Margarita Cupcakes {Featured on Cupcake Wars}

With Cinco de Mayo coming up soon I thought I would share one of my very favorite cupcake recipes with you. These Margarita Cupcakes are a combination of a moist lime flavored cake topped with a lime and tequila infused cream cheese frosting. The finishing touch is the tequila and lime simple syrup that is soaked into the cupcake! Muy Delicioso!

I usually prefer to bake my own desserts rather than going to the bakery. I can be a little picky and sometimes those beautiful desserts look prettier behind the glass display case than they taste.

However, one exception I had was a bakery in Worcester Massachusetts called Sweet! Unfortunately it closed in 2018. But lucky for you and me I have one of their best recipes! Margarita Cupcakes!

Margarita Cupcakes featured on Cupcake Wars!

The owner of this gourmet bakery is Alina Eisenhauer. If you are a fan of Food Network shows you may have heard of her.

She competed on Cupcake Wars, Chopped and was the winner on Sweet Genius! So guess what….her desserts taste just as good as they look!

These Margarita Cupcakes are one of her creations featured on Cupcake Wars that the judges all loved! There’s only a slight alteration that I made to the recipe.  I know…why would I alter a Sweet Genius winner’s recipe? I really just changed the frosting because we all really love cream cheese frosting. Everyone loved them ! (And I cheated on my diet)

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Margarita Cupcakes

These Margarita Cupcakes are a combination of a moist lime flavored cake topped with a lime and tequila infused cream cheese frosting. The finishing touch is the tequila and lime simple syrup that is soaked into the cupcake! Muy Delicioso!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 12 Jumbo Cupcakes

Calories 617kcal

Author Nicole Crocker

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:

• 3 Cups All-purpose flour
• 2 Cups Sugar
• 3 teaspoons Baking powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 2 Sticks Unsalted butter softened
• 1 Cup Sour cream
• 2 Large egg + 4 yolks room temperature
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
• Zest from 2 limes

For the cream cheese frosting:

• 2 Sticks Unsalted butter softened
• 1 8 ounce package Cream cheese softened, 8
• 2 Pouns Confectioners sugar
• 1 Ounce Gold tequila
• 1 Ounce Lime juice
• Zest of one lime
• 1-2 Drops Green food coloring
• 1 Drop Yellow food coloring

For the Tequila Simple Syrup:

• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Water
• 1/2 Cup Tequila
• 1/2 Cup Lime juice

For the Garnish:

• Sanding Sugar
• Sea salt
• Lime zest

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 jumbo cupcake tins with papers.

For the cupcakes:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment stir together flour, sugar, baking powder,and salt.
• Add the butter, sour cream, eggs, vanilla and lime zest to the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides to make sure all the flour is incorporated.
• Divide batter evenly among cupcake tins and bake for 20-25 minutes on middle rack of oven.
• Let cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:

• Beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.Add the confectioner sugar and mix on low speed until incorporated. Scraped sides of bowl and add the tequila, lime juice and lime zest. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Add food coloring and mix in until color is evenly blended.

For the simple syrup:

• Place sugar and water in a small saucepan and heat on medium high heat to dissolve. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Add tequila and lime juice.

How to fill and frost:

• Using the back side of a frosting tip cup a deep hole in center of each cupcake. Collect removed cake in a small dish to replace on cupcake later.Soak reserved cupcake pieces with some of the tequila lime simple syrup then pour the remainder evenly in each cupcake well. Place each of the reserved, soaked cupcake piece back in the cupcake hole. Place frosting in pastry bag fitted with tip and frost cupcakes.
• Sprinkle sanding sugar around edge of cupcake.
• Sprinkle a pinch of salt on top of each cupcake and top with lime zest.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Cupcake | Calories: 617kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 216mg | Potassium: 182mg | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 1065IU | Vitamin C: 3.9mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 1.6mg

Originally posted on April 30th 2014.

Tip for making these Margarita Cupcakes

Whenever I make cupcakes I like to place the batter in a large ziplock bag. I carefully cut a corner of the bag off and squirt the batter evenly between the tins.

You can also use an ice cream scoop to scoop the batter in. However, I find the bag method less messy.

Also, when adding sanding sugar to your Margarita Cupcakes hold the cupcake from base and carefully tip at an angle to make sanding easier.

Recipe adapted from Alina Eisenhauer, how to heroes

Looking for more Boozy Desserts?

Try some of these!

Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes

Mudslide Cupcakes

I will be sharing this at the following link parties:

Retro re-pin party