Margarita Cupcakes with {Fluffy} Margarita Buttercream Frosting

I am dreaming & scheming of fabulous fall recipes to share {I promise}, but I love summer & margaritas! The great thing about these cupcakes is that the lime makes them taste so fresh {and smells so delicious in your kitchen}, that you could make them in the middle of winter and still taste the aroma of summer.

I love & adore Vegan Cupacakes Take Over the World, even though I'm not vegan. I will definitely be trying more of their recipes {they have some great fall flavors}. Great pictures & it's a hilarious read. Trust me. One more thing... I love how the vegan cupcakes look in cupcake liners! They don't have any eggs, so they really allow the color of the liner to shine! Speaking of, I found some adorable Halloween cupcake liners I can't wait to share!

You can find the Mucho Margarita Cupcake recipe on HostessBlog.com.




Their cupcake recipe tastes great, but the icing does come out as more of a glaze than a true buttercream. I have to say that piping big fluffy swirls is part of what makes a cupcake a cupcake for me. I altered the recipe a little to make it taste like a margarita and have the thicker consistency I like. I omitted some of the lime juice and substituted lime zest. It makes for thicker frosting but still punches a lot of flavor. I also took out the milk, because Margaritas don't have milk in them! I also thickened my frosting with piping gel and a bit more shortening. As a bonus, I made a quick Lime Tequila Glaze to intensify the flavor of margarita on the cupcakes!



My Original {Fluffy} Margarita Buttercream Icing

1 stick of butter, softened
3 tbsp shortening
1 tbsp lime zest
1 tsp lime juice
1 1/2 tbsp tequila
3/4 + cup fine sugar
1 tsp piping gel {I use the Wilton brand that you can find at craft stores & cake suppliers}
1 1/2 tsp meringue powder mixed with 1 1/2 tsp water {let sit for about half an hour}

Cream together butter, shortening, lime zest, lime juice, tequila, & sugar. I found that this can take a few minutes and looks weird. Don't be discouraged, keep mixing! Add piping gel and meringue powder and continue to beat until fluffy. Add in more sugar as needed to make frosting thicker {more liquid makes it thinner}. Cooling the icing & cupcakes tastes delicious!

Lime Tequila Glaze

2 tbs sugar
3 tbs tequila
1 tsp lime zest
1 tsp corn starch

Heat ingredients over medium heat, be sure not to burn the sugar. Stir constantly while mixture warms and thickens. Remove from heat when it reaches a jam consistency. Poke holes in cupcakes and use a pastry brush to spread glaze over warm cupcakes. I prefer to use a silicone brush because it's easy to clean. Allow cupcakes to cool before icing with Fluffy Margarita Buttercream Icing.

I think I got most of my summer fix out of my system, I'm so excited for Fall recipes. It's hard to believe that last year at this time my husband had just left to his first deployment. I had wanted to start a cooking blog very much, but ended up losing enthusiasm & inspiration for multiple reasons. I feel so thankful to have him home this fall and there is a part of me that can not wait to include him in everything this year. I will make sure to keep updating this so that when you come I have something to share with you as well ;]

Next up: Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Buttercream w/ my oh so awesome cupcake liners!