Special Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes

I made Margarita Cupcakes around this time last year. They were lime green, rimmed with sugar, garnished with a lime, and loved by all.  A very special food taster of mine ate a ton of the frosting while I was experimenting with the flavors.  He still claims to this day that he got a "buzz" from eating too much of the frosting in one sitting.

Within a year I have taken more risks with baking, making frosting, decorating in general.  I do things that I am afraid of, and that I am not sure will turn out.  But to me, that's what baking and being in the kitchen is all about.  I take risks, and in the end the cupcakes reflect the heart that I have put into them.  Because of this, they are Amanda originals. Inside and Out. ☻

And that is what happened yesterday.
I made my new version of margarita cupcakes.
Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes.

Not your typical strawberry margarita cupcake.
But drinking a strawberry margarita is a very enlightening and fun experience.
So a cupcake shouldn't be any different.
(This photo captured by the very talented photographer Dan Woolf).

The non-pareils just add some "bubbly" to make it feel more like a strawberry margarita!

Instead of using salt or sugar for the rim, I used edible gold sparkles. ♥

My friend said that these cupcakes look like they could come out of a Dr. Seuss book.
♥Funny because one of my most favorite books in the whole world is Oh The Places You'll Go.
I always pass this book on to friends as a gift when they are going through a life change.

The flamenco dancers of course.

Imagine if the sand on the beach looked like this.

A pretty little lime must always co-star with a margarita.

Drinking a few margaritas can make everything a little bit blurry, in a happy sort of way. ♥

Jada, one of my cupcake friends ate one today and said, "Today happiness was only a cupcake away."

Tips on making the perfect Strawberry Margarita Cupcake:

1.  For inspiration, imagine anything you'd like to see or feel on a Tropical Vacation. The colors, ruffles of skirts blowing in the warm breeze, the sand between your toes, the bubbles in your drink, miniature umbrellas.  Warning: This might make you really thirsty, hungry, or realize just how much you need a real tropical vacation.

2.  The ingredients that take it from typical strawberry cupcake to Strawberry Margarita:  Strawberry Margarita Mix,  a hint of Tequila, high quality Strawberry Preserves, Lime Zest, Lime Juice, or even..Orange Zest!

3.  Don't be afraid to layer frosting swirls on top of each other.  Or mix swirls of color together. Don't let the frosting make the rules, you make the rules for the frosting. That goes for color too. Think bright! Lime Green, Electric Purple, Hot Pink, Electric Orange. ♥ That's what vacation is all about.

4.  Things to use instead of salt around the rim:  Non pareils of many colors, edible gold glitter, white sugar crystals, swirly frosting borders.

My inspiration for the actual recipe:

The Picky Apple



♥xoxo Amanda Cupcake

Fantasy Wand Cupcake Forest!

What could get better than fluffy swirly frosted cupcakes?
Perhaps adding fairy wands?
The most important addition is the birthday girl.
None of this would exist without her. ♥ Alayna.

Enchanting ladies with dresses made out of frosting and butterfly wings!
Better than a cherry on top-a Birthday slumber party with your best friends.
Some of the best times I ever had involved slumber parties and cake.
So I took a little trip down memory lane and remembered what it was like to be a *girl* (not a woman)... but a *girl* again.  I kind of went crazy creating tulle fairy wand cupcake toppers out of lollypop sticks, fantasy colored tulle fabric and gems!


♥

My inner fashionista draped dresses made out of frosting onto some pretty little cupcake ladies.

I am sure the cupcake ladies were happy to be wearing clothes! And pretty ones at that!

I thought a blue bow looked just as pretty as the typical fairy wand.

Edible gems ♥ made out of jolly ranchers.

Swirl Photography is the best.

An enchanted forest of tulle wands, frosting. You can even pick the gems off the cupcakes and eat them!

Frosting princess in the delicious enchanted forest.