flavor and give it just the right hint of warmness.

The spices, coupled with the warm notes of the Southern Comfort alcohol make these moist chocolate cupcakes extra special.

Finish off these Southern Comfort Cupcakes with a generous caramel drizzle. This part it’s totally optional but I HIGHLY encourage that you add it.

Caramel helps to balance all the flavors and really compliments the fruity tones of Southern Comfort.

I like to frost my cupcakes, leaving a little low spot in the center to make a caramel pool. Yes, it’s just as delicious as it sounds. 

Boozy Cupcakes are delicious! Try one of these other super simple recipes (most from boxed cake mix!) that are infused with alcohol.

1. White Russian Cupcakes – These White Russian Cupcakes with vodka are the classic cocktail in cupcake form! A sweet, fluffy Baileys Buttercream tops a super soft and moist coffee and liquor-infused cupcake.
2. Sangria Cupcakes with White Wine – If you’re a wine lover, you must try these citrusy Sangria Cupcakes spiked with white wine. These boozy cupcakes start with boxed cake mix to keep things quick and easy. A little orange, lime and lemon mimic the flavors of a refreshing sangria pitcher. Wine infused buttercream makes these cupcakes feel celebratory and fun.
3. Fireball Whisky Cupcakes – Spicy, flavorful Fireball Cupcakes are sure to be a cocktail-inspired cupcake that you crave. The shot of cinnamon whisky gives these a fun little kick!  
4. Moscow Mule Cupcakes – I’m a Moscow Mule lover so these delicious boozy Moscow Mule Cupcakes just make sense! Spiked with vodka, these cupcakes also have lime and ginger beer so they taste really similar to their cocktail counterpart.

Pin These Boozy Cupcakes for Later

If you need a fun dessert idea for a 21st birthday party or other adult celebration, make these simple Southern Comfort Alcohol Infused Cupcakes! The whiskey flavor pairs perfectly with the rich chocolate!