Margarita Bundt Cake

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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!!

A Margarita Bundt Cake displayed on a wooden cake plate with lime slices on the side.

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!

Looking down on a Margarita Bundt Cake with lime slices on the side.

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).

Margarita Bundt Cake ingredients in a large glass bowl.

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.

Margarita cake ingredients stirred together in a large glass bowl.

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

Margarita cake batter beaten together in a large glass bowl.

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

Margarita cake batter in a bundt pan.

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.

Baked Margarita Bundt Cake in the pan cooling on a wire rack.

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

Powdered sugar, tequila, lime juice and orange liqueur in a small white bowl.

Invert the cake onto a cooling rack.

Baked Margarita Bundt Cake on a wire cooling rack.

Place the rack on top of a large dinner plate.

A large white plate topped with a wire cooling rack and Margarita Bundt Cake.

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

Glaze drizzled over the bundt cake on a wire cooling rack, on top of a large white plate.

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.

Margarita Bundt Cake displayed on a wooden cake platter with lime on the side and in the background.

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:

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!!

A Margarita Bundt Cake displayed on a wooden cake plate with lime slices on the side.

Margarita Bundt Cake

Your favorite cocktail is just as delicious baked into this easy Margarita Bundt Cake recipe, as it is served in a glass!
4.33 from 28 votes
Print Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: recipe, tequila, lime, orange, liqueur, cake, margarita, bundt
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 16 Servings
Calories: 288kcal
Author: Lisa Johnson

Equipment

  • Bundt Pan

Ingredients

For the Cake

  • 18.25 ounces yellow cake mix 1 box + 3 ounces from a second box. I used Duncan Hines
  • 3.4 ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix must be instant!
  • 4 large eggs
  • ½ cup canola oil
  • cup silver tequila I used Jose Cuervo
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ cup lime juice
  • 2 Tablespoons orange liqueur Cointreau or triple sec
  • 1 teaspoon orange extract
  • 1 drop AmeriColor Leaf Green #111 or powdered lime green coloring if you can find it.

For the Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon silver tequila
  • 1 Tablespoon orange liqueur add second tablespoon to thin if necessary
  • 2 Tablespoons lime juice

Instructions

  • 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 and flavoring, 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.

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. 
  • Cheap alcohol tastes bitter when baked. Use the good stuff!
  • Do not eat this cake while it is still warm, hot tequila tastes awful!!!

Nutrition

Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 295mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 77IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 1mg

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4.33 from 28 votes (28 ratings without comment)

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