It's 5 o'clock Somewhere!

Yesterday was the last day of school where I have volunteered in the Kindergarten class. Quite a while back I stumbled upon Kelsey's blog Apple A Day and saw the cutest idea for happy hour cupcakes that she brought to school the first week. I figured the end of the year would be a great time to share these with the teachers who have worked hard and are ready for a little happy hour themselves! I adapted Kelsey's idea for a sign to put by the cupcakes: Sometimes Summer Vacation is too long to wait for Happy Hour, so have your Margarita/Pina Colada now! These were a big hit at school, and I would make again in a heartbeat. I knew I didn't want to put alcohol in the cupcakes since they were headed to a drug-free school zone (what a drag, right?), so here are the recipes I used.

Margarita Cupcakes
1 Duncan Hines Classic White cake mix
1 c. margarita mix ( I used non-alcoholic)
1/3 c. water
3 egg whites
2 T. vegetable oil
1 T. lime zest

Blend all ingredients on low speed until moistened. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour batter in muffin cups and bake immediately. Bake at 350° for 18-21 minutes. *My oven is a real beast, so I only baked mine for 15 minutes.

Lime Buttercream
c/o Hostess With the Mostess
8 Tbsp butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp lime juice (approx 2 fresh limes)
1 Tbsp margarita mix
1 tsp lime zest
5 cups powdered (confectioners’) sugar
cane sugar & fresh limes (for garnish)

In a large bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, lime juice, margarita mix, and lime zest. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and continue beating until smooth. If icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar, a couple tablespoons at a time. Spread icing generously on each cooled cupcake* or use a pastry bag to frost. Sprinkle cane sugar around the edges of the cupcake for a “salt rimmed” look and garnish with lime wheels & wedges.

*Make sure to remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely before frosting.I was nervous about using fresh limes to garnish because of the moisture, so I picked up some mini gummi fruit slices and used Wilton White Sparkling Sugar for the salt rim.

Pina Colada Cupcakes

1 Duncan Hines Classic Yellow cake mix

1 c. Pina Colada mix (I used non-alcoholic)

1/3 c. water

1/3 c. oil

3 eggs

Blend all ingredients on low speed until moistened. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour batter in muffin cups and bake immediately. Bake at 350° for 18-21 minutes.

Pina Colada Buttercream

1 stick butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 T. pina colada mix
5 c. powdered sugar

Beat butter, cream cheese, and pina colada mix until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, a little at a time until the mixture is smooth.
**I used umbrella straws from Pier 1 as a garnish. I have had these for a couple years, so I don't know if they still carry them.