Margarita Cupcakes

Growing up in California, Cinco de Mayo was the equivalent to St. Patty's Day on the East Coast. I remember celebrating it in school as a kid which meant traditional food, costumes, and performances. I vaguely remember getting to host one of these celebrations and writing out my index cards of what to say the night before. Even though I'm 3,000 miles away from California, I still had plenty of reasons to celebrate the mostly American holiday. I'm currently running the social media accounts for Santana Rae's, a local mexican restaurant with great food and amazing margaritas. They've been thinking of Cinco de Mayo since they opened last October and this weekend and I was excited to be a part of it. We also were going to a party on the Tres de Mayo so it was just a great weekend to try and make Margarita Cupcakes!

As with most of my recipes, I pulled from a couple different pins from Pinterest. I love reading about what worked for each one and what didn't...and I also love finding different components that I could add to make mine special. These cupcakes have my blood, sweat, and tears in them. (Well, at least a little blood was shed as I thought it was a good idea to zest my thumb instead of the lime!)

I used the tequila lemon cake and lime buttercream recipe from I Am Baker:

Tequila Lemon Cake

1 box lemon cake

4 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup tequilla

2 tbsp lemon juice - (my addition)

1 tbsp lemon zest - (my addition)

Instead of using the recipe on the box of the lemon cake, mix all of the above ingredients together. I added the lemon juice and lemon zest because it wasn't citrusy enough for me.

Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 way full and bake for about 18 minutes at 350.

My cupcakes came out with an unpleasant little dome on top and after a little research, I think I found a quick solution to my problem for next time. The cake on the outside cooked faster than the middle, so next time I will cook them longer at a lower temperature, and that should take care of it!

The night before I frosted the cupcakes, I made a tequila lime curd from Kathleen's Confections. It needed to chill completely so I wanted to make sure I wasn't rushing anything. I totally forgot to take pictures of this part so I really apologize on that part!

Tequila Lime Curd

2 egg yolks + 1 whole egg

1/3 cup lime juice and tequila (you can choose what ratio, but I did 1 part tequila: 3 parts lime)

1 tbsp lime zest (2-3 limes)

3/4 cup sugar

Whisk eggs and sugar together until creamy.

Place over a double boiler and whisk constantly for about 20-25 minutes (tedious, yes, but don't quit too soon or else it will all be runny). The mix should be kind of thick.

Add the liquid and zest and mix until pudding consistency, probably another 10-15 minutes.

Cool completely with a layer of saran wrap touching the top of the curd so a crust doesn't form.

This filling was the best part of the entire cupcake. Standing in front of the stove for 35 minutes was totally worth it! The tequila doesn't really "cook off" so it still had that awesome flavor. Was just like a margarita.

Finally, I made the lime buttercream, as mentioned before:

Lime Buttercream

1/2 cup butter, softened

4-5 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons lime zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons lime juice

1 to 2 Tbsp. milk or half and half

In a mixer, blend butter, lime zest (make sure it is a very fine grate if you are piping out the frosting), vanilla, and salt until fully combined.

Add in powdered sugar one cup at a time, alternating with lime juice.

If you need more liquid add the milk or half and half to reach your desired consistency.

To till the cupcakes, I put the tequila lime curd in a pastry bag with a star tip on. Simply inserted the tip into the cupcake and filled until the cupcake visibly expanded. Next time I fill a cupcake this way, I would suggest using a larger tip so the filling can get deeper.

I piped on the frosting with a star tip and finished them with a lime slice candied by Jeff, a sprinkle of lime zest, and of course drink straws from the bar at Santana Rae's. Happy Cinco de Mayo!