Margarita Mini Cupcakes

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  I'm going to a friend's house later tonight, and thought I'd bring these little boozy cupcakes along.  Luckily, I had all the margarita essentials in my liquor cabinet (from my bachelorette party, which was over eight months ago - I don't get into my liquor cabinet very often), so no trip to the liquor store necessary!

Brushing on tequila for extra flavor.

Does anyone else out there occasionally have problems with their cupcake liners inexplicably deciding to come off of their cupcakes?  Yeah, that happened to most of these.  I spent some time consulting with the Internet on this topic, and it sounds like there are a couple things you can do to prevent it.

1. Fill your cupcakes ⅔ full with batter.  This may help because the cupcake will adhere to the top of the liner.  Any more than this, however, and you're risking your cupcakes splurting over the edge.
2. Remove your cupcakes from the pan as soon as possible.  This supposedly helps prevent condensation from building up.
3. Don't buy nonstick liners, and don't spray your liners with nonstick spray.
4. Don't store the cupcakes in an airtight container.

I kind of think some liners are just more susceptible to this than others.  I've never had a problem with Regency Wraps liners (but I used Wilton for these cupcakes).  

Cupcake liner is mean.

Yum, yum, yum.  I love lime.  These cupcakes were really tasty and made my kitchen smell like lime.  I used tequila and orange liqueur in both the batter and the frosting, and brushed a little additional tequila on the tops of the cupcakes.  The flavors came through really nicely.  They're a perfect little bite of margarita goodness.

Cupcake shot!

Margarita Mini Cupcakes
Makes about 48 mini cupcakes.  Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker's recipe.

Ingredients
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
zest and juice from 2 limes
1 tablespoon tequila
1 tablespoon orange liqueur (I used Cointreau)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons tequila for brushing (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F. Line a mini cupcake pan with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.
3. In an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar together until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
4. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the eggs one at at time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
5. Add the lime zest, lime juice, vanilla extract tequila and orange liqueur. Mix until combined. (The mixture may start to look curdled - that's ok.)
6. Reduce the mixer speed low.  Alternately add the dry and wet ingredients, starting and ending with the dry.  Mix until combined.
7. Fill cupcake liners ⅔ full.  Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Remove from cupcake pan immediately and cool completely.
8. If desired  (if you want your cupcakes extra boozy!), poke holes in the tops of your cooled cupcakes and brush with tequila.

Margarita Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Ingredients
3 egg whites
1 cup sugar
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon tequila
½ tablespoon orange liqueur (I used Cointreau)
zest from 2 limes
green food coloring (optional)

Method

1. Cube the butter and leave out at room temperature (make sure you don't leave it over the dishwasher or oven or it will get too warm).
2. Whisk the eggs whites and sugar together in the top part of a double broiler.  Make sure that the water in the bottom part is simmering, not boiling.  Keep whisking until a candy thermometer reads 160 degrees (Fahrenheit).  
3. Transfer to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment installed.  Whip at a medium speed until the mixture is at room temperature (the bowl feels neutral when you touch it).
4. Lower the mixing speed and add the butter, one cube at a time.  Keep mixing until there is an obvious change in the consistency of the buttercream - from soupy to much more solid (you can usually hear the mixer start making different noises).  If it stays soupy for a very long time, throw the bowl in the refrigerator for ten minutes or so and retry.
5. Add the salt, tequila, orange liqueur, lime zest, and coloring and mix until incorporated.