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Last Updated on June 5, 2020 by Lisa Johnson

Guess what Saturday is…National Margarita Day!!! Rather than creating yet another Margarita recipe to celebrate, I decided to share my easy and delicious Margarita Bundt Cake recipe instead. For those of you who are new around here, I used to sell Cocktail Cakes when I lived in Iowa. I have recipes for just about every cocktail you can think of, and yes they are all loaded with alcohol!!

You read that correctly, there is just under 1 cup of alcohol in this cake…you’re welcome! This cake is perfect for birthdays, Cinco de Mayo, girls/guys night or any other occasion in need of a most excellent dessert that everyone will love!

How to make a Margarita Bundt Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.

Pour all of the ingredients into a large bowl; cake mix, instant pudding mix, eggs, oil, tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice and food coloring (if using).

Stir the ingredients together with the beaters of a hand mixer without turning it on. We just want to combine the wet and dry ingredients.

Beat the batter together on medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes.

Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Tap on the counter (or floor) to release the air bubbles.

Bake for 43 to 47 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake.

Remove from oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

Whisk the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.

Invert the cake onto a cooling rack.

Place the rack on top of a large dinner plate.

Use a large spoon to drizzle glaze over the top of the cake as evenly as possible.

Move the rack and cake to a second, clean dinner plate. Drizzle the glaze from the original plate over the top of the cake. Repeat 2 to 3 times until there is no glaze left on either plate.

Allow cake to cool COMPLETELY before serving. In fact, it is best to allow the cake to rest overnight.

Muy delicioso!!

Why is this Margarita Bundt Cake made with a cake mix?

I did blind taste tests many, many years ago to find out which cake people liked better. One was from scratch, the other a mix. The cake made from the mix won every time! It has the texture that people associate with their childhood. They always preferred the taste and texture over the cake from scratch no matter which brand of cake mix that I used, which blew my mind but the customer is always right!

Note: My original recipe was written back when cake mixes were 18.25 ounces. They are now 15.25 ounces so you will need to purchase 2 boxes of cake mix to make up for the missing 3 ounces.

Can I make a Margarita Bundt Cake from scratch?

Of course you can!! Substitute the ingredients below for the cake mix. Adjust your liquid ingredients if needed. Cake flour can be drier than normal depending on your climate and how long it has been hanging out in your pantry. Add one Tablespoon of water at a time until your reach your desired consistency…but only if needed.

1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup non-fat dry milk powder
2 and 3/4 cup cake flour
1 and a 1/4 cup super fine sugar

Can you get drunk eating this Margarita Bundt Cake?

No you cannot. Most of the alcohol bakes out, and the sweetness would make you sick long before you could finish the entire cake! No, that is not a challenge.

Can kids eat this cake?

That is a decision that only you can make. My kids grew up eating these cakes and didn’t really notice the difference between my cakes and a regular cake without alcohol. Some kids may not like the taste of tequila, it is still a bit strong even after it cools.

Recipe Notes

This recipe will make; 1 full sized bundt cake OR 4 pans of mini/teacake bundts OR 24 cupcakes.
A bundt cake will serve 12 – 16 depending on the size of your slices.
Any 10 – 12 cup bundt pan will work. You will need to add additional time for the smaller pan, the cake is deeper and takes longer to cook.
Baking times are estimates based on my oven and may differ from from oven to oven.

More delicious cake recipes:

Watermelon Margarita Cocktail Cake – this recipe does not use a mix.
Chocolate Huckleberry Rum Cocktail Cake – you can substitute raspberry or blueberry.
Blue Kamikaze Cocktail Cake
Cherry Chip Cocktail Cake
BAILEYS Kiss Cocktail Cake
Tortuga Rum Cake
Boozy Shamrock Shake Cupcakes with Godiva White Chocolate Buttercream

Are you wondering why there are no images of the inside of this cake? I baked this cake as a gift so I can’t really get away with slicing it up to take pictures. I will need to buy more limes and bake a second cake that can be sliced up…and then given to my son who will not care how many pieces it is in when it arrives.

Enjoy!!