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Margarita Cupcakes take everything you love about the classic cocktail, tangy lime, smooth tequila, and that salty rim, and bake it into a fluffy party dessert, and the first time I made these for a backyard get together last summer they disappeared before the burgers came off the grill. If you love a good citrus dessert, our easy lemon cupcakes are the sunny sister recipe to this one.
One bowl for the batter, one for the frosting, and you are 43 minutes from the happiest dessert tray at the party.
Margarita Cupcakes Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 30 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 13 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 43 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 34 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 192kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Bright lime and vanilla with a boozy tequila buttercream and a salty finish
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our funfetti cupcakes
Quick Answer
Cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar, then mix in egg whites, vanilla, and alternating additions of flour, fresh lime juice, and milk. Bake at 350 degrees for 11 to 13 minutes, whip a buttercream spiked with 3 to 4 tablespoons of tequila, then pipe it on and finish each cupcake with a pinch of kosher salt and a lime garnish.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Cream cheese in the batter. It adds fat and gentle acidity, which keeps the crumb tender and moist for days while echoing the tang of the lime juice.
- Egg whites only. Whole yolks would tint the cake yellow and weigh it down. Whites keep the crumb pale, springy, and light so the citrus shines.
- Alternating wet and dry additions. Adding the flour mixture in stages with the lime juice and milk prevents overmixing, which is what causes dense, gummy cupcakes.
- Tequila goes in the frosting, not the cake. Alcohol bakes out in the oven. Keeping it in the buttercream preserves that unmistakable margarita flavor in every bite.
- The salt garnish. Salt amplifies sweetness and mimics the salted rim of the cocktail, one tiny pinch makes the lime and tequila taste twice as bright.
- A 350 degree short bake. Small cupcakes bake fast. Pulling them at the mostly clean toothpick stage keeps them moist instead of dry and crumbly.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They taste like an actual margarita, bright lime cake, real tequila buttercream, and that sweet and salty rim effect in dessert form.
- They are the ultimate grown up party treat, perfect next to a pitcher of our classic margarita for a full fiesta spread.
- The cream cheese batter stays moist for days, so you can bake them a day ahead and frost when you are ready.
- It delivers that same everyone asks for seconds energy as our margarita cupcakes.
- It earns a spot in the rotation right next to our homemade birthday cupcakes.
- It delivers that same everyone asks for seconds energy as our red velvet cupcake.
Key Ingredients
Every ingredient here earns its spot, and most are baking staples you already have.
- Lime Juice: Fresh squeezed only, please. The bottled stuff loses that bright, zippy punch that makes these taste like a real margarita instead of a plain vanilla cupcake.
- Cream Cheese: Blended right into the batter, it keeps the crumb extra moist and adds a subtle tang that plays perfectly off the lime.
- Tequila: A few tablespoons in the buttercream is all it takes. Use a blanco tequila you would actually sip, the flavor comes through in the frosting.
- Egg Whites: Using just the whites keeps the cake light in color and airy in texture, so the lime and vanilla flavors stay front and center.
- Kosher Salt: A tiny pinch on top of the frosting recreates the salted rim of a classic margarita. Do not skip it, that sweet and salty bite is the whole point.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This recipe is easy to riff on depending on the crowd you are serving.
- Virgin version: Swap the tequila in the frosting for 3 tablespoons of lime juice plus a splash of orange juice, all the margarita flavor with none of the booze.
- Strawberry margarita: Beat 2 tablespoons of strawberry preserves into the buttercream for a frozen strawberry marg vibe.
- Extra citrus: Add a teaspoon of lime zest to the batter and a little orange zest to the frosting for a triple sec note.
- Full size cupcakes: Use a standard tin and bake 18 to 20 minutes, the recipe makes about 12 to 14 regular cupcakes.
- Tropical twist: Love fruity cocktails baked into dessert? Our passion fruit margarita is the drink version of that idea.
- If you want to switch things up, our frozen mango margarita plays on similar flavors in a whole new way.
- In the mood for something different? Our cherry cupcakes scratches a similar itch.
- If you want to switch things up, our 4th of july cocktails plays on similar flavors in a whole new way.
How to Make Margarita Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, then cream the butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar together for 2 minutes until fluffy.
- Add the egg whites and vanilla to the creamed mixture and mix until just combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Alternating between the dry mixture, the fresh lime juice, and the milk, add them slowly to the batter until fully combined and smooth.
