margarita cupcakes

It's summer time, and that calls for cocktails. Cupcake cocktails.

This is a simple re-work of a vanilla cake recipe that captures the flavour of an iconic summer beverage.


Margarita Cupcakes
(recipe yields 24 cupcakes)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil)

4 eggs

1 tsp lime zest

1 tsp key lime extract

2 tsp tequila

Directions:

Heat oven to 350F. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Slowly add oil, followed by eggs, one at a time. Mix on high for 2 minutes. Slowly add milk, continue mixing. Add zest, extract and tequila and mix for 1 minute. Pour batter into cupcake liners (about 2 large tablespoons per cupcake) and bake for 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  

Margarita Buttercream Icing:

recipe yields 2-3 cups

Ingredients:  

2/3 cup egg whites

1 cup white sugar

2 cups butter (4 sticks)

2 tbsp tequila

1 tsp lime zest

Directions:

Heat egg whites in a double boiler stirring frequently so that egg whites do not become cooked. Slowly add sugar and mix thoroughly for about 5 minutes or until mixture reaches 55C. Transfer mixture to mixing bowl and whip on high until stiff peaks form. Switch mixer attachment to paddle and slowly incorporate butter. Turn the speed up until mixture becomes uniform. Add tequila and lime zest and mix until incorporated.

You can garnish the cupcakes with grated lime peel or lime zest, or you can emulate the salted rim of the real cocktail. For this batch, I tinted course granulated sugar a lime green and mixed in course grain salt at a 3:1 ratio. Then I simply sprinkled it on top and stuck a straw in the side.

A sweet and splendid summer treat!


-Danielle