Margarita Cupcake Recipe

Who’s ready for Cinco de Mayo? I know, I know… Easter comes first, and of course I’m excited about that. But a day centered around Tex-Mex food? Yes please!!

I get that cupcakes don’t exactly scream Tex-Mex, but the margarita flavor in these cupcakes does.

Sweet and moist cupcakes are made with a jazzed up box of cake mix that’s mixed with the usual suspects (eggs, oil, etc), plus margarita mix and lime zest.

Then those tender little cakes are topped with a generous swirl of homemade buttercream that’s spiked with a bit of tequila and lime.

Who wants to sip a cocktail when you can bite into one?!

What do I need to make this recipe?

• Cake mix – this recipe was tested with white cake mix (Betty Crocker super moist brand). You can use another brand, just try to keep the box size similar to the one listed in the ingredients section below.
• Margarita mix – you can use any brand of mix that you like. I usually use Jose Cuervo classic lime.
• Oil – you want a neutral oil for this recipe, like vegetable oil.
• Eggs – this recipe was tested with large eggs, so it’s highly recommended that you use that size.
• Lime zest – when zesting a lime, make sure you don’t zest too hard and end up getting the white pith, as that will be bitter.
• Salt – kosher salt is what I use, but you can use any salt you have on hand. If you’re using other types of salt, they will have varying sodium levels, so you may find that you need a bit less.
• Butter – I prefer to use salted butter in the frosting for this recipe, but if you’d rather use unsalted you definitely can. Just add a pinch of salt.
• Powdered sugar – powdered sugar adds sweetness to the frosting, without adding any grittiness, like granulated sugar would add.
• Tequila – no need to break the bank here, but I do recommend a gold or silver tequila.
• Lime juice – fresh lime juice tastes the best, but bottled juice will also work well.

How to make margarita cucpakes:

This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.

1. Beat cake mix. I like to beat the dry cake mix, just to remove any potential lumps.
2. Mix batter. Add the rest of the cupcake ingredients to the cake mix and beat until creamy.
3. Fill cupcake liners. You want the liners filled about 2/3 of the way full.
4. Bake. You want to bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
5. Whip butter. Beating just the butter first for the frosting ensures it stays light and silky.
6. Add frosting ingredients. This is the powdered sugar, tequila, lime juice, and lime zest.
7. Beat until smooth. Start off on a low speed to keep the sugar from flying everywhere, then increase the speed as you go.
8. Pipe and serve. You can use any piping tip you’d like (I usually use a Wilton 2D).

Variations of this recipe

• Cake mix – this recipe is super easy thanks to boxed cake mix (white cake). You can use any brand you’d like, you just want it to be about 14.25 oz in size. If you have a homemade white cake recipe you’d like to try, please know that I can’t guarantee it’ll work, as this recipe was developed (in terms of the amounts of liquid), with a cake mix in mind.
• Margarita mix – feel free to use any brand of mix that you like best. I tested this recipe with Jose Cuervo classic lime mix.
• Unsalted butter – I like to use salted butter in my buttercream, since adding salt can sometimes make the frosting a bit gritty. However, if you don’t find you have that issue, feel free to use unsalted butter and just add a pinch of salt.
• Non-alcoholic – if you love the flavor of margaritas, but don’t want any liquor, just replace the tequila in the frosting with an equal amount of whole milk. The cupcakes don’t have any alcohol in them, just the mix.
• Sifted – as written, I don’t call for the powdered sugar in the frosting to be sifted. Instead I just give it a whisk to remove any lumps before using it. However, if you’d prefer to sift it, please feel free to do so.

Making cupcakes ahead of time

Cupcakes are great to make ahead of time, because when stored properly, they can last a couple of days before frosting.

Although, for the best moist texture and fluffiness, I don’t usually like to make mine more than a day ahead of time.

Storage

Leftover, frosted cupcakes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days, in an airtight container.

Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days, in an airtight container.

Unfrosted cupcakes can also be frozen for up to 3 months (see instructions below).

Freezing

To freeze unfrosted cupcakes, add cupcakes to a baking sheet and place the whole thing in the freezer for about 2 hours, or until hard.

Wrap frozen cupcakes individually in plastic wrap, then transfer to an airtight freezer-safe container, label it with the date, then freeze.

Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before frosting.