Margarita Cupcakes

What if you could take a margarita and make it into a cupcake?  Guess what--it's really possible!  Your dreams can come true with this lime-infused cake and tequila-lime swiss meringue buttercream frosting.  If you want to get crazy, you can brush the tops of the cupcakes with tequila before you frost them and sprinkle a little bit of coarse salt on top at the very end.  I won't will blame you if you want to wash a few of these down with a real margarita, though.  After all, it's Cinco de Mayo!  No one said you can't drink a margarita and have your cake, too.

Ingredients (adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride; makes 18-20 cupcakes):

For the cupcakes:
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
Zest and juice of 2 limes
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup tequila for brushing cupcakes (optional)

For the frosting:
2 cups sugar
8 egg whites
3 sticks butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
Juice of 1 lime
1-3 tablespoons silver tequila, to taste
Lime zest for topping

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 325.  Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale yellow.  Add the eggs one at a time, mixing to combine thoroughly before adding the next egg.  Beat in the lime zest and juice and vanilla.

With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk.  Mix JUST until combined.  Scoop into muffin cups (I use an ice cream scoop greased with cooking spray for this) and bake until a toothpick comes out with just a few fine crumbs, 20-25 minutes.  I used a combination of full-size and mini muffin pans, and this recipe yielded 12 full-size cupcakes and 16 minis.

If desired, prick the tops of the warm cupcakes with a fork and brush with tequila.

To make the frosting, combine the sugar and egg whites in a heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler.  Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl is above the water.  Whisk constantly until the mixture reaches 160 degrees--the sugar will be melted and the mixture will be frothy.

Remove from the heat and beat with an electric mixer until the mixture has cooled to room temperature and holds stiff peaks, 8-10 minutes.

Beat in the butter a couple of tablespoons at a time.  Don't worry if your frosting looks soupy or curdled--just keep beating!

Add lime juice, tequila, and vanilla, and beat until smooth.  Frost cupcakes soon before serving, or store the frosting in the fridge for up to a day and rebeat before using.

Top frosted cupcakes with lime zest and a sprinkling of sea salt if desired.