Margarita Cupcakes
These margarita cupcakes are simple vanilla cakes infused with lime and tequila, brushed with more tequila, and topped with a tequila lime buttercream frosting.
You know what holiday is right around the corner, right? Every food-lover’s dream: Cinco de Mayo!
The one day a year when we can stuff ourselves full of chips, salsa, guacamole and margaritas… It’s a little bit of a foodie nirvana.
Of course there is historical significance to the day (it commemorates the Mexican Army’s victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla in 1862) and in Mexico, the day is ceremonial in nature. In the U.S., it has become a celebration of Mexican-American culture and like most holidays that celebrate a heritage, people enjoy celebrating Cinco de Mayo with authentic food and drink. Since margaritas are a classic Mexican cocktail, it stands to reason that you should wash down your Mexican feast with these margarita cupcakes!
Tequila and lime? Check!
I first made these cupcakes a long, long, loooooong time ago, and at the time all I could find online were margarita cupcake recipes using a box cake mix. It wasn’t really what I had in mind, but after some more digging, I found a recipe from The Brewer & The Baker for margarita cupcakes from scratch. Bingo!
Except for two things: there wasn’t any tequila actually in the cupcakes, and the frosting was a Swiss meringue buttercream (I didn’t think margarita cupcakes really necessitated all the fuss that goes into a Swiss meringue buttercream – can you tell I’m ridiculously low maintenance?).
I adapted the cupcake recipe to amp up the liquor quotient by adding tequila into the cupcakes as well as brushing tequila onto the cupcakes after they were done baking. Mucho tequila = muy bueno. (I took 7 years of Spanish, I should put it to a little use!) Then I adapted my absolute favorite basic vanilla frosting to include lime juice and tequila, and voilà! Verrrrrrry boozy cocktail cupcakes! I really don’t think the brand of tequila matters much – use whatever you keep at home, just be sure that it is white or silver tequila, not gold. I’ve made these with Patron and Jose Cuervo (pictured above) and both are delicious!
(If you would prefer to make your margarita cupcakes without tequila or alcohol at all, simply omit it from the recipe. I would add 1 tablespoon vanilla extract to the frosting in its place.)
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They look so innocent, don’t they? Sitting there all pretty with lime zest laying like a feather on buttery pillows of frosting.
They are definitely not innocent. They are all things tequila and lime. The cupcakes are buttery and moist. The frosting is velvety and buttery (more butter!). And there is a prevalent lime/tequila taste throughout. They are a Cinco de Mayo dream. If you like margaritas (or just boozy cupcakes), you will fall in love with these babies. And they’re perfect for toting along to picnics and cook-outs all summer long!
My husband, mom, and in-laws all proclaimed that these are the best cupcakes I’ve ever made. SO… there you go!
One year ago: Creamy Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese
Four years ago: Black and White Cookies
Watch How to Make Margarita Cupcakes:
Margarita Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1½ cups (187.5 g) all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1½ (1.5) limes, zested and juiced
- 2 tablespoons tequila
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk
To Brush the Cupcakes
- 1 to 2 tablespoons tequila
For the Tequila-Lime Frosting
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2¾ cups (330 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoons tequila
- Pinch of coarse salt
Instructions
- Make the Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
- Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar together until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
- Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the eggs one at at time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
- 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!)
- 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.
- Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake until the cupcakes are light golden brown on top and a skewer inserted in the center has moist crumbs attached, about 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
- Allow cupcakes to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, and then remove to a cooling rack. Brush the tops of the cupcakes with the 1 to 2 tablespoons of tequila. Set the cupcakes aside to cool completely before frosting them.
- Make the Frosting: 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. Increase speed to medium and mix for 30 seconds. Add the lime juice, tequila and salt, and beat 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, with lime zest, an additional sprinkling of salt and a lime wedge.
Notes
- If you would prefer to not use liquor in these cupcakes, you can absolutely omit it from both the cupcakes and the frosting with no problem. If you do omit it, I would add 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract to the frosting.
- I used a Wilton 1M tip to frost the cupcakes.
- You can use whatever tequila you keep on hand; I’ve made them with both Patron and Jose Cuervo. You will want to use white or silver tequila, not gold.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This recipe was originally published on May 5, 2011.
I made these for a girls night get together. They were fantastic. I can’t wait for another occasion to make them again. (because I could eat them all, and I normally am not a cake lover) Loved the bit of salt in the frosting. Yummmmmmmmmmm
I just wanted to tell you I made these yesterday for some friends- they were a HUGE hit. A friend had forwarded me the recipe saying she was going to try them and I silently wished I had a reason to make them, and the next day I had dinner party plans-my wish came true!! Anyway, I had one question- I had a lot of leftover batter and I overfilled my cups trying to use it all, making them ooze together at the top a little and still had enough extra to make 12 mini-cupcakes… but overall, it was fine. But I wonder why I had so much extra? I followed the recipe exactly. Did I over-whip a step making it too fluffy? Regardless, this was hands-down the best scratch cake/cupcake recipe I have ever tried, and I’ve tried a lot. Thank you, thank you!
