Key Lime Margarita Cupcakes

I wanted the dessert for the Monograms and Margaritas shower to go along with with theme, but lets skip rimming the cupcake with salt! I tried a few recipes that had alcohol in the icing but it just wasn't turning out like I wanted. After a little trial and error this is the wonderfully scrumptious concoction I decided on, Key Lime Margarita Cupcakes with a Sweet Key Lime Buttercream! 

Here is what you'll need for the cake: White cake mix, lime jello, self-rising flour, sugar, vegetable oil, water, eggs

Here is what you'll need for the buttercream: unsalted butter, powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, sweetened lime juice

This recipe is what I used for a shower and it makes about 48 cupcakes, if you don't need that many then just simply cut the recipe in half.  But if you are making the whole batch then you will need a very large bowl! Combine cake mix, flour, sugar, and jello until well incorporated.  Then blend in, on medium speed, the water and oil until will mixed.  Then add in the eggs ONE AT A TIME, beating on medium until well mixed. 

I always line with cupcake tin with plain white baking cups. Boring? Not when your double cup them! When you bake in the cutesy printed ones they usually don't come out of the oven looking like they did when they went in, this is the perfect way to fix this! It also give depth to your presentation and makes for pretty pictures! :) 

Fill your plain boring white :) baking cups about 2/3 of the way full, that way the cake will stop just around the top of the baking cup and will be flatter and the icing will look better that way. 

Now on to the buttercream! I love buttercream, it is so simple yet so versatile! You can literally take the base recipe, butter and powdered sugar, and add in basically anything and ta dah! 

Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add in powder sugar in increments and continue to cream. I normally add in the heavy whipping cream in between my powdered sugar additions. Once the icing is about at the right consistency add in the sweetened lime juice, to taste.  Frost the cooled cupcakes, sprinkle with the decorating sugar (to resemble salt), garnish with sugared fruit slices (I only used the lime, lemon, and orange ones), and slip the finished cupcake into its party dress! :) Enjoy!

                                                    

Happy Baking! 

-K

Ingredients 

2 - 18.5 ouncebox white cake mix (without pudding)

2 - 3 ounce package lime jello

2 Tbsp self-rising flour

8 tsp granulated sugar

1 ½ cups vegetable oil

8 eggs

1 cup water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl until well incorporated

Pour in oil and water, beat on medium until well blended

Add in the eggs, one egg at a time, beat on medium until will blended after each egg.

Bake for about 20 minutes. 

Sweetened  Key Lime Buttercream

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened

2 16 oz packages powdered sugar

Heavy whipping cream

Rose’s sweetened lime juice (to taste)

Sugared fruit slices (for garnish) 
Decorating Sugar (for garnish)

Cream butter until light and fluffy

Add in powder sugar and continue to beat on slow

Start adding in the cream and sweetened lime juice

The liquid ingredients are something you will just have to judge. The cream will help you get the right consistency and the lime juice is for flavor, so use your best judgment here.