Mango Margarita Cupcakes
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with these mango margarita cupcakes! The juicy mango, fresh lime, and tequila flavors are off the charts!
May is finally here! And I love that we can kick off this beautiful month with a Mexican fiesta. Could there be anything better than tacos and margaritas when the weather is this gorgeous?
Whoever invented Cinco de Mayo is a flippin’ genius.
I will drink any kind of margarita, when the margarita mood strikes. But my favorite of all has to be the mango version. So today I am sharing a mango margarita cupcake recipe, in honor of the best Cinco de Mayo drink in all the land.
There is just something about sweet, juicy mango when combined with tart lime and tequila. Somehow, magic happens. When we want to celebrate the warm weather, my husband and I will throw lime juice, triple sec, tequila, and frozen chunks of mango into the blender and the result is PERFECTION.
These mango margarita cupcakes are the dessert version. And I have to say, they are pretty fabulous. Even I was surprised by how well the flavors come through. One hundred percent mango, lime, and a boozy kick of tequila.
I had a good bit of Italian meringue buttercream left over from when I made these Classic Whoopie Pies last week, so I used that as a base for the frosting. But I think it would work really well with Swiss meringue buttercream or American-style buttercream too.
And here’s a great tip: you don’t even have to puree your own mango. Just head to the baby food section and pick up a few pouches there. It’s pure mango with nothing else added, and you can just squirt it right into your mixing bowl. Easy-peasy!
More great cupcake recipes on my “Cupcake Recipes” Pinterest board!
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Mango Margarita Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cup (187.5 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cup (187.5 g) cake flour
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) baking soda
- zest of 3 small limes
- 3/4 teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) kosher salt
- 3/4 cup (170.25 g) unsalted butter, , softened
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups (382.5 g) mango puree, (3 3.5-ounce pouches)
- juice of 3 small limes
- 2 tablespoons tequila, (optional)
For the buttercream
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar,, divided
- 2/3 cup (166.67 g) water
- 5 large egg whites
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) cream of tartar
- pinch of kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (340.5 g) unsalted butter,, softened but cool
- 3/4 cup (191.25 g) mango puree, (1 1/2 3.5-ounce pouches)
- juice of 3 small limes
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (1.5 tablespoons) tequila,, optional
For the garnishes
- 1/4 cup (50 g) clear sparkling sugar,, mixed with 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- thinly sliced limes
- thin slices of mango
Instructions
To make the cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line cupcake pans with papers.
- Place the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, lime zest, and salt in a large mixing bowl, and mix on low speed to combine.
- Add the butter, stirring on low speed until the mixture resembles damp sand (about a minute).
- Stir in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula after each addition.
- Add the mango puree, lime juice, and tequila (if using), and mix on medium-high speed for about a minute and a half, to build the cake’s structure and aerate the batter.
- Place about ¼ cup of batter in each well of the cupcake pans, and bake the cupcakes for 16-18 minutes, or until they spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool completely and top with buttercream.
To make the buttercream:
- Place half the sugar in a small pot with the water, and cook over medium heat.
- Place the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a large mixing bowl and whip on medium-high speed with the whisk attachment.
- When the whites can hold soft peaks, slowly add the remaining sugar (about a tablespoon at a time) while continuing to whip.
- When all the sugar has been added, add the vanilla and continue to whip the meringue until stiff. Turn the mixer down to low speed while you wait for the sugar syrup to come to temperature.
- When the sugar syrup has reached 235 degrees F, remove it from the heat, turn the mixer back up to medium-high, and slowly pour the hot syrup down the side of the mixing bowl in a thin stream. (Do not pour onto the spinning whisk; it could splash out of the bowl and burn you.)
- Continue to whip until there is no hint of warmth when you place your hand on the side of the bowl.
- When the meringue is completely cool, whip in the butter, a tablespoon at a time. (If the mixture seems runny, place the entire bowl and whisk in the refrigerator for 10 to 20 minutes, and re-whip. If the mixture seems curdled, just keep whipping- it will come together.)
- Whip in the mango puree, lime juice, and tequila, if using.
To assemble the cupcakes*:
- Transfer half the buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a jumbo round tip.
- Pipe a smooth round over the surface of the cupcake.
- Sprinkle with salty sugar.
- Transfer the remaining buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with an open star tip.
- Pipe a swirl, and garnish with a slice of lime and two thin slices of mango.
I came to your website because I love your recipes, but I’m just wanting to make a mango cupcake instead of a mango and margarita one. Could I just take the lime out without any problems?
Hey Maia! You can, but you’d need to replace the liquid in some way. Milk would be a good option! Good luck and enjoy!
Oh, okay, thank you!
About how much milk I should substitute in for the lime?
A lime has about 2 tablespoons of juice in it (https://www.google.com/search?q=how+much+juice+is+in+one+lime&rlz=1C1CHUH_enUS576US576&oq=how+much+juice+is+in+one+lime&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l4.4775j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8), so 3 limes would equal 6 tablespoons.
Okay, thank you so much!
Help! Once I added the mango etc it went back to the curdled stage. I’ve been beating for 10+ minutes and it’s not coming together. What now?
Hey Ami! It sounds like maybe your mango was too watery. I’m so sorry you’re having trouble! Maybe try reading through this article before you give it another try: https://bakingamoment.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream/. There might be a lot of useful info there for you!
these are so darn cute!
These look seriously amazing!
What an awesome cupcake flavor!
Did you say margarita!? I am sooooo in for these!
Look so really delicious! I love this!
I’m so glad! Thanks!
Cinco De Mayo PERFECTION. Well, let’s be real, they’re perfection any time. Cannot WAIT to try these!
Thank you so much Karly! Hope you enjoy as much as we did!
I don’t know what’s cuter: You or the cupcakes! I love your little videos. You always make me smile 🙂
Thanks, Allie!
~A
Aw, my pleasure Al! I’m glad you’re enjoying them. Thanks for the nice compliment!
These are gorgeous Allie!!! Such an amazing looking cupcake and I literally gasped at one photo because it looks like it should be the cover of a cookbook it’s so beautiful… perhaps a future Baking A Moment cookbook?!?!
You always give the best compliments Chris! And it really means a lot coming from such a rockstar photographer as yourself 😉