Margarita Pound Cake
This ultra moist and flavorful Margarita Pound Cake is the perfect dessert for entertaining.
It is buttery and decadent with delicious flavor from the margarita mix in the cake batter. After baking, we brushed the top and sides of the warm cake with a tequila lime glaze.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Margarita Pound Cake
Here's a quick look at our star ingredients for today's cake. You can find the full, printable recipe at the bottom of this post.
- Butter- We use unsalted since we add our salt separately
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Cake Flour-Makes for a tender crumb
- Baking Powder and Salt
- Frozen (thawed) Margarita Mix (We used Bacardi)
- Lemon Extract -optional, but gives an extra boost of flavor
- Lime and Lemon Zest (You can substitute orange zest for the lemon if you'd like)
- Tequila Lime Glaze (tequila, lime juice, water, and butter)
- Sugar Glaze/Drizzle for decoration
How to Make a Margarita Pound Cake
You can find the full, printable cake recipe at the bottom of this post. Here is a quick look at our steps!
- Grease and flour a tube pan. (Ours was a 10 inch pan with baking capacity of 12 cups)
- Preheat the oven to 325℉.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the cake flour, baking powder, and salt to combine, set aside for later.
- Using an electric mixer (paddle attachment if using a stand mixer), cream the butter on medium speed until smooth. Next, gradually add the sugar and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each until the yolk is blended.
- In a measuring cup or bowl, combine the thawed margarita mix with the milk, lemon zest, lime zest, lemon extract, and vanilla extract.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture alternately with the margarita mixture to the butter/sugar/egg mixture in the mixing bowl. Begin and end with the dry ingredients. We do three additions of dry, alternating with two additions of wet.
- Scoop batter into prepared bundt pan.
- Bake at 325 degrees F for one hour and 5-10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. *Baking times may vary and so peek in as the end time approaches and adjust time as needed. *Start making the tequila lime glaze during the last ten minutes or so of baking the cake.
- Remove the freshly baked cake from the oven and brush only the top for now (we used a silicone pastry brush) with a light coating of the tequila lime glaze. Allow cake to cool for about 15 minutes before turning it out onto a cake plate.
After turning out the cake onto the cake plate, continue brushing all sides with a light coating of the Tequila Lime Glaze. The cake is still warm at this point and the glaze soaks in easily. *I didn't use all of the glaze.
This imparts a light tequila flavor- it is not at all overpowering.
Sugar Glaze
After brushing the cake with tequila lime glaze and allowing it to absorb, we drizzled over the cake with a simple sugar glaze. It is a combination of confectioners sugar, a bit of tequila and/or lime juice, and a pinch of salt.
You can spoon the glaze over the cooled cake, or you can spoon it into a disposable piping bag with the tip snipped away for even more control.
If you'd like, top with lemon and lime zest. Enjoy!
Can't find Margarita Mix?
Our local grocery stores carry frozen Bacardi Margarita Mix year-round. However, if you can't find it or would like to go another route, try our delicious Key Lime Pound Cake recipe and brush it with the tequila lime glaze.
More Party Cakes
We've made lots of party cakes or "boozy cakes" over the years, including Margarita Cupcakes with Tequila Lime Buttercream, Pina Colada Cake, and Limoncello Bundt Cake. Here are just a few of our favorites!
Thanks so much for stopping by today! Make sure to check out our full collection of cake recipes and free cake decorating tutorials!
Have you made this? We would LOVE for you to leave a ⭐️ rating as well as a comment and photo below! We really appreciate your feedback!
Margarita Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened (339g)
- 2¾ cups (550g) sugar
- 5 large eggs, room temperature (place in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes to speed up the process).
- 3 cups (342 g) cake flour (Not self rising. We use Swan's Down, bleached)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (6g) salt
- ¾ cup (176 g) frozen margarita mix, thawed (We used Bacardi brand. Place sealed can in warm water for 5-10 minutes if you need to speed up the thawing.)
- ¼ cup milk (We use 2 percent or full fat)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract (optional)
- zest of two limes
- zest of one lemon (Optional. You could also swap in zest from one orange)
Tequlia Lime Glaze (for brushing onto warm cake)
- ⅓ cup tequila
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter
Easy Sugar Glaze/Drizzle
- 2 cups confectioners sugar (measure then sift)
- 3 tablespoons Lime juice and/or tequila
- pinch of salt
- lime zest - optional
Instructions
- Grease and flour a tube pan. (Ours was a 10 inch pan with baking capacity of 12 cups)
- Preheat the oven to 325℉.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the cake flour, baking powder, and salt to combine, set aside for later.
- Using an electric mixer (paddle attachment if using a stand mixer), cream the butter on medium speed until smooth. Next, gradually add the sugar and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each until the yolk is blended.
- In a measuring cup or bowl, combine the thawed margarita mix with the milk, lemon zest, lime zest, lemon extract, and vanilla extract.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture alternately with the margarita mixture to the butter/sugar/egg mixture in the mixing bowl. Begin and end with the dry ingredients. We do three additions of dry, alternating with two additions of wet.
- Scoop batter into prepared bundt pan.
- Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 5-10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. *Baking times may vary and so peek in as the end time approaches and adjust time as needed. *Start making the tequila lime glaze during the last 10 minutes or so of baking the cake (See Tequila Lime Glaze Instructions Below).
- Remove the freshly baked cake from the oven and brush the top with a light coating of the tequila lime glaze. Allow cake to cool for about 15 minutes before turning it out onto a cake plate.
- Brush the top and sides with tequila lime glaze using a pastry brush. Allow to soak in before adding the decorative white sugar glaze drizzle. *We didn't use all of the tequila lime glaze.
Tequila Lime Glaze
- Heat ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until butter is melted and sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.
Sugar Glaze/Drizzle
- Combine ingredients (confectioners sugar, tequila/lime juice, zest, pinch of salt) stirring until smooth. If it is too thick, add a bit more juice or tequila. If too thin, add additional confectioners sugar. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to use.
Decorating the Cake
- After brushing the cake with the Tequila Glaze and allowing it to soak in, you can apply the sugar glaze/drizzle. You can spoon it over the cake or spoon it into a disposable piping bag with the tip snipped away if you'd like more control. Sprinkle with lime zest if you'd like.
Storage
- This cake can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container or under a cake dome.
What can I sub for the tequila?
Hi Linda! If you want to skip the alcohol completely, you can either omit the tequila lime syrup, or you can use lime juice in place of the tequila and have a lime syrup for an extra boost of lime flavor.
Sounds incredible! Can't wait to try it! :-)
Thanks Teri!! ;0)