Margarita Cake Bars
RachelHow was your weekend?
Did you do fun things? Did you see The Avengers?
I did not get to The Avengers yet, but I really cannot wait to! I love superhero movies. And Robert Downey Jr. Obviously.
I did fun things like spend time with family, eat delicious food, organize my dressers (yes, to me that is fun because of the joy it brings afterward!), hung on the couch with Shaun and a glass of wine...all in all, I can't complain!
On Saturday, I went to a housewarming/Cinco de Mayo party at our good friend's house. I always love a good excuse to make desserts and never show up anywhere empty handed.
And so I made these little bars.
They are margarita bars.
With a graham cracker crust.
And they were super easy. Super moist. And I love the flavor and texture change up from the usual, expected things...you know, the chocolates, vanillas, etc.
Not that I'd ever turn that down. Just sayin'.
My idea for these bars was to actually taste like a marg.
They came out very limey. Not so much tequila-y. But I did go all out and use the good stuff. I'm not exactly a tequila drinker, so I just got a little Patron nip from the liquor store, which did the job. I included my tequila measurements in the recipe below, but the tequila flavor was limited. I suggest adding more to both the cake and the glaze if you want the flavor to come through. Or if you aren't into it, just eliminate altogether.
I do love the bottle though. So regal looking.
Oh and that reminds me...the glaze! Yeah instead of frosting, I just made a simple glaze. I wanted to keep calories down. Glaze = good.
And another thing...these bars were super duper moist. Like not really cakey but dense, moist, borderline gooey bars. I liked them that way. So did Mr. No Sweets, my husband. He ate one on Saturday and another on Sunday. Now that's saying something.
So anyway.
Yeah these bars are moist, not too sweet, limey goodness.
And my favorite part is the little flecks of lime in the glaze. Pretty.
Margarita Cake Bars
Yields 24 bars; 5 Pts+ per bar
for the bars:
1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
1/2 C margarine (I used Land o'Lakes baking sticks)
1 box white cake mix
1 box sugar-free, fat-free vanilla pudding mix
1 C water
1/2 C applesauce
3 eggs
2 Tbsp tequila (I used Patron)
juice of 2 lime
zest of 1 lime
for the tequila lime glaze:
1 1/2 C confectioners sugar
3 Tbsp milk, cream, half & half or water
2-3 tsp tequila
zest of 1 lime
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9" pan with foil, letting it drape over the sides like a handle. Spray generously with cooking spray with flour.
Meanwhile, throw the cake mix, pudding mix, water, applesauce, eggs, tequila, lime juice and zest into the bowl of a mixer (or in a bowl with a hand mixer ready). Mix on low for 30 seconds. Then up the speed to medium high and beat for 2 minutes.
While it's mixing, melt the butter and mix with the graham cracker crumbs. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Pour the cake mixture on top.
Bake for about 35 minutes or until the cake is firm and slightly browned on top. A toothpick won't come out completely clean due to the moist nature of the cake. But it shouldn't be liquidy on the toothpick either. A light, firm coating on the toothpick means it's done! Cool in the pan and then remove, using the foil handles.
When it's cool, make the glaze. Mix sugar with lime zest and liquid of your choice. I used a little half and half, a little milk and the tequila. Whisk until your desired consistency. I liked mine a little on the thicker side, but still easily drizzleable!
Coat the cake and cut into bars. You can add extra glaze to drip down the sides. Get messy. It's ok. Have a sip of Patron while you're at it.
Oh, and you can also add a sprinkling of flakey kosher salt if ya like! So good.
So eat it up, share it with friends. They are relatively guilt free at about 5 Pts+ per bar! For even less points, you can eliminate the graham crust...but that was one of my favorite parts, so please don't do that! :)
So there you have it. A little dessert to tempt you on this Monday morning :) I hope you enjoy!
Questions of the Day:
Did you celebrate Cinco de Mayo?
How about the Kentucky Derby?
Tequila...yay or nay?
And lastly...tell me about fun weekend things!
Reader Comments (9)
These look amazing! I would love the graham cracker crust under the cake, what a great idea!
I didn't exactly celebrate, but my friend bought a round of tequila shots on Saturday night to celebrate graduation, and I obviously didn't just turn that away, so that counts for something! :)
How cute are these! I love lime flavored desserts (especially when they have a creamy part to them as well).
oh yum, these sound fantastic! i'll definitely have to make these soon!
I do not care for sweets but these look great! Nice pics!
Hi Rachel!
These look awesome. Love me some marrgsss. I also wanted to show you this because it sounded similar.... I made them for Easter and they were to die for. SO easy too! It says fudge but they're more like cheesecake bars. Shortbread cookies are SO yummy as the crust! Def. recommend.
http://cookiesandcups.com/key-lime-fudge/
Wow those look out of this world!!! Also, love tequila and glaze hahaha!
The natural light takes your picture to a whole new level of beautiful by the way
@Christine: if only I had access to natural light everyday! Gah!
@Elyse: Thanks for sharing those! Looks amazing! That is one of my favorite blogs :)
oh wow....cake with booze in it...I have no complaints :)
they look fabulous!