- Fill mini cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full and bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Cool on a wire rack completely.
- For the buttercream, cream the butter until smooth, then add the powdered sugar a little at a time. Beat in the vanilla and 3 tablespoons of tequila for 2 minutes until fluffy, adding the 4th tablespoon if the frosting is thick.
- Pipe the tequila buttercream onto the completely cooled cupcakes, then finish each one with a small pinch of kosher salt and a lime garnish.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Cool completely before frosting. Even slightly warm cupcakes will melt the buttercream into a glaze and slide right off.
- Room temperature butter and cream cheese cream faster and smoother, pull them out 30 minutes before you start.
- Do not overfill the liners. Two thirds full gives you a gentle dome, any more and they mushroom over the edge.
- Add the tequila gradually. Three tablespoons flavors the frosting, the fourth is only for loosening a stiff batch, splashing it all in at once can break the buttercream.
- Watch the short bake window. Small cupcakes go from perfect to dry in about 2 minutes, start checking at 11 minutes.
- Make ahead friendly. Bake the cupcakes a day early and store airtight, then frost the day you serve for bakery fresh results.
- Plan the whole menu. This pairs effortlessly with our valentine’s day cupcakes when company is coming.
- Make it a full spread. Our halloween cupcakes rounds out the table.
- Plan the whole menu. This pairs effortlessly with our oreo cupcakes with cookies and cream frosting when company is coming.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and bring them to room temperature about 20 minutes before serving so the buttercream softens back up.
Margarita Cupcakes FAQs
Yes, the buttercream on these Margarita Cupcakes uses 3 to 4 tablespoons of real tequila and it is not cooked out, so the frosting keeps a gentle boozy kick. If you are serving kids, use the virgin variation with lime and orange juice instead, the cupcakes taste just as bright.
Absolutely. Swap the tequila for an equal amount of fresh lime juice plus a splash of orange juice in the buttercream. The Margarita Cupcakes keep their signature citrus flavor and the frosting texture stays exactly the same.
Because of the cream cheese in the batter and the soft buttercream, store Margarita Cupcakes covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Let them sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before serving so the cake softens and the frosting gets creamy again.
Yes, freeze the unfrosted cupcakes in a freezer bag for up to 2 months and thaw at room temperature before frosting. The tequila buttercream is best made fresh, but frosted Margarita Cupcakes can be frozen solid on a tray first, then wrapped, for up to 1 month.
Definitely. Fill standard liners 2/3 full and bake 18 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees, the batch makes about 12 to 14 full size Margarita Cupcakes. Check with a toothpick, it should come out with a few moist crumbs.
A blanco or silver tequila is the best choice for Margarita Cupcakes because its clean agave flavor comes through the buttercream without darkening the color. Use something you would happily drink in a margarita, the frosting only needs a few tablespoons.
Still filling out the menu? Readers love pairing this one with our chocolate peanut butter cupcakes, white wine sangria, mini no bake key lime pies, and French 75 cocktails.
Margarita Cupcakes
Ingredients
Mini Lime Cupcakes
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour sifted
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 egg whites
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup lime juice fresh squeezed
- 1/2 cup milk
Tequila Buttercream
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3-4 tablespoons tequila*
- pinch kosher salt
Cupcake Assembly
- kosher salt for garnish** optional
- mini lime gummies for garnish*** optional
Instructions
Mini Lime Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment (or in a large bowl, if using a hand mixer) cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and beat for 2 minutes until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, mix to combine. Alternating between the dry mixture, the lime juice, and the milk, add slowly to batter until fully combined. Scrape the sides as needed.
- Fill mini cupcakes liners in a mini cupcake tin 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 11-13 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. A few small crumbs are okay, but any wet batter and they need longer. Place on a wire rack for 5 minutes to cool, pop out and place directly on the rack to cool completely.
Tequila Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment (or a large bowl if using a hand mixer) cream the butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar in a little at a time until incorporated, scraping sides as needed.
- Add the vanilla and 3 tablespoons of the tequila, continue to mix. Beat for 2 minutes until fluffy. If the frosting seems a little thick, add the 4th tablespoon of tequila and mix to combine. Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, top with frosting.
- Add the garnish of a small amount of kosher salt sprinkled on top and a gummy lime.
Notes
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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These cupcakes sound divine and they are SO cute!
The lime slices are so fun! And I’m totally down for boozy desserts!