(and the cupcake that started it all)
Classy margarita cupcakes. Classy because they are made with Patron.
Tuesday, February 22nd is National Margarita day and we here at the Boozy Bakeshop feel it is a matter of civic duty and national pride to help you celebrate with margarita cupcakes. Not that you should need a holiday to enjoy a margarita. Or a cupcake. Sometimes you just bake a birthday cupcake for a colleague who enjoys margaritas one day in January. You might make a comment about it on Facebook. A friend may see it and possibly go out and start a blog one Thursday after work. You might find a love of turning cocktails into pastry.
But I digress.
Salt, no salt, frozen or funny flavored, celebrate this revered holiday with the beverage of the day, or if you’re like me and have to work in the morning, celebrate with a boozy baked good instead.
Margarita Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 1 box white cake mix
- 3 egg whites
- 2 Tbs vegetable oil
- 1.5 oz triple sec
- 2 oz tequila of your choosing
- 7 oz lime juice
- zest of 1 lime
For the frosting:
- 1 1/2 sticks butter (12 Tbs)
- 4-5 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 Tbs tequila
- 1 Tbs lime juice
- zest of one lime
- lime slices for garnish (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with cupcake papers.
In a large bowl, prepare batter according to package directions substituting the 1 1/3 cup water with triple sec, tequila and lime juice. Add lime zest. Mix well. Pour into cupcake tins, filling about 2/3rs of the way, and place in oven. Bake for 19-22 minutes until cupcakes spring back when touched.
Meanwhile, prepare frosting. Using an electric hand mixer, cream butter and 1 cup confectioners sugar in a high sided bowl until fluffy. Add tequila, lime juice and lime zest. Mix in remaining sugar, adding more if necessary to reach desired consistency, if piping, it should be a little stiffer.
Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting. If garnishing, cut lime into very thin slices, about 1/8 inch thick. cut each slice into quarters. Pat dry with paper towels and place on frosting.
Eat. Can be refrigerated up to 3 days.
The Boozy Bakeshop 
Was your batter really thick when you made this? Before you poured it into the cupcake pan? I just made it and my batter was really think and it didn’t rise very well, like cakes usually do. And the tips of the cupcakes look like bread, not light and fluffy like cake. I’m trying to figure out what I did wrong…..
Hi Len, sorry to hear your cakes did not come out. My batter is usually thick, but still pourable (I use a cupcake pen and have no trouble squeezing the batter through). Alcohol, (and lime juice) are more acidic and actually tenderize the proteins and should not have caused the bread like quality. Three possibilities I can think of: If you were using a mix, the rising issue could be that the box was simply on the supermarket shelf too long and the baking powder in the mix would have not been active. Mixes are certainly less sensitive, but shelf life and storage are still a factor. Alternately, it may have been temperature. Try letting your eggs and other refrigerated ingredients come to room temperature and make sure your oven is fully preheated before putting those cakes in there. The eggs will fluff up more at room temp and add better aeration to the batter. Overmixing can also create density in a cake. You want your batter blended and your eggs given volume, but too much and the glutens in the flour will become tough. Again if you’re using a mix, I would follow the recommended mixing/consistency instructions on the package.
Pingback: Cinco de Margarita | The Boozy Bakeshop
Pingback: Cupcakes, Jewelry, and Dip - Kate Moving Forward
Made these for a bridal shower and everyone loved them!! They were A hit. I had no problems whatsoever (except that I should have made another batch!) Thank you for this and all of your recipes. 🙂
wow, that’s awesome – and thanks for reading!
I’ve made these babies twice in one week, they’re so yummy! Only one problem, next time I have to make 2 batches!! Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
Pingback: National Tequila Day | The Boozy Bakeshop
Do you use the eggs according to the directions on the box or the 3 egg whites in the above directions?
The box mix I used, (either Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker, probably), called for 3 egg whites, so both! If you’re using yellow cake mix, it usually calls for whole eggs but the white cake is a little prettier I think for these cupcakes