Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes

I have a bad habit of forgetting about Cinco de Mayo every year because my birthday is the day before and it is also Star Wars Day (may the fourth be with you). I pretty much have the most amazing birthday ever, right? But when I was contacted by Karla of Truco Enterprises recently, asking if I’d like to try out any On The Border products, I knew it was a sign that I wouldn’t be missing out on posting any recipes for the holiday this year.

Of course, the first thing I was drawn to was the strawberry margarita mix. What’s Cinco de Mayo without a good margarita in hand? As a bonus, On The Border’s margarita mixes are made with all natural flavors and juices, setting them apart from many other manufacturers. After seeing many different margarita cupcake recipes, I knew I had to try making a strawberry margarita cupcake with their mix. And I have to say, they taste fantastic and look brilliant! I even gave them a sugar rim just like the drink itself. Obviously these are not kid friendly cupcakes since they do contain small amounts of tequila, but you can substitute with extra margarita mix if you want a “virgin” cupcake.

These are actually displayed in a huge margarita glass that I own, and will likely need to fill it up with the actual strawberry margarita beverage with the remaining mix on Sunday! Yummy :-)

STRAWBERRY MARGARITA CUPCAKES

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

CUPCAKES

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

3 Tbsp pureed, thawed frozen sweetened strawberries

1/4 cup liquid Strawberry Margartia Mix (regular also works)

2 Tbsp tequila

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup buttermilk

BRUSH

1-2 Tbsp tequila

FROSTING

2 Tbsp pureed, thawed frozen sweetened strawberries

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2-1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 Tbsp liquid Strawberry Margartia Mix (regular also works)

1/2 Tbsp tequila

Pinch of salt

GARNISH

1/4 cup crystal sugar sprinkles mixed with 1/4 tsp salt

Lime wedges

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. In an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar together until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
4. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the eggs one at at time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
5. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the strawberry puree, margarita mix, tequila and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. (The mixture may start to look curdled at this point, but don’t worry)
6. 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.
7. Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until just slightly golden and a skewer shows only moist crumbs attached, rotating the pan at the halfway point.
8. 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.
9. To make the frosting, whip the strawberry puree and 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. Give it a mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add the margarita mix, tequila, salt and mix 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.
10. Frost cupcakes by first piping a circle around the edges. Dip the frosted edges iton the sugar/salt mixture, then finish frosting and garnish with a lime wedge.

Source: Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker, with inspiration from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen and Love From The Oven.

Disclosure: I was provided with a complimentary bottle of On The Border’s Strawberry Margarita Mix by Truco Enterprises. I was not compensated for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.