Margarita Cupcakes for Cinco de Mayo |Cooking With Amanda

Warmer days are officially here, and although summer is officially still more than a month away, it's certainly feeling mighty fine. With the arrival of warmer days, weekends are now spent outdoors. We've already had the grill going and started having people over more. Warm weather brings neighbors and friends out of their winter cocoons and we all find ourselves reconnecting after months of being cooped up indoors.

For me, there's nothing quite like a cookout to make me feel like warmer days are here to stay. I love sipping a cocktail out on the deck while chatting with friends. Drink in hand, it feels like a party. Not to mention, it's May, which means Cinco de Mayo!

You don't have to be Mexican to enjoy this festive holiday. Gather your friends, whip up a batch of charred corn salsa, and set out some tortilla chips to munch on while you fire up the grill.

Of course, there should be libations as well. It is a Mexican holiday after all, so what more fitting drink than a margarita? My personal favorite are strawberry basil margaritas. The sweet strawberries with the fragrant basil make this classic drink something extra special.

I personally have never met a margarita I didn't like, but if you're more of a traditionalist, you like your tequila with lime instead of strawberries and herbs. If that's the case, then these margarita cupcakes are right up your alley!

Fluffy white cake with the bright flavor of lime and margarita mix, topped with a tequila-spiked margarita frosting. These cupcakes are a great way to keep the party going.

You can feel free to leave the tequila out too and still enjoy the flavor of a margarita shining through. The finishing touch is a small sprinkle of salt and a slice of lime for an authentic margarita experience.

Don't like your margaritas with salt? Give them a sprinkle of sparkling coarse sugar! These cupcakes are wonderfully light and vibrant with the citrus flavor of lime making them the perfect cupcake for a spring or summer get together.

Make margaritas your Cinco de Mayo party theme! Try our mango margaritas or this margarita marmalade.

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Margarita Cupcakes Recipe

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Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:

1 box white cake mix
1 cup margarita mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, room temperature
lime zest, from 2 limes

For the Frosting:

1 cup butter, room temperature
4 1/2-5 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup tequila
2 tablespoons margarita mix
lime zest, from one lime
1-2 drops green food coloring, optional
24 slices lime, for garnish
sea salt, or coarse sugar for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two cupcake tins with paper liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, margarita mix, oil, eggs and lime zest using a mixer or whisk until evenly moistened.
Fill cupcake tins until 2/3 full. Bake in preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes until lightly golden and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter until light and fluffy. With the mixer running on medium-low speed, slowly add half the powdered sugar and continue beating until incorporated. Add tequila, margarita mix and lime zest. Mix for 1 minute on low then slowly add remaining powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. You may not use all the powdered sugar. Add a drop of food coloring, mix. Add more coloring until desired shade is reached.
Frost cooled cupcakes with prepared frosting. Sprinkle with salt or sugar and top with each with a slice of lime.