Begin by making the Butter-Rum sauce. Heat the butter, cream, brown sugar, and golden syrup in a saucepan over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until the butter is melted and the ingredients are combined. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat so that the mixture retains a slow but constant boil. Allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every minute. The mixture should be thicker at the end. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the rum and the vanilla extract until completely blended, but be careful as the mixture will likely spatter a bit. Set the sauce aside to cool to room temperature.

Allow them to soak in the mixture for 5 minutes, tossing with your hands every minute or so to prevent them from getting too stuck to one another.

Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Fill each of the cupcake liners about 3/4 full with the rum balls. Spoon any sauce left at the bottom of the bowl over each of the cupcakes before placing the pan in the oven to bake for 30 minutes, or until the cupcakes are golden brown.

While the cupcakes are baking make the frosting. Mix together the butter, Butter-Rum sauce, and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until a smooth frosting forms. Remove 1/3 of the frosting and set it aside. Add the black food coloring, and the 15 drops of blue food coloring to the larger amount fo frosting and mix until combined. Add the remaining 1/3 frosting back in and stir until partially blended, so that there are still a few lighter streaks in the frosting. Add 5 more drops of blue food coloring, placing each drop over a different area of the frosting, and stir with a large spoon or spatula a few times until there are bright blue streaks throughout. Set aside.

Remove the cupcakes from the pan and allow the cupcakes to cool to room temperature before frosting. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining Butter-Rum sauce over each one. Then, using a spatula, smear the frosting on top of the cupcake to create an ocean wave.

Cut out sail and boat shapes from the brown and white paper and attach them to the cupcakes using a toothpick. Now you have a handy little sea-faring cupcake! But make sure to remove the boat from the cupcake before eating, we don't want any losses at sea. Enjoy! Makes about 18 cupcakes.