Happy Cinco de Mayo! Yesterday I put up a margarita recipe, but today I am tantalizing your taste buds with a cupcake of course! Not just any cupcake, but an alcohol cupcake. Is there really any other kind? It wouldn’t really be the celebration of this day without some tequila in your dessert.
Thanks to Brown Eyed Baker for this gorgeous picture and recipe to help us celebrate this holiday the way it should be.
Margarita Lime Cupcakes
3 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, at room temp
3 limes, zested and juiced
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup tequila (or half tequila/half orange liqueur, optional)
Preheat oven to 325. Prepare muffin tins with paper liners or baking spray. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside. Cream butter and sugar on a high until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add eggs one at at time, mixing thoroughly before adding the next one. Add lime zest and lime juice. Turn mixer to the low. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk in two batches. Mix only until just incorporated. Fill each muffin cup ~3/4 full. Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer shows only moist crumbs attached, rotating the pans at the halfway point. Allow cupcakes to cool completely in the pans before removing.
(Optional) While the cupcakes are still warm, brush the tops with tequila or tequila/orange mixture. (Yum, I’m officially drooling.)
Tequila Buttercream
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2¾ cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons tequila
Pinch of coarse salt
Frosting Directions:
Whip the butter on medium-high speed of an electric mixer using the whisk attachment for 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low, and gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing and scraping the sides of the bowl until all is incorporated. Mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add the lime juice, tequila and salt on medium-high speed until incorporated and fluffy. If the frosting appears a bit too soft, add some additional sugar, one spoonful at a time until desired consistency is reached. Frost cupcakes and garnish.
If desired, shave lime zest and sprinkle on top of cupcake, an additional sprinkling of salt and a lime wedge is also delicious.
This recipe is really nice, but I didn’t see the vanilla written in the instructions, therefore I overlooked it….I’m anal like that when following a recipe.
Also, the tequila is only mentioned as an “optional” brush-on after baking. I would assume there isi supposed to be tequila in the batter?
I was not pleased with the cake recipe. It was too dry and crumbly. I took some cake out of the centers and filled it with lime custard to give it some moisture. I won’t use this recipe again.