Oh wow, that’s definitely a lot of extra batter! I just double checked the quantities of the ingredients to make sure they are correct, and they are. I’m totally stumped!
Me too! But, like I said, they tasted fabulous…who knows what I did. :-D
Just had to tell you that I made these for my neice and nephew who just got married in the Carribean and now am making all their cupcakes for their reception this weekend. Muy Delish!!!!!! We’re going alltropical themed cupcakes. I love your recipes.
made today for a fathers day treat! this was a PERFECT cupcake! Next time I need to make more because these were devoured in minutes.
I MADE THESE LAST NIGHT AND THEY WERE PERFECT PERFECT.
IF I USE GIN WOULD THAT BE TOM COLLINS CUPCAKE?
THANKS
BK
I made these for a big river tubing event this weekend. I had to test them out (they’ll never miss one, right?), and my head’s a teense bit spinny right now…LOVE this recipe! Keep the boozy cupcakes coming!
No, neither cupcake liners were waxy. One set was plain, white paper liners and the others were decorative, non-waxy liners from Sur la Table. Perhaps I’ll try the nut cups next time.
Hi Bev, I have one other thought on the liners. I’m wondering if when you brushed the tops of the cupcakes with the tequila, if a good bit ran down the sides, and make softened the liners and caused them to shrink up or disintegrate?
This is my first time to your blog. I just love it, and I’m sure to be a regular. These cupcakes sound delicious. My hubby and I are very fond of Mexican food, and when we go out we always have Margarita’s to have with our meal. For sure, I’m going to surprise my hubby with some of these. Thanks for the recipe!
I wonder if the cupcakes would stay dressed if they were baked in those little white nut cups.
can this be made without alcohol while still having an unmistakable margarita taste and not just lemony flavored cake? is there a substitute for tequila that is non-alcoholic? i’m planning to make some for a pregnant friend.
Pixie – There is no lemon in the recipe, so you could be getting a lemon-flavored cake. Without tequila I’m not sure that it would be an unmistakable margarita taste and I’m not aware of any non-alcoholic tequila substitute. If any other readers have any suggestions I invite you to share!
Thank you Jeanne for validating my comment and problem! I thought I was the only one out there with naked cupcakes. In fact I made them again…and used really, really cute pink polka dot cupcake liners, and some of them peeled away as well. I agree that they’re drunk and cant keep their clothes on! This second time I filled them up a little bit more, thinking the overflow or domed top would keep the papers on, but it still did it. Mine are cooked through, but perhaps they need to be kept in the oven for an extra minute or so? It really is a great recipe (I’ve made 6 dozen so far!) and everyone loves them, but for me they lose a few points with presentation.
Hey, @Bev see above… were your polk-dot wrappers waxy too? Have you tried any just “straight-up” liners? Check back, I’m a gonna try it one more time!
I love “Holy Buckets”… I get a visual on that one… Anywho, I’m with @ BEV above. I made these for a pool party over the weekend… I used REALLY cute green striped cupcake wrappers… made the cupcakes Saturday, took the tin foil off their plate on Sunday morning and there were a dozen NEKKED cupcakes under there. First thought it was the tequila… no, really — isn’t there a song about getting naked on tequila? Their cute little, green wrappers were all opened like flowers and laying on the plate. I threw away the wrappers, decorated and served them — sans covering. Keith had 4! How do I keep their clothes on in future? Was it the citrus? Anyone?
Wow, I’ve never seen cupcake liners come completely away from the cupcakes! I am honestly not sure what could cause this. Are you using the same brand of liners each time? Maybe try a different one? The only thing I could think of is maybe the liners have a sort of lining in them that might be nonstick or something like that, and with the butter in the recipe it causes it to be TOO nonstick?? That’s really the only thing I can think of.
Thanks for the response Michelle… They WERE new cupcake liners I bought online, they seemed just a tad waxy. But too non-stick?!? That cracked me up. The cupcakes tasted really awesome, but I couldn’t pack them in the six-pack cupcake boxes I use to travel or gift with, if they don’t have their clothes on! I’m going to try this again, with different [plain] non-waxy liners and see what happens… I’ll report back.
I have noticed this with other recipes as well. I use the cheap pastel liners from the grocery store and keep them in an airtight container. I assumed it was from moisture; it seems as if some of the moisture from the icing is absorbed into the cake because they always seem more moist and taste better the second day. I’ve had it happen with non-boozy ones too so I’d say it’s not because those drunk cupcakes were having too much fun :D
Ladies, I just commented on Bev’s question about the same topic above. Its got nothing to do with the flavour of the cupcake being citrus or the type of cupcake liner or any ingredient in the recipe. It used to happen to me all the time with my red velvet recipe. I made them dozens of times and always the same outcome. Then I read an article once on how important it is not to over beat your batter (and when I thought about it, I really was over beating my batter). Since then I beat my batter only until it is just mixed and it has never happened to me again since then. I didn’t change anything else, same wrappers, same ingredients. Hope this helps!
