The Baker Chick

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Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes

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StrawberryMargarita2

I’ve been talking a lot lately about reviving old posts and I’m back at it today. This is a recipe that has been very popular considering the original version needed some tweaking! So- after 3 years and many comments (that you can still read below,) I re-vamped the filling and the end result is a fabulous Strawberry Margarita Cupcake just in time for Cinco de Mayo. (Aka- my excuse to eat Mexican food all day and drink margaritas!)

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Of all the alcoholic beverages out there- an icy margarita is by far my favorite. In fact on Andy & my first night out post baby that was the #1 most important thing on our itinerary- margarita stat! I’m not too picky about what flavor, in fact I’m a fan of trying all different kinds of fruit pureés mixed in or even a bit of spice. I do have a soft spot though for a classic strawberry margarita- almost too sweet to taste the alcohol  (which back in the day resulted in way to many rounds of Amy Winehouse kareoke.)

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Anyway- these new and improved cupcakes are wonderful. The lime cupcake base is the same, but this time they are filled with a much more stable strawberry/lime/tequila filling. That same filling is mixed into the frosting, which really makes these taste like a margarita! I think they would be so festive on your Cinco de Mayo dinner table don’t you?

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Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes
Yield: 12 cupcakes
 
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 small limes, zested and juiced
  • ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
  • ½ cup buttermilk- room temperature
Strawberry Tequila Filling:
  • 2 cups chopped strawberries
  • Juice and zest of 1 lime
  • ¼ cup of tequila
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 3 teaspoons corn starch*
For the Frosting:
  • 1½ sticks butter, soft
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons strawberry tequila filling (from above)
Instructions
For the Cupcakes:
  1. Preheat the oven to 325F. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.
  4. Blend in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the lime zest, lime juice and vanilla.
  5. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat each addition just until incorporated.
  6. Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ full. Bake 20-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely
Meanwhile make the filling:
  1. In a small saucepan, combine the strawberries, lime zest/juice, sugar and cornstarch. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until mixture becomes thick and jam-like, and the strawberries start to soften.
  2. At this point- either use an immersion blender directly in the pot, or transfer mixture to a blender or food processor to puree.
  3. Return mixture to the pot and cook for 5-10 minutes on medium heat, stirring frequently until reduced and thick. Stir in all but a splash of the ¼ cup of tequila. Let cool completely.
Filling the cupcakes:
  1. Using a small paring knife, cut a cone out of the top of each cupcake. Remove the cut-out cake and spoon a tablespoon of strawberry filling into each cupcake. (Make sure to reserve at least 2 tablespoons for the frosting!) Replace the top part of the cone, cutting the tip to leave room for the filling.
For the Frosting:
  1. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter on high until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Cream in the strawberry filling and the remaining splash of tequila. Mix until the frosting is thick and creamy, adding a splash of milk or lime juice if needed. If the frosting seems to curdle, add a little more powdered sugar until smooth.
  2. Spread or pipe on cupcakes. Use a spoon to sprinkle some coarse sugar around the edge of the cupcake and top with a strawberry slice and lime wedge.
Notes
Base cupcake recipe adapted from Annies Eats via Martha Stewart

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Comments

  2. These are super cute! I am going to make a margarita cake for a get together tomorrow night! Hope it tastes as good as these look!

    Reply

  3. These cupcakes look so festive. Love the contrast of the strawberry filling and the lime slices. Makes me feel like having a party right now!

    Reply

  16. Hey Rachel! If you’re making a cake, I’d suggest maybe using the strawberry layer as a filling and doing two layers? Or just making it a margarita cake. Lime Cake, Tequila syrup/soak on the top and then Lime/Tequila frosting. Good luck and Happy Birthday!

    Reply

  18. I’m planning to make these and omit the tequila due to the “audience”. Do I need to add equal amount water or other liquid, or can i just omit it? Thanks!

    Reply

  19. in the process of making these now…the “puree” part turned out like more of a smoothie…strawberries, sugar, lime juice, tequila…what went wrong?! it definitely doesnt look like the gel-like filling you see in the pic…

    Reply

  21. Hmm- sometimes certain strawberries have a higher water content than others. Maybe try mixing in a little corn starch to thicken it?

    Reply

  22. I also had this same problem. I put all ingredients in a food processor and pulsed until no strawberries remained. My mixture was completely runny. I even added corn starch and nothing happened. I guess I don’t understand how so many wet ingredients would gel without being cooked???? Am I missing something?

    Reply

  24. I just tried your recipe out and it was awesome. The only problem I had was with the puree, it was extremely runny so I put it on the stove and reduced it to it had the consistency of jam (took about 15 mins), and once it was cool I add 1 1/2 tablespoons of tequila and it came out fabulous. To give it more of a punch I sprinkled some tequila over the cupcake before adding the frosting

    Reply

  27. These cupcakes are very cute indeed.. good on you for taking out time to bake with a 3 month old baby! It´s not easy but it´s necessary to take that break sometimes! xoxo

    Reply

  32. I really want to make these for a party. Do I have to make them the day of the party for them to be at their best?Any advise on whether I can make partially or fully ahead and by how much?

    Thanks so much. They look lovely and delicious

    Reply

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Trackbacks

  7. […] flavors are by far my favorite so I never seem to struggle with ideas that fit the bill.  Between Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes, Traditional Tres Leches Cake and Limey Margarita Bars, I have your festive dessert needs covered. […]

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