Margarita Cupcakes
It’s back! A Week of Cupcakes! This year, due to my Friday Favs feature, my Week-of weeks will only provide four recipes, one per day Monday-Thursday. But I’m sure you guys won’t mind me making room on Friday for the featured bloggers that I’ve selected.
With Cupcake Camp coming up in just a few short weeks, I wanted to do a week of cupcakes. Partially to help me decide which cupcakes I’ll be baking (suggestions welcome!) and partially to help inspire the other ameteur bakers who I’ll see that night.
I’m kicking off the week with a margarita cupcake. Who doesn’t love a good margarita? Especially in cupcake form. I added the colorful bendy-straws as a decorative touch and I just thought these guys were too cute!
One Year Ago: Mocha Brownies and Lemon Bars
Two Years Ago: Crinkle Sugar Cookies
Margarita Cupcakes
Yield: 24
Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes
2 1/4 cups (9 ounces) cake flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups whole milk
4 egg whites
1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar
2 tsp grated lime zest
1 stick (8 Tbsp or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp lime juice
1/4 cup tequila
For the Frosting
2 sticks of butter, room temperature
2 lbs (8 cups) powdered sugar
1/4 cup tequila
Zest of 2 limes
pinch of salt
Directions:
For the Cupcakes
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 2 muffin pans with cupcake liners.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.
Put the sugar and lime zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.
Beat in the lime juice, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.
Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients. Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.
Divide the batter into the cupcake liners. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cupcakes are well risen and springy to the touch. Transfer to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes from the pans and cool completely. Once cupcakes have cooled, brush the top of each cupcake with a 1/2 tsp of tequila.
For the Frosting
Add butter to the bowl of a stand mixer, beat until light.
Add half the tequila, lime zest and salt, mix.
Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well and scraping down sides as necessary.
Continue to add sugar and tequila as necessary.
Cupcake Recipe adapted from Dorie Greenspan, Baking from My Home to Yours
Frosting Recipe from Veggies by Season