The Margarita Bundt

In 2011, I began my tradition of baking an original-recipe Bundt cake in observance of National Bundt Day, which is November 15th.

In March 2017, I wrote up the post for the cake I baked in November 2015. I wasn’t planning on that tardiness becoming part of my tradition, but here we are today, in July 2019, and I’m writing up the cake I baked in November 2018.

Fortunately I take a lot of notes as I’m baking. Even more fortunately, I managed to not lose all the photos I took as I did with the 2015 cake.

This cake came to be as the combined result of my lime tree going absolutely bonkers and my liquor cabinet housing a Costco-sized bottle of tequila.

THE MARGARITA BUNDT

FOR THE CAKE
3 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Juice & zest of 3 large limes
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup tequila
1 tbsp Triple Sec
4 room-temperature eggs
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar

FOR THE GLAZE
Juice of 1 large lime (reserve zest)
1 tbsp tequila
1 tsp Triple Sec
2 cups powdered sugar

FOR THE TOPPING
Above-referenced reserved lime zest
1-2 tsp coarse salt

MAKE THE CAKE

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray or oil Bundt pan and lightly dust with flour.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Juice & zest 3 limes.

In a small bowl, combine lime juice & zest with milk, tequila, and Triple Sec. This will look really fucking gross. Try not to look at it too much. Because seriously. Sometimes baking is gross.

Place your “softened” butter in the bowl of your stand mixer. Notice that you and your new microwave’s auto-butter-softening button have differing opinions vis-à-vis the true definition of “softened”.

Be grateful that it’s November and somewhat chilly in your kitchen and that your stand mixer has a metal bowl which is currently cold enough to quickly bring your butter to the desired softened state. Let it sit in the bowl until it’s actually just soft.

Beat butter & sugar on medium-high until fluffy. Reduce speed to medium and add eggs one at a time, mixing after each until combined. Reduce speed to low and alternate adding 1/3 of the dry ingredients and 1/2 the milk mixture at a time, starting & ending with dry ingredients, scraping bowl as needed, continuing to not look at the milk mixture. Because what the hell even is that and why.

Spread batter into prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes until this

looks like this

and smells like this

Yes. My entire house smelled like a unicorn had broken in and crapped cupcakes and margaritas all over the kitchen. It was so beautiful.

Let that magical pile of joy and wonder cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack. Let it continue to cool while you

MAKE THE GLAZE

Juice & zest your remaining lime, setting zest aside. In a small bowl, whisk lime juice, tequila, Triple Sec, and powdered sugar until smooth.

If you want a more icing-like glaze, let the cake cook completely before drizzling glaze over the top. If you, like me, lack the patience for such things and just want to finish and eat the damn cake because the smell is driving you crazy and you know how delicious it’s going to be, let it cool until the surface is moderately warm before glazing.

TOP THE CAKE

Once the cake is glazed, sprinkle the top of the cake with reserved lime zest and coarse salt. I used ‘Freshly Spanked’ from Saltopia Cabaret line

but any coarse salt will work. I also used about 2 tsp and that level of saltiness worked but it was definitely salty. So if you are not the total salt slut that I am, maaaybe back off a bit on that particular garnish.

EAT THE CAKE

You… probably don’t need my help here.

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