Margarita Cupcakes
Dairy Free
If you love the sweet and salty citrus flavor of a classic margarita drink, you will love these fun Margarita Cupcakes. It’s easier than you think to make these delicious treats. Start with a lemon cake box mix, a packet of Jello, a few pantry staples and some lime juice and you’ve got a beautiful, green-colored tasty dessert. Then whip up my easy buttercream lime frosting and sprinkle with a little margarita salt and green sugar and enjoy the flavor bursting in every bite! These dairy-free Margarita Cupcakes make the perfect dessert for cocktail parties, bachelorette parties, pool parties or for any margarita lover’s birthday or celebration. Recently added bonus idea: Halloween desserts using this recipe! (See bottom of post for a few fun and spooky dessert ideas for your Halloween party.) Makes 24 regular-sized cupcakes.
Let’s begin!
How to make margarita cupcakes
Ingredients:
For Cupcakes:
3oz package Lime Jell-O mix
1/2 tsp margarita or flake salt
4 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup canned coconut milk (full fat)
For Lime Buttercream Frosting:
1 cup plant butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp Nellie and Joe’s Famous Key Lime Juice (optionally, you can also use milk and 1 tsp vanilla extract if you would rather have a vanilla flavored buttercream)
Optional garnishes: Fresh lime wedges, margarita salt, green sugar and paper straws.
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350℉ / 176℃ and line cupcake pan with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray. (Personally, I think using the bright green liners add a fun touch!)
In a large bowl, whisk together the cake mix, Jell-O mix and salt.
Next, add eggs, oil, lime juice and milk and mix on medium speed for two minutes.
Fill cupcake liners with batter, a little over half full (about 1/4 cup of batter) and bake for 17-20 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
After removing from oven, let cupcakes cool 5 minutes in pan, then transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
How to make lime buttercream frosting
Cream plant butter with electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
Add sugar, a little at a time, mixing on medium speed after each addition until all in incorporated (frosting will be thick.) Add lime juice and mix until smooth.
Transfer frosting to a large icing bag and use a Wilton 1M tip for a pretty swirl effect. Starting from outside, use a circular motion and end in the middle.
If desired, garnish with a sprinkle of green sugar and margarita salt, then add fresh lime wedges.
For an extra fun touch, I cut paper straws in half and pushed into center to resemble a drink.
These Margarita Cupcakes would be fun to serve at any party or celebration and delicious with a margarita cocktail or mocktail.
🕷️Green spooky Halloween dessert idea:
I am honored that my friend, Lori Castellon, creator of ghoulatheart.com (her website is full of AMAZING Halloween food creations and inspirations) used my Margarita cake recipe to create a fun and spooky Dr. Moreau’s Gateau spider cake. If you love the creepy and fun, you HAVE to check it out HERE. You can find @ghoulatheart on social media (Instagram, Pinterest) so give her a follow!
🧟Creepy zombie cupcakes
These zombie cupcakes are green in the inside with chocolate frosting and oreo cookie crumbles for dirt. The hands were purchased in an six pack at the dollar tree for $1.25. It’s such a fun and easy Halloween cupcake idea and the flavor combination is surprisingly delicious!
Directions: Follow above recipe for Margarita cupcakes, let cool completely. Purchase a container of fudge or chocolate frosting and transfer all of it to a microwave safe medium bowl. Microwave on high at 15 second intervals until smooth and pourable consistency.
Dip and swirl each cupcake top into the melted chocolate frosting and return to cooling rack. Next, sprinkle crushed Oreo cookies on top (I used dark chocolate Oreos.) Add zombie hand in center of each cupcake (wash and dry them thoroughly first.)
It’s a spooky fun dessert to take to a Halloween party or to a “The Walking Dead” party.
Enjoy!
💜Julie
Margarita Cupcakes (dairy free)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ / 176℃ and line cupcake pan with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cake mix, Jell-O mix and salt.
- Next, add eggs, oil, lime juice and milk and mix on medium speed for two minutes.
- Fill cupcake liners with batter, a little over half full (about 1/4 cup of batter) and bake for 17-20 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- After removing from oven, let cupcakes cool 5 minutes in pan, then transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
- How to make lime buttercream frosting: Cream plant butter with electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add sugar, a little at a time, mixing on medium speed after each addition until all in incorporated (frosting will be thick.) Add lime juice and mix until smooth.
- Transfer frosting to a large icing bag and use a Wilton 1M tip for a pretty swirl effect. Starting from outside, use a circular motion and end in the middle.
- If desired, garnish with a sprinkle of green sugar and margarita salt, then add fresh lime wedges and paper straw half.
