Cinco de Mayo 2011 is upon us once again. With America’s large population of Hispanic culture and our neighbor to the south being Mexico, there is absolutely no reason to not get into the festivities. Most would think that this is Mexico’s Independence Day, but it is actually a celebration of their win in against the French in the Battle of Puebla. How can you turn this celebration of a unlikely win into a celebration of grandeur? Oh let us count the ways…

1. Bake festive Cinco de Mayo themed treats

On our Facebook page we posted how someone came up with a margarita cupcake concept. Simply brilliant and also a great way to embrace the current holiday. One of the things we like about baking is the many ways you can use it to create holiday awareness. There are so many holidays that one could truly appreciate and show off their creativity, take today for instance… It is May 4th and trending on twitter right now is Star Wars Day, the slogan they are using: “May the 4th be with you!” So many wild ideas roll through my mind about Star Wars.

Now back to the margarita cupcake… a lovely way to make sure everyone is have a terrific time on Cinco de Mayo, also be sure to check out several decorative presentation solutions that Fancy Flours carries. Fancy Flours carries cookie cutters with a western theme, umbrellas, margarita picks, festive pepper chocolate transfer sheets, assorted fiesta themed molded sugar and mini metallic folding stars.

Cinco de Mayo is here!

Margarita Cupcake Recipe:

• 1 white cake mix
• 3/4 cup margarita mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon lime peel, grated
• Juice of 1 lime

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and beat about 2 minutes or until well blended. Divide into cupcake liners or margarita glasses {directions below}

Bake regular size cupcakes at 350 degrees for about 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

*thank you to Hoosier Homemade for the recipe

2. Decorate with a fiesta mindset

There are several ways to create a Cinco de Mayo festival in your own home, such as using the flag of Mexico colors: green, red and white. Decorating your table with festive, traditional latin colors, using the plates, the cups and other typical table decor. HGTV has some great tips for planning your own homemade Cinco de Mayo party.

3. Make LOTS of margaritas

This comes without saying, obviously, however, how can we post a Cinco de Mayo blog post without the staple, margaritas! Plus everyone LOVES margaritas! There are so many types we couldn’t even begin to describe, but if you’re going to make the margarita cupcakes, you might as well make the margaritas, don’t ya think? You can view a video over on Epicurious on how to make a terrific margarita.

Well everyone, this has been fun researching Cinco de Mayo and giving you all tips and suggesting places where you can find the perfect Cinco de Mayo mix – stay safe and felix Cinco de Mayo!