Margarita Cupcakes

I recently stumbled upon a great blogging event called Taste & Create. The basic premise is that each blogger gets assigned a partner and the partners have to make something from the other person's blog. This is of course a great way of discovering some great blogs (and recipes) and meeting fellow bloggers.

I got partnered with Stef of Cupcake Project for my very first round. And of course I let out a double whoop (say it with me - whoop-whoop!), since I adore her site. She always has super-creative cupcake ideas and a trawl through her site left me unable to decide between all the delicious options. Should I throw all caution to the wind with her Baked Bean & Tomato Cupcakes? Go all exotic with her Sesame Honey Cupcakes? Or play it safe with Kosher Chocolate Cupcakes? The choices were haunting me in my sleep (okay just in my waking hours) and I stewed on it for a couple of days.

Then we were hit by a heatwave in the Western Cape and out came the crushed ice and the tequila and we were making cocktails by the bucketload - margaritas, pisco sours (a delicious mix from Peru) and of course tequila sunrises (which TheHusband is an absolute pro at). And of course, in the light of that, how could I make anything but her Margarita Cupcakes?

On her blog, Stef poses the question "Can a cupcake be dangerous?" and my answer to that is a resounding yes! These are grown-ups-only cupcakes brimming with all the classic margarita flavours - tequila, triple sec, salt and lemons. And they will make you do all sorts of crazy things. Let me tell you though, these are absolutely stirling partners to a liquid Margarita... ask me how I know. :-)

So what are you waiting for? Whip out your tequila, switch on your oven and get cracking making these delicious cocktails in cupcake form. You'll be hooked. And that's a threat promise.

(PS: When you've emerged from your Margarita coma, be sure to check out Stef's delicious rendition of my Malvapoeding - yes she converted them to cupcakes and they look very pleased with their new incarnation!)

Margarita Cupcakes

Adapted from Cupcake Project (who got the recipe from Baking Bites, who originally saw it in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)

Makes 12 cupcakes

1/4 cup lemon juice

zest of one lemon

1 cup milk

1/4 cup sunflower oil

2 tsp tequila

1 tsp triple sec

1/2 tsp lemon extract

1 cup sugar

1 1/3 cup cake flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 180C.

2. Mix lemon juice, zest, milk oil, tequila, triple sec, lemon essence and sugar in a big mixing bowl until just combined.

3. Sift the dry ingredients together and add to the wet ingredients. Using an electric whisk, blend until there are no more lumps.

4. Grease a muffin tin and divide the batter evenly among the holes - be careful as the batter is very liquidy.

5. Bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned on top and cooked through (use a thin metal cake tester to test for doneness).

For the icing:

1 cup icing sugar

2 tsp tequila

1 tsp triple sec

1/2 tsp lemon essence

a drop or 2 of green food colouring

+/- 1 tbps of water

yellow sugar crystals for sprinkling (optional)

salt, for dipping (optional)

1. Mix everything except the water and salt together. Add just enough water to achieve a smooth and spreadable consistency.

2. Ice the cupcakes, then sprinkle with yellow sugar crystals and dip the edges in salt. The easiest is to pour some salt onto a plate and then roll the cupcake in it, circling to lightly coat the edges.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 188.2 , Total fat 4.9 g, Saturated fat 0.7 g, Polyunsaturated fat 3.0 g, Monounsaturated fat 1.0 g, Cholesterol 1.6 mg, Sodium 221.5 mg, Potassium 48.2 mg, Total carbohydrate 33.0 g, Dietary fiber 0.0 g, Sugars 11.5 g, Protein 1.6 g