These sweet margarita cupcakes are the perfect blend of fluffy, soft, and moist. Topped with a swirl of lime buttercream frosting with a hint of tequila, and garnished with lime zest and a lime slice, they taste like a sweet and tart margarita cocktail, and are perfect for Spring and Summer!
This is one of my Cupcake recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
Who’s ready for Cinco de Mayo? I know, I know… Easter comes first, and of course I’m excited about that. But a day centered around Tex-Mex food? Yes please!!
I get that cupcakes don’t exactly scream Tex-Mex, but the margarita flavor in these cupcakes does.
Sweet and moist cupcakes are made with a jazzed up box of cake mix that’s mixed with the usual suspects (eggs, oil, etc), plus margarita mix and lime zest.
Then those tender little cakes are topped with a generous swirl of homemade buttercream that’s spiked with a bit of tequila and lime.
Who wants to sip a cocktail when you can bite into one?!
Why you’ll love this recipe!
Classic lime margaritas combined with fluffy vanilla cupcakes… what’s not to love?
- Easy – using a cake mix as the starting base makes this cupcake recipe easy for beginners.
- Festive – whether you’re hosting a Cinco de Mayo party, or just craving a sweet and tart treat, these cupcakes are the perfect dessert!
What do I need to make this recipe?
- Cake mix – this recipe was tested with white cake mix (Betty Crocker super moist brand). You can use another brand, just try to keep the box size similar to the one listed in the ingredients section below.
- Margarita mix – you can use any brand of mix that you like. I usually use Jose Cuervo classic lime.
- Oil – you want a neutral oil for this recipe, like vegetable oil.
- Eggs – this recipe was tested with large eggs, so it’s highly recommended that you use that size.
- Lime zest – when zesting a lime, make sure you don’t zest too hard and end up getting the white pith, as that will be bitter.
- Salt – kosher salt is what I use, but you can use any salt you have on hand. If you’re using other types of salt, they will have varying sodium levels, so you may find that you need a bit less.
- Butter – I prefer to use salted butter in the frosting for this recipe, but if you’d rather use unsalted you definitely can. Just add a pinch of salt.
- Powdered sugar – powdered sugar adds sweetness to the frosting, without adding any grittiness, like granulated sugar would add.
- Tequila – no need to break the bank here, but I do recommend a gold or silver tequila.
- Lime juice – fresh lime juice tastes the best, but bottled juice will also work well.
How to make margarita cucpakes:
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Beat cake mix. I like to beat the dry cake mix, just to remove any potential lumps.
- Mix batter. Add the rest of the cupcake ingredients to the cake mix and beat until creamy.
- Fill cupcake liners. You want the liners filled about 2/3 of the way full.
- Bake. You want to bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Whip butter. Beating just the butter first for the frosting ensures it stays light and silky.
- Add frosting ingredients. This is the powdered sugar, tequila, lime juice, and lime zest.
- Beat until smooth. Start off on a low speed to keep the sugar from flying everywhere, then increase the speed as you go.
- Pipe and serve. You can use any piping tip you’d like (I usually use a Wilton 2D).
Helpful Tip!
For the perfect cupcakes, have all the cold ingredients at room temperature before you start mixing. Room temp ingredients will always mix together better and more fully, than cold ones will.
Variations of this recipe
- Cake mix – this recipe is super easy thanks to boxed cake mix (white cake). You can use any brand you’d like, you just want it to be about 14.25 oz in size. If you have a homemade white cake recipe you’d like to try, please know that I can’t guarantee it’ll work, as this recipe was developed (in terms of the amounts of liquid), with a cake mix in mind.
- Margarita mix – feel free to use any brand of mix that you like best. I tested this recipe with Jose Cuervo classic lime mix.
- Unsalted butter – I like to use salted butter in my buttercream, since adding salt can sometimes make the frosting a bit gritty. However, if you don’t find you have that issue, feel free to use unsalted butter and just add a pinch of salt.
- Non-alcoholic – if you love the flavor of margaritas, but don’t want any liquor, just replace the tequila in the frosting with an equal amount of whole milk. The cupcakes don’t have any alcohol in them, just the mix.
- Sifted – as written, I don’t call for the powdered sugar in the frosting to be sifted. Instead I just give it a whisk to remove any lumps before using it. However, if you’d prefer to sift it, please feel free to do so.
