Margarita Cupcakes

I don't know about you, but in my mind margaritas = summer. Especially on a hot day, there's nothing quite like a big cold glass of that lime/tequila goodness. Margaritas, Pimms, snowballs, sangria, mojitos... if I'm not careful I'm going to turn into a summertime lush.

These little sugar bombs are an homage to the classic drink - the predominant flavour is lime, with just a little kick of tequila and the tiniest salt chaser. I made them for a party on Friday, and though I'm an excellent driver (...), the little guys kind of got tossed around in transit. When I arrived, the cupcakes were all over the place, some still standing but others lying on their sides or face-planted in a buttercreamy mess. How appropriate, I thought; they're all boozed up on tequila after all.




Margarita Cupcakes
Slightly adapted from the recipe on Tracey's Culinary Adventures
Makes about 30 mini or 12 regular cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 large lime, zested and juiced
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 tablespoon tequila, for brushing on top

Preheat oven to 325°F/165°C, and line muffins tins with paper liners.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the lime zest, juice and vanilla and beat until well combined. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, mixing only until just combined.

Fill each liner about 3/4 full with the batter and bake for 15-20 minutes, slightly golden and a toothpick comes out mostly clean. As soon as they come out of the oven, brush the tops with tequila and allow to cool completely.

For the frosting:
1 cup butter, at room temperature
3 cups icing sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons tequila
a few pinches of coarse sea salt
lime zest, for garnish

With an electric mixer, beat the butter for about 5 minutes until pale and creamy. On low speed, gradually add the icing sugar, beating until completely smooth. Add the lime juice and tequila, and beat for a few minutes until fluffy. At this point you can add more lime or tequila, depending on how it tastes to you - I also added a few drops of green food colouring. Again, beat until well combined.

Frost the cupcakes however you like, then sprinkle the tops with lime zest and a couple big grains of coarse salt.

There's really not that much booze in these, so you have my permission to go to town. Treat yo'self! But maybe hold off on operating heavy machinery for a few hours.