First off – amazing cupcakes! Great lime/tequila taste! 325 was a really low oven and even though my oven thermometer indicated my oven was correctly heated, they took much longer to bake. Do you think they will bake okay at 350? Baked standards and minis. Loved all the flavors in the minis the most! We called them Margarita Shooters! This is definitely joining my top 10 cupcakes list!
Hi Sandy, You could try 350, but I will just keep a really close eye so that they don’t dry out. So glad you love them! :)
Just wondering how strong the tequila is. I am looking to take some of these to some lonely nurses on night shift. I have heard that the alcohol will cook out and all will be right with the world :)
Hi Tiffany, This is a fuzzy type question. The tequila in the cupcakes may bake off a bit (however I couldn’t even begin to estimate how much), but any tequila brushed on top or used in the frosting definitely will not since it is applied after baking.
Thanks. Sorry to make it sound so confusing. I just didn’t want to take any to work and have anyone impaired while working. Thanks for clarifying.
These look so perfect for a nice summer party! They look awesome. I am going to save this for my next summer party. Thanks!
I’ll have to try these. My roommate and I tried some last year and they didn’t turn out amazing. Great flavors though, so a new recipe is worth a shot!
Totally making this into a cake for my brother in law. I’m going to experiment with adding strawberries too. I think it will be delish!
Holy buckets, these are good. I put in a little bit of artificial rum flavoring instead of the tequila (birthday party on a dry campus) and I had people lining up to lick the bowl. Yum. Will definitely make again.
These cupcakes look amazing. Sound good too.
I made Red Enchiladas on Cinco de Mayo. They came out great. From Eva Longoria’s book. Delicious.
OK, so I made 3 dozen last week and they were the hit of all the parties I’d brought these too. Very moist, flavorful and so delicious! The problem I had was that the cupcake papers peeled away from the cake…not all of them, but about half. I used plain white cupcake papers, and made both regular size and miniature cupcakes. I’d googled and learned that sometimes citrus-based cupcakes do this. Did anybody else have this problem? Any suggestions? I thought about changing papers and/or filling the batter up to the top so they mound and the paper stays put. I need to make another 3 dozen for Memorial Day…they’re that good!
I realize I’m a few years late lol, but I know why your cupcake papers peel away. I think you are over beating your batter. It used to happen to me all the time when I made my red velvet cupcake recipe. They were absolutely delicious, but I made them dozens of times and each time the papers peeled away. I tried everything and I read absolutely everything on line to try and figure it out. Then one day I came across a baker’s article and it talked about how important it is to not over beat your batter. Next time I made them, I beat my batter only until everything was just mixed and what do you know, ever since then my cupcake liners have never peeled, ever. I hope this helps :)
I was wondering, if you don’t mind sharing…What tip # did you use for the frosting? And did you use a “swirly” motion or pipe straight down? These are so beautiful! My first thoughts when I saw this post was how beautiful the frosting looked.
Hi Kim, I use a Wilton 1M to frost the cupcakes. I just sort of let it pipe out and slowly move in a circle, moving up and in as I go. I hope that helps! I am thinking of doing a video tutorial of this since I receive this question a lot!
Did you ever make that tutorial? I went looking for that tip at (walmart) and they didn’t have them #’d like that. So I have no idea if I got the right one.
These cupcakes look amazing! :)
From one brown eyed baker to another these look fantastic! What icing tip did you use to get that effect? I have tried for years and they don’t quite look like yours. Thanks!
Why do I love alcohol based cupcakes so much? LOL these are adorable and the perfect end to like a Taco night.
Great! Thanks Michelle.
I was going to make these tonight for a party tomorrow night. Do you think they’ll still be fresh tomorrow? Should I freeze them? You’d think they’d be “preserved” with the tequila, but wanted your opinion on this. Thanks, and great recipes!
Hi Bev, Yep they will be just fine! I would keep them in an airtight container. I kept mine at room temperature and the icing didn’t slide at all, but you could pop them in the refrigerator overnight just to make sure (I would take them out a few hours in advance if you do this so they come to room temp), and then garnish right before you serve.
i wanted to make some of these in advance. How many days will they keep. What is the best way to store them?
These look fantastic! Wish I could have had one yesterday! It’s Derby time now… maybe there’s such thing as a Mint Julep cupcake? =)
What a great recipe and beautiful pictures!
Those look amazing!
Buttermilk is always such a winner for cakes/caupcakes…it lends a moist crumb.
That frosting looks dangerously delicious! :-)
Also, I didn’t have buttercream so I was planning on using a substitute of vinegar or lemon juice and milk… I discovered I didn’t have any vinegar… or lemon juice. Lime juice worked just fine!!