Mojito Cupcakes in the air fryer are the classic Cuban drink in cake form. The batter tastes of lime zest, lime juice and finely chopped mint, and the yoghurt keeps the crumb light and moist. The warm cakes are brushed with white rum and finished with a creamy frosting of cold cream cheese, butter, icing sugar, rum and lime zest.
Advertisement: The page displays ads and contains advertising links (affiliate links). See our advertisers here.
These are cakes for adults, and they are a hit on the cake table at a party or as a dessert after dinner. If the kids are getting one too, make a batch with lime syrup instead of rum. The air fryer bakes the eight cakes in two small batches, so the big oven can stay switched off.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Why I love Mojito Cupcakes in the air fryer
I love that you get the whole mojito in a single bite: tangy lime, fresh mint and the sweet warmth of the rum. The mint is chopped so finely that it only shows as tiny green flecks, so you get the flavour without chewing on leaves.
The air fryer is perfect for baking a small batch. At 160 °C it bakes the cakes evenly with hot air all the way around, and preheating is quick. The 8 cupcakes are baked in 2 batches of 13-15 minutes each, and while the cakes cool, you make the frosting.
Silicone muffin pans make the difference
The strong airflow is the biggest difference between baking in an air fryer and in an oven. Paper liners on their own are too flimsy and can tip over, so use silicone muffin pans that fit in the basket. Fill them about two-thirds full, so the batter can rise without running over.
My kitchen test of Mojito Cupcakes
I baked the cakes in my Cosori Dual Blaze, where the heating elements above and below give even heat around the pans. At 160 °C, 13-15 minutes per batch was spot on: the cakes were risen and golden, and a toothpick in the middle came out clean. I put 4 pans in the basket at a time with space between them and baked the 8 cakes in 2 batches. If the top gets too dark before the cakes are baked through, turn the heat down a little and give them a few extra minutes.
If you have a large air fryer like my Philips XXL, and there is room for all 8 pans with space between them, you can bake them in one go with the same baking time. Allow 90 minutes in total: 30 minutes for preparation, 30 minutes in the air fryer and 30 minutes for cooling.
Prick the warm cakes 5-6 times with a toothpick before you brush on the rum. That way it soaks down into the crumb instead of sitting on top.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
The first mistake is opening the air fryer too early. The cakes need time to set undisturbed, otherwise they can sink, so leave the basket in the machine for most of the baking time and check them with a toothpick at the end. The second mistake is piping frosting onto warm cakes. It melts and runs down the sides, so let the cakes cool completely on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes first. The third mistake is a frosting that is too soft to pipe. That happens when the cream cheese is not cold, or when it is beaten for too long. Beat the butter and icing sugar until fluffy first, and then beat in the cold cream cheese only very briefly. If the frosting is still too soft, chill it in the fridge for a little while.
How to serve Mojito Cupcakes
Garnished with lime and a mint leaf, the cakes can be served straight away or kept chilled until the guests arrive. Here are my best ideas for serving:
- With an ice-cold mojito for the grown-up party
- With an alcohol-free drink of lime, mint and soda water
- As a fresh dessert after a rich dinner
- As a strawberry mojito, with a small piece of strawberry pressed into the batter before baking and halved strawberries as garnish
Mojito Cupcakes without rum
If everyone should be able to join in, make the cakes without rum. Heat 2 tbsp lime juice, 2 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp water in a small saucepan until the sugar has dissolved, and brush the warm cakes with the syrup. In the frosting, replace the rum with 1 tsp lime juice.
Storage and reheating
With cream cheese frosting, the cakes need to be kept cold. They keep in the fridge for up to 2 days in an airtight container. If you want to bake ahead, the cakes can be frozen without the topping for up to 2 months – let them thaw, and pipe on fresh frosting when they are to be served. The cakes are not suitable for reheating, as heat makes the frosting melt.
Mojito Cupcakes are a fun way to bring a classic drink over to the cake table. The air fryer takes care of the baking, and the rest is mostly about patience while the cakes cool. Enjoy!
FAQ
Not the version with rum. The rum is brushed on after baking, so each cake contains about 1 tsp of rum. For children and pregnant women, make them with lime syrup instead.
Paper liners on their own are too flimsy and can tip over in the air fryer’s strong airflow. Use silicone muffin pans that fit in the basket, and place paper liners inside them if you like.
With frosting, they keep for up to 2 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Without the topping, the cakes can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Recipe
Mojito Cupcakes in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
Keep the screen on and follow the recipe step by step while you cook.
Step 1:
Avoid the screen turning off while you cook.
Step 2:
Start the guide and follow the recipe one step at a time.
Cost of the dish
Prices may vary depending on where you shop.
Our estimate is based on average food prices for the current year 2026.