FAQ’s
I’m certain that it could, although I haven’t tested it to be able to tell you how long it should be baked, or at what temperature. My guess is that you could loosely follow the instructions on the cake mix for the size cake you’re making. If you’d like to do some baking experimenting, I’d love to know what worked for you, and I’ll credit you in the recipe!
Making cupcakes ahead of time
Cupcakes are great to make ahead of time, because when stored properly, they can last a couple of days before frosting.
Although, for the best moist texture and fluffiness, I don’t usually like to make mine more than a day ahead of time.
Storage
Leftover, frosted cupcakes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days, in an airtight container.
Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days, in an airtight container.
Unfrosted cupcakes can also be frozen for up to 3 months (see instructions below).
Freezing
To freeze unfrosted cupcakes, add cupcakes to a baking sheet and place the whole thing in the freezer for about 2 hours, or until hard.
Wrap frozen cupcakes individually in plastic wrap, then transfer to an airtight freezer-safe container, label it with the date, then freeze.
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before frosting.
My Favorite Muffin Pan!
I’ve had several of these pans for years, and they’ve held up so well! Not to mention they clean up like a dream.
Tips for perfect cupcakes!
- Room temperature ingredients. As I mentioned earlier in the post, the ingredients will all mix together better if they’re room temperature.
- Be careful with how much you’re mixing. Over mixing can leave you with a tough, overly dense cupcake. Just mix the dry ingredients into the batter until no flour streaks remain as you stir.
- Pay attention to how much you’re filling the cupcake liners. Follow what the recipe suggests for how full to make them. Fill them too much and they can overflow, too little and they won’t even reach the tops of the liners.
- For optimal results, bake one pan at a time. I know it’s a hassle, and most of the time, I’m guilty of cramming two pans in there side by side (but then rotating and switching sides halfway through baking). But when you’re starting out, or want perfect cupcakes, bake one pan, and put the pan right in the middle of the center rack.
- Let them cool. Don’t try to frost a cupcake that’s still warm, it’ll end up a big ol’ mess. Let the cupcakes cool, then pile up that frosting as high as you’d like!
- Follow the recipe. This may seem like a no-brainer, but there’s a reason the recipe is written the way it is; because it works that way. With cooking you may be able to swap out ingredients, guess on the measurements, etc, but with baking you really don’t want to do that. Only use any substitutions specifically mentioned, and follow everything to the letter.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
Margarita cupcakes
- 1 (14.25 oz) package white cake mix I usually use Betty Crocker Super Moist
- 3/4 cup margarita mix
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp lime zest
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Tequila lime buttercream frosting
- 1 cup salted butter softened to room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar whisked to remove any lumps
- 2 Tbsp tequila I like to use gold or silver
- 2 Tbsp lime juice fresh is best, but bottled will also work
- 1 tsp lime zest
Garnishes
- additional lime zest
- lime wedge
- sanding/sparkling sugar
Instructions
Prepare
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two standard muffin pans with cupcake liners and set aside.
Mix batter
- To a medium mixing bowl, add 1 (14.25 oz) package white cake mix, 3/4 cup margarita mix, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 3 large eggs, 2 tsp lime zest, and 1/2 tsp kosher salt.
- Use a handheld mixer and beat on MED until ingredients are well combined.
Bake
- Spoon or scoop batter to prepared muffin pans, filling each cupcake liner about 2/3 of the way full.
- Bake in preheated oven for 16-18 minutes. Cupcakes are done baking when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
Cool
- Remove cupcakes from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack. Cool completely.
Make frosting
- Add 1 cup salted butter to another mixing bowl and beat with a mixer until smooth and creamy.
- Beat in 4 cups powdered sugar, about 2 cups at at time, mixing after each addition.
- Add in the 2 Tbsp tequila 2 Tbsp lime juice, and 1 tsp lime zest. Continue beating with mixer until frosting is smooth and creamy.
Frost and serve
- Transfer frosting to piping bag fitted with your desired decorating tip (or your desired tip), and once the cupcakes are completely cooled, pipe swirls of frosting onto cupcakes.
- **Alternately, you can spread the frosting on top of the cupcakes with a butter knife or offset spatula.**
- Garnish with a sprinkle of lime zest, sugar, and a lime wedge. Serve and enjoy!
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- Recipe makes approximately 20 cupcakes, which you’re free to divide into as many servings as you’d like.
- You can add more lime juice or powdered sugar to adjust the consistency of the frosting, until it’s to your liking.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
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