Margarita Cupcakes

This past Saturday, I was asked to bake cupcakes for a friend's goodbye party - he and his fiance are moving to Chicago! :( I decided on Margarita cupcakes because they're perfect for summer and they have booze in them, so I knew people would love them!

They really were fantastic - a perfect combination of lime with a kick of tequila! I couldn't stop eating the leftover batter and frosting. I luckily had green polka dot liners hanging out in one of my cabinets which complimented them perfectly. :)

Margarita Cupcakes

adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

makes 24 cupcakes

For the cupcakes...

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• zest and juice from 3 limes
• 4 tablespoons tequila (I used Jose Cuervo because I was able to find a small bottle!)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (I actually forgot this...oops...)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2-3 tablespoons tequila to brush the tops of cupcakes with

1. Preheat your oven to 325 F and line 2 muffin tins with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt) and set aside.
3. In the bowl of your standing mixer, beat butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
4. Reduce mixer speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
5. Add the lime zest, lime juice, vanilla extract and tequila. Mix until combined and scrape down the sides of the bowl. It will look kind of weird and lumpy at this point, but that will go away once you add the dry ingredients.
6. Reduce mixer speed to low and add 1/3 of the dry ingredients alternating with 1/2 of the buttermilk until everything is just incorporated, scraping down the sides with a spatula as it mixes.
7. Use the 1/4 cup to fill up each liner and bake for about 25 minutes, or until slightly golden. 
8. Let cupcakes cool for 5 minutes in the pans and then place on a cooling rack to cool completely.
9. Once cooled, brush the tops of the cupcakes with the 2-3 tablespoons of tequila.

For the frosting...

• 4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 8 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 4 tablespoons tequila
• pinch of coarse salt

1. In the bowl of your standing mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the lime juice, tequila and salt and mix until incorporated.
3. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition, until frosting reaches desired consistency. 
4. Beat an additional few minutes.
5. Fill up your piping bag, frost and top with a lime wedge!