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Margarita Cupcakes

Margarita Cupcakes loaded with lime, tequila and salty goodness.
Margarita Cupcakes loaded with lime, tequila and salty goodness.

For many years, I thought that I didn’t like margaritas. I realize how wild this sounds. I attribute it to bad Mexican restaurant chains, cheap tequila, and the tooth-rotting sugary bottles of atomic green mixers used by said establishments. My aversion also may have stemmed from that trip to Mazatlán during my freshman year of high school, who knows. Once I had a real margarita made with actual limes and tequila that didn’t come from a plastic jug, I was in love. There really is nothing like an icy cool margie on a warm summer night. But a Margarita Cupcake is pretty dang great too!

Cinco de Mayo is one of my favorite holidays that we celebrate here in the states. It serves as a kickoff to the summer drinking season and arrives just when North America needs to let loose and have cinco too many. The next best thing to an actual margarita is a tequila laced Margarita Cupcake. These cutie cupcakes hit on all of the right flavor spots; sweet, sour, salty and saucy. 

Ingredients for margarita cupcakes with tequila
What you'll need to make the margarita cupcakes with tequila.
Key ingredients for margarita cupcakes with tequila
The right ingredients are key to these cupcakes. Be sure to use a silver or blanco tequila, Patron Silver is perfecto. I really enjoy this local hand-harvested pure sea salt from Jacobsen Salt Co. (sorry for getting so Portlandia)
Fluffy butter for margarita cupcakes with tequila
Keep beating your butter and sugar until is light and fluffy like this.
Add tequila to the margarita cupcakes
I added the lime zest and juice then added the tequila and vanilla together. This combo smells like heaven, btw.
Curdled batter is a good thing for margarita cupcakes with tequila
Blech, the lime juice curdles the butter and can look nasty. But don't fret, it will recover, like a tequila hangover.
Fill the margarita cupcake liners ⅔ full of batter.
Fill cupcake liners ⅔ full of batter.
Tequila shot while I wait for the margarita cupcakes with tequila to bake
While the cupcakes are baking, shoot some of that tequila.
Allow the margarita cupcakes to cool on a wire rack
Allow cupcakes to cool on a wire rack.
Brush tops of the margarita cupcakes lightly with tequila.
Brush tops of cupcakes lightly with tequila.
Frosting the margarita cupcakes
Frost with whatever tip you prefer, then top with lime zest, a lime wedge and don't forget the SALT!
Margarita Cupcakes garnished with lime, tequila and a hearty sprinkle of crunchy salt.
Margarita Cupcakes garnished with lime, tequila and a hearty sprinkle of crunchy salt.

 

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Margarita Cupcakes loaded with lime, tequila and salty goodness.

MARGARITA CUPCAKES

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  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
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Description

These Margarita Cupcakes are infused with lime and tequila, then frosted with a boozy tequila lime buttercream frosting and garnished with lime moons and a crunchy sprinkle of coarse salt.

Ingredients

Units

MARGARITA CUPCAKES

  • 1 ½ cups cake or pastry flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (1 stick)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 whole eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 whole limes (juice and zest)
  • 2 tablespoons tequila blanco (+ 1 additional TB for brushing)
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature

TEQUILA LIME BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (2 sticks)
  • 2 ¾ cups powdered sugar (sifted)
  • 1 whole lime juice and zest
  • 2 tablespoons tequila blanco
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon coarse salt for sprinkling

Instructions

TEQUILA LIME BUTTERCREAM

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
  3. In an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar together until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
  4. Reduce speed to medium and add the eggs one at at time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
  5. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the lime zest, lime juice, vanilla extract and tequila. Mix until combined. (The mixture may start to look curdled at this point, but don't worry, it will all come back together, stay on the path.)
  6. Reduce the mixer speed low. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk in two batches. Mix only until just incorporated, using a rubber spatula to give it one last mix by hand.
  7. Using a large cookie scoop, divide the batter between the muffin cups.
  8. Bake for 18-22 minutes, until just slightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, rotating the pan(s) halfway through bake time.
  9. Allow cupcakes to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack. Once the cakes are cool, brush the tops of the cupcakes with the 1 to 2 tablespoons of tequila mixed with a little lime juice. 
  10. With the whisk attachment on a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. 
  11. Reduce the speed to medium-low, and gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing and scraping the sides of the bowl until all is incorporated.  
  12. With the mixer on medium-high speed, add the lime juice, tequila and salt mix for a couple of minutes, until incorporated and fluffy.
  13.  If the frosting appears a bit too soft, add some additional sugar, one spoonful at a time until desired consistency is reached.
  14. Frost cupcakes with desired frosting tip. Garnish with a lime half moons, lime zest, an additional sprinkling of coarse salt.

Notes

This amazing recipe was adapted from the original recipe for Margarita Cupcakes by the super talented browneyedbaker.com

  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Dessert

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  1. Sabine says

    They are delicious! I just made them, but won't be serving them till tomorrow. Is there a reason to wait with the frosting till tomorrow or can I just put everything together now? I won't have time to do the whole thing tomorrow. Thanks!

    Reply

    • beckysue says

      Hi Sabine! I just saw this post...I'm so sorry. You can definitely frost them ahead of time. I like to keep mine sealed and in the fridge to keep them as fresh as possible. I might wait to put the lime slices on until just before serving though. Enjoy! 😀

      Reply

  2. Meg says

    Glad to see I was the mistaken one!! 🙂 thanks for the comment!

    Reply