Margarita Cupcakes with Lime Buttercream Frosting

I made these for a Cinco de Mayo dinner party. They are very tasty, but you have to like lime flavor.



Ingredients:

1 box white cake mix
1 cup margarita Mix , room temperature
1/4 tequila, room temperature
3 egg whites @ room temperature
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
zest of 3 small limes or 2 medium limes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Prepare 2 muffin tins with cupcake papers (recipe yields 24 small cupcakes)

3. In a glass or small bowl, mix together the margarita mix and tequila. Make sure both are at room temperature to ensure smooth mixing with the rest of the ingredients.

4. In medium bowl (preferably with a pouring spout) whisk together the margarita mixture, 3 egg whites (also at room temperature for the same reason) and vegetable oil.

5. In large bowl or standing mixer, place the white cake mix and lime zest. Slowly incorporate the wet ingredients either with a hand mixer or standing mixer.

6. Beat mixture about 2-3 minutes. The batter will have a thick, tacky consistency.

7. Distribute the mixture evenly among the 24 cupcakes. Use a muffin scoop do so as pouring this thick batter might be a challenge.

8. Bake the cupcakes for 8 minutes, then rotate the pans to ensure even baking.

9. Bake at 350 an additional 8-10 minutes. Bake times can vary. They're done when you can pull out a clean toothpick from the center of a cupcake. To avoid over-baking, watch them carefully.

10. Remove from oven. Let sit in the tins for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Once completely cooled (1-2 hrs), ice with Lime Buttercream Frosting (see below).

Lime Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

3 cups sifted confectioner's sugar (be sure to measure it after sifting!)
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, room temp
1/2 cup (1 stick) UN-salted butter, room temp
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, room temp
green food coloring
a few pinches granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, cream the two sticks of butter together.

2. Add fresh lime juice.

3. Slowly incorporate the sifted confectioner's sugar.

4. Mix until the icing is smooth.

5. Add green food coloring to your liking until you achieve a "lime" hue.

6. Ice the cupcakes using a star tip or plain, old butter knife.

7. Sprinkle granulated sugar on top of freshly iced cupcakes for a "salted rim" look. The sugar will also give them a nice sparkle.

Recipe adapted from Life of the Party