Description
These Strawberry Mango Margarita Cupcakes are a vibrant and flavorful treat perfect for parties and special occasions. Combining the tropical sweetness of mango and the fresh brightness of strawberry, these cupcakes feature a moist and tender crumb tinted with colorful food gels and infused with complementary fruit flavorings. Topped with a luscious, tinted buttercream frosting and rimmed with granulated sugar to mimic a margarita glass, each cupcake is garnished with lime wedges, a strawberry half, and a festive paper straw for a fun, cocktail-inspired presentation.
Ingredients
Scale
Cupcake Batter
- 3 1/2 cups (430 g) plain all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups (265 g) caster superfine sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 1/2 cup (125 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) full-cream whole milk
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt or sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 4 drops pink food gel + 3 drops red food gel (for strawberry batter)
- 1 tsp strawberry flavouring
- 4 drops yellow food gel (for mango batter)
- 1 tsp mango flavouring
- 2 tsp tequila (optional)
Buttercream Frosting
- 1 batch American buttercream frosting or Swiss meringue buttercream frosting
- 5 drops pink food gel + 3 drops red food gel (for strawberry frosting)
- 1 tsp strawberry flavouring
- 5 drops yellow food gel (for mango frosting)
- 1 tsp mango flavouring
- 1 cup granulated sugar (for sugar rim)
Decoration
- 10 limes, cut into 40 wedges
- 10 strawberries, washed and halved
- Paper straws for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat & Prepare Tins: Preheat a fan-forced oven to 140°C (275°F) or a conventional oven to 160°C (320°F). Line two cupcake tins with cupcake liners to prevent sticking and facilitate easy removal.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, caster sugar, baking powder, and salt. Use a hand mixer to mix thoroughly until evenly combined.
- Add Butter: Add the softened unsalted butter to the dry mixture. Mix on low speed until the texture becomes crumbly, resembling coarse sand, ensuring even distribution of fat.
- Incorporate Wet Ingredients: Add the eggs, whole milk, vegetable oil, Greek yoghurt (or sour cream), vanilla extract, and tequila if using. Mix on low speed just until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl to incorporate all ingredients. Mix for an additional 20 seconds to ensure a smooth batter without overmixing.
- Color and Flavor Batter: Divide the batter evenly into two separate bowls. Add pink and red food gel coloring along with strawberry flavoring to one bowl and mix until the color and flavor are uniform. In the second bowl, add yellow food gel and mango flavoring, mixing well to incorporate.
- Fill Cupcake Liners: Transfer each flavored batter into separate piping bags. Pipe the yellow mango batter into cupcakes liners first, then swirl the strawberry batter on top for a marbled effect.
- Bake the Cupcakes: Place the cupcake tins in the preheated oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
- Prepare Frosting: Divide your buttercream frosting into two bowls. Color and flavor one bowl with pink and red food gel plus strawberry flavoring, and the other with yellow food gel and mango flavoring. Mix each until smooth and uniform.
- Sugar Rim Decoration: Lightly brush the rim of each cooled cupcake with water. Then gently roll the rims in granulated sugar to create a textured rim that mimics a margarita glass rim.
- Frost & Decorate: Fit a piping bag with an open star tip and alternately pipe both colored frostings onto each cupcake in a swirl pattern. Garnish each cupcake with two lime wedges, a halved strawberry, and a decorative paper straw to complete the festive margarita look.
Notes
- Tequila is optional but adds an authentic margarita flavor when included.
- Use full-cream whole milk to ensure a moist and tender crumb.
- Allow cupcakes to cool completely before applying frosting to prevent melting.
- Adjust quantity of food gel color drops to achieve your preferred intensity of color.
- For a dairy-free version, substitute butter with a plant-based alternative and use suitable oil and dairy-free yogurt.
- Ensure to swirl batters gently for a marbled effect without fully mixing the two flavors.
