Margarita Cupcakes

I made these for a bachelorette party last weekend and they were the best ever. I ended up putting too much food coloring in the icing so they're a liiiiiiiiittle St Patrick's Day-ish, but otherwise they were very festive and abosolutely delicious.



Ingredients:

Cupcakes
- 9 oz. margarita mix
- 3 oz. tequila
- ¾ oz. grand marnier or other orange liqueur (I was able to find a tiny bottle of grand marnier so as not to buy a large amount, but you could probably omit this ingredient and it wouldn't make a huge difference)
- 1 box white cake mix
- 3 egg whites
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp. lime zest

Lime Butter Cream Frosting
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 3 tbsp. lime juice (I used more like 6 tbsp. to make it extra limey. Okay, maybe it was 8.)
- green food coloring

Yield: 24 Cupcakes

Directions

Cupcakes
- Mix together the margarita mix, tequila and Grand Marnier in a large glass or spouted bowl. Reserve 1 ¼ cups of this for the cupcake batter and drink the rest as a treat while you are baking (I did not do this but by all means, bottoms up!)
- Add the margarita mixture (1 ¼ cups), cake mix, egg whites, vegetable oil, and lime zest. Mix on low for about 30 seconds and then increase to medium speed for 2 minutes (the batter will still be a bit lumpy).
- Spoon the batter into a prepared cupcake tin and fill cups 2/3 to ¾ full. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Place the cupcakes on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Once the cupcakes have cooled, make the frosting.

Frosting
- Add all ingredients and mix on low until combined. Turn the speed to medium-high until the icing is light and fluffy. Use water to thin the frosting if necessary. (I didn't need to do this b/c I upped the lime juice amount)
- Add the icing to a pastry bag or use a spatula/knife to frost the cupcakes (I just used a knife).

To Decorate
- Sprinkle with clear sugar cake sprinkles for the "the salt." Be sure to do this immediately after frosting each individual cupcake to ensure the sprinkles stay on.
- Zest a little lime peel for "the garnish. "
(As you can see from the photo, I neglected to fancy up my cupcakes with sprinkles and lime zest, but I thought I'd include this step in case anyone else is so inclined. I'm sure they'd look way more fun that way).

Source: Little Ms. Foodie