One of my office mates mentioned that we should have margaritas in the office for Cinco de Mayo. I’ve worked at places where this was pretty much encouraged, but since we live in more politically correct and liability-aware times there needs to be another way to celebrate in the workplace.

Over the years I’ve had success with making a rum cake at the holidays, and I figured someone had worked out a cake made with tequila. Sure enough, I was right.

The Margarita Cake recipe on the next page can be found on a couple different web sites, but I made a couple of minor modifications. The main change is that I substituted yellow cake mix and 2 tablespoons of orange extract for the orange cake mix– this worked nicely and provides a good baseline for the cake, but I already have ideas for next time. I also used our “go-to” tequila, Jose Cuervo Tradicional Reposado, which adds a very nice, even tequila flavor.

The cake was a hit– it was gone in record time. Save this recipe for next year– or make it now!

Margarita Cake
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Ingredients:
Cake:
1 (18.25 ounce) package orange cake mix (or: yellow cake mix and 2 tablespoons orange extract)
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup tequila
2 tablespoons triple sec liqueur
Glaze (these are the “official” measurements, but I did ours to taste– and it made quite a difference):
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon tequila
2 tablespoons triple sec liqueur
2 tablespoons lime juice
Cake Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 10 inch Bundt pan with spray shortening and flour.
In a large bowl, combine: cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, water, lemon juice, 1/4 cup tequila and 2 tablespoons triple sec. Beat for 2 minutes.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes; remove cake, set on a rack, and pour glaze over the cake while it’s still warm.
Glaze Directions:
In a small bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar with 1 tablespoon tequila, 2 tablespoons triple sec and 2 tablespoons lime juice. Mix until smooth.