My favourite cocktail in a cupcake, what could be better than that?!
Okay, confession, I have posted this margarita cupcakes recipe before and I feel like I’m breaking some kind of blogging taboo by reposting it. What can I say? I’m a rebel! I just really love these cupcakes and I have a lot more readers now than when I first posted this recipe so I think it needs to be shared again! I may do a few of these reposts over the next couple of weeks, because some recipes deserve to be seen by all!
These cupcakes are so light and fluffy, it’s kind of like eating a cloud! A cloud infused with zesty lime flavours! And the frosting, oh the frosting! It’s one of my absolute favourites! It’s swiss meringue buttercream flavoured with lime and tequila, it’s so light and refreshing and just the right amount of sweetness for this type of cupcake. They’re then garnished with a lime, salt and sugar mixture which really just gives them a great margarita kick.
Margaritas are one of my all time favourite drinks, especially if they’re frozen. You don’t really get very good margaritas in the UK, so I get all my margarita drinking in when I’m in Atlanta! I can’t have too many though because I’m allergic to the sour mix they put in margaritas (it doesn’t stop me having one though!). Lucky for me, these cupcakes don’t have the sour mix in so I can eat as many as I want without my mouth swelling up! See, cake is always better! I’m almost at the end of my time in Atlanta now, I’ll be heading back to the UK on Tuesday. So this week is the perfect time to post this recipe, since obviously margaritas are one of my favourite things about being here! Tonight I am also going to see Fall Out Boy (don’t judge, I’m pop punk trash forever stuck in the year 2005!) and it’s at an outside venue, I’ll need to hold on to the memory of these while I’m sweating in the sun! Now it’s time for the recipe!
- 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 2 eggs,
- 2 limes, zested and juiced
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- tequila (for brushing)
- 2 cups unsalted butter cubed, at room temperature
- 5 large egg whites
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp of caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 4 tbsp tequila (or to taste)
- 1.5 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp lime zest
- Lime wedges to decorate
- Preheat the oven to 175C/350F and line a muffin tin with cupcake/muffin liners
- Mix together flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.
- Beat the butter and sugar together on a medium high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one and at a time and beat until fully combined. Add the lime zest and juice and mix well.
- On a low speed, add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Mix until just incorporated.
- Spoon until cake cases, about 2/3 full. Bake for 18 mins, until cakes are spongey and a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and turn out on to wire rack to cool. Generously brush tequila over the cakes while they’re still warm. If you want the tequila to get right down in there, poke a few holes with a toothpick before brushing. Leave to cool completely.
- For the SMBC, grab a saucepan that is large enough to fit your mixing bowl in a few inches, fill it with a few inches of water and bring to boil, reduce to simmer.
- In your clean mixing bowl (you’ll want to use the same bowl throughout the process) hand whisk the egg whites and sugar until just combined. Place over the simmering pot and whisk for about 4-5 minutes until the egg whites are hot (150F), the sugar should all be dissolved by then too. Place the bowl back on your stand mixer and using the whisk attachment whisk on medium until the whites have increased in volume and and the outside of the bowl is slightly warm to touch. Be patient because this can take 10 minutes!
- Change to the paddle attachment. Beat on a low speed until the mixture is completely cooled. Increase speed to medium and add butter pieces one at a time. Scrape down the side of the bowl and continue to beat the buttercream until it is smooth and glossy. Don’t worry if the mixture starts to separate, just keep beating and it’ll come back together! Add vanilla, tequila, a pinch of salt and lime and beat until just combined. Pipe onto cupcakes immediately.
- Mix the garnish ingredients together and sprinkle over the top of the piped cupcakes, decorate with lime wedges
- The SMBC needs to be piped straight away as it doesn't store well
- Store in an airtight container for 3-5 days
- If you like your margaritas salty, take out one tbsp of sugar in the garnish and replace it with salt. I order my margaritas without salt, so I only put a little in
Beautiful and delicious cupcakes.
Thank you Suzanne!
These look absolutely fantastic!! I love the little lime peel curls – such a nice little touch 🙂
Thank you 😀
These cupcakes look gorgeous! I love citrusy cakes and this with the sliced lime are so very tempting!
Thank you!
I was drooling as I was reading your post, I am glad you decided to share this recipe again, an awesome cocktail in a cupcake form, can’t get any better than that! Hope you had fun at the concert:)
Thank you Lily!