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Turn the classic cocktail into a sweet treat with this strawberry mango margarita cupcake. The fruity blend, sugar-rimmed edges, and cute decorations make these look just like mini drinks. They're a total crowd-pleaser at summer parties or grown-up birthday bashes.
I whipped these up for my friend's bachelorette weekend, and now they've become my go-to summer dessert. I can't get enough of watching people's reactions when they spot these drink-inspired goodies.
What You'll Need
- Plain all-purpose flour: gives these fluffy cupcakes their backbone
- Caster superfine sugar: melts better than regular sugar for a silky texture
- Unsalted butter: brings richness and lets you manage how salty they are
- Full-cream whole milk: keeps everything soft and tender
- Vegetable oil: teams up with butter to keep things moist
- Greek yoghurt: adds a zingy kick and keeps the cupcakes fresh longer
- Food gels: give bright colors without making the batter runny
- Strawberry and mango flavorings: bring the real cocktail taste
- Tequila: skip it if you want, but it adds that true margarita kick
- Limes and strawberries for garnish: turn these from ordinary to amazing
How To Make Them
- Get Ready:
- Heat your oven to 140°C with fan or 160°C without. Put paper liners in two cupcake pans. The cooler temp helps them bake evenly without getting dry or too puffy on top.
- Combine Dry Stuff:
- Put flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a big bowl and mix them up. A hand mixer works best to get everything well blended for the right texture.
- Make It Crumbly:
- Add soft butter to your dry mix and blend on low until it looks like sand. This method coats the flour with fat so your cupcakes turn out super tender.
- Add Wet Ingredients:
- Pour in eggs, milk, oil, yoghurt, tequila if you're using it, and vanilla. Mix slowly until just combined. Don't overmix. Scrape the bowl and give one last quick stir.
- Create Two Colors:
- Split the batter between two bowls. Mix pink and red food gel plus strawberry flavor into one. Add yellow gel and mango flavor to the other. Stir each until the colors pop.
- Layer Them Up:
- Put each colored batter in its own piping bag. Squeeze the yellow mango batter into the liners first, then add swirls of the red strawberry batter on top. This makes a pretty swirl inside each cupcake.
- Bake Them:
- Cook for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. The longer, cooler baking makes them super moist. Let them cool completely on a rack before you decorate.
- Mix Colorful Frosting:
- Split your buttercream into two bowls. Add pink/red gel and strawberry flavor to one, yellow gel and mango flavor to the other. This gives that cool cocktail look.
- Add Sugar Edges:
- Lightly wet the edge of each cupcake and roll in sugar to look like a salt-rimmed margarita glass. This adds crunch and makes them look more like drinks.
- Finish Them Off:
- Pipe frosting swirls on top, mixing colors if you want. Add lime wedges and strawberry pieces, then stick in paper straws. These final touches turn basic cupcakes into showstoppers.
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I love doing the sugar rims the most. It always reminds me of watching bartenders at my favorite Mexican restaurant, making real margaritas with such style. That tiny detail really makes these cupcakes stand out.
Keeping Them Fresh
These treats stay good for about three days in a sealed container, but I'd wait to add the garnishes until right before you serve them. The wet lime and strawberry can make the sugar edge go soft. If you need to plan ahead, bake the cupcakes and whip up the frosting a day early, then put everything together when you're ready to serve.
Try Different Tastes
You can switch up these cupcakes to match other drinks. Go for a mojito version with mint and lime zest, or try a piña colada with coconut and pineapple flavors. You might even make blue curaçao ones using blue coloring and orange flavor. Just stick with the base recipe and change up the colors and flavors.
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Ways To Serve
For grown-up birthdays or backyard cookouts, make these cupcakes the star of a dessert table. Serve them alongside matching margaritas for a really cool theme. They're perfect little treats for a Mexican dinner party or Cinco de Mayo bash too. Want to go the extra mile? Put out tiny paper umbrellas along with the straws so guests can dress up their cupcake drinks however they want.
Common Questions
- → How do you make the swirled pattern in the batter?
Divide your batter into two parts. Mix pink and red coloring with strawberry flavor in one bowl, and yellow coloring with mango flavor in the other. Then layer both batters when adding to cups for that nice swirl look.
- → Can I make these without alcohol?
Sure! Just skip the tequila when making the batter. Your cupcakes will still taste great and have the same texture.
- → What's the best way to keep these cupcakes fresh?
Keep them in a sealed container at room temp for up to three days. If you need an extra day, pop them in the fridge.
- → Which frosting type works best?
Try American buttercream or Swiss meringue buttercream. Both options work great for making the two-tone colored effect.
- → Can I use different fruits for the toppings?
Definitely! Switch out the lime wedges and strawberries for other fruits like raspberries or orange slices that match your flavor theme.