Estimated price for the whole dish:
Airfryer size
All our recipes are tested in a Philips Airfryer 2000 Series NA230/00 – 6.2 L
Does the recipe fit my Airfryer?
If you’re unsure, you can always reduce by one serving in the recipe, or click the 0.5x button.
You can also Ask the AI Chef
It’s easy! Just press the Ask the AI Chef button you see at the bottom.
Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Kitchen scale
- 1 Fine grater
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 2 Mixing bowl - for batter and frosting
- 1 Electric mixer
- 1 Sifter
- 1 Dough scraper
- 8 Muffin pans - silicone ones that fit in the basket
- 1 Toothpick
- 1 Pastry brush
- 1 Cooling rack
- 1 Piping bag with star tip
Shopping list
Ingredients
- 75 g butter (softened)
- 100 g sugar
- 2 pcs eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 pcs lime (organic – finely grated zest and 2 tbsp juice)
- 125 g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 60 g plain yoghurt (at room temperature)
- 2 tbsp fresh mint (very finely chopped)
For brushing
- 3 tbsp white rum
Frosting
- 60 g butter (softened)
- 175 g icing sugar
- 150 g cream cheese (plain, cold from the fridge)
- 2 tsp white rum
- 1 pcs lime (organic – finely grated zest only)
- 1 tbsp fresh mint (very finely chopped)
Garnish
- 1 pcs lime (in thin slices or small wedges)
- 8 leaves fresh mint
How to make it
Cake batter
- Finely grate the zest of 1 pcs lime, then squeeze 2 tbsp of juice out of it.
- Set aside 8 leaves fresh mint for garnish. Finely chop the rest of the mint until you have about 3 tbsp – 2 tbsp for the batter and 1 tbsp for the frosting. It should be chopped so finely that it only shows as tiny green flecks.
- Beat 75 g butter and 100 g sugar in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Beat in 2 pcs eggs one at a time, and beat well after each egg.
- Sift 125 g plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 1 pinch salt into the mixing bowl, and add 60 g plain yoghurt, the lime zest and the lime juice.
- Fold everything together with a dough scraper until the batter is smooth and free of flour lumps. Finally, fold in 2 tbsp fresh mint, and do not mix more than necessary – that way the cakes turn out light and fluffy.
Baking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 160 °C fan.
- Divide the batter between 8 silicone muffin pans, filling them about two-thirds full. The cakes need room to rise without running over the edge.
- Place 4 of the pans in the basket with a little space between them, and bake the cakes at 160 °C for 13-15 minutes, until risen and golden. Do not open the air fryer during the first 10 minutes, or the cakes may sink. Insert a toothpick into the centre of a cake – if it comes out clean, the cakes are done. Bake the last 4 cakes the same way.
- Leave the cakes in the pans for 5 minutes. Prick each cake 5-6 times with a toothpick, and brush them with 3 tbsp white rum (about 1 tsp per cake) while they are still warm, so the rum soaks into them.
Frosting
- Sift 175 g icing sugar into a clean mixing bowl, add 60 g butter, and beat with the electric mixer for 2-3 minutes, until fluffy.
- Add 150 g cream cheese straight from the fridge, and beat only briefly, until the frosting is smooth and combined. If you beat it for too long, it becomes soft and hard to pipe.
- Finely grate the zest of 1 pcs lime into the frosting, and stir in 2 tsp white rum and 1 tbsp fresh mint. If the frosting is too soft, chill it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
Our notes for the recipe
Use silicone muffin pans that fit in the basket – paper liners on their own are too flimsy and can tip over in the strong airflow. If you want to serve the cakes in paper liners, place the paper liners inside the silicone muffin pans. If the top gets too dark before the cakes are baked through, turn the temperature down to 150 °C and give them a few extra minutes. The cream cheese must be cold when it goes into the frosting, otherwise the frosting becomes too soft to pipe. Without rum:
Heat 2 tbsp lime juice, 2 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp water in a small saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Brush the warm cakes with the lime syrup instead of rum, and replace the rum in the frosting with 1 tsp lime juice. For adults only:
The rum is not cooked off during baking, so the cakes contain alcohol (about 1 tsp of rum per cake). Do not serve them to children or pregnant women – make the version without rum instead. Variation:
For a strawberry mojito, you can press a small piece of strawberry into the batter in each pan before the cakes are baked, and garnish with halved strawberries next to the lime. Serving:
Serve the cakes as a dessert or at a party, preferably with a cold mojito – or an alcohol-free version with lime, mint and soda water. Portion size:
The recipe makes 8 cupcakes – 2 per serving. If you have a large air fryer with room for all 8 pans with space between them, you can bake them in one go; the baking time is the same.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
Easily share the recipe with others:
Via email or on Facebook
Open the recipe on your phone
Scan the QR code with your phone and get the recipe directly on your mobile while you cook.
Author
Airfryerkogebogen.dk
