Margarita Cupcakes

For Randy's Fiesta Stache Bash, I made margarita cupcakes for dessert. I was eyeballing the recipe that starts with a cake mix, until Confections of a Foodie Bride made them from scratch. This recipe came out so good. The cupcakes baked up perfectly with nice little domes and were tender and moist. I topped them with a basic butterceam spiked with tequila and lime and it paired nicely with the cake. This is a perfect summertime treat when you're looking for something out of the ordinary. The lime flavor reminded me of a lime popsicle. I sprinkled the tops with colored sugar which gave them a "crunch" when you bite into them.

Margarita Cupcakes 
Source: Cupcakes: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (I omitted because I used salted butter.)
2 sticks butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
3 limes, zested and juiced
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and fill a cupcake tin with 24 cupcake liners.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar on high for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at at time, mixing thoroughly. Add lime zest, lime juice, and vanilla. Beating on low, add the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, and ending with the flour mixture.

Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full. Bake for 20- 25 minutes (mine only needed 18 minutes). Cool completely before frosting.

Tequila-Lime Buttercream
2 sticks butter, room temperature
4 - 6 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons tequila
1 lime, zested and juiced

Cream the butter. Add tequila, lime juice, and lime zest. Beat well. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. Beat well.