Guess what?!  I am participating in my very first recipe challenge!

As you can see, it’s called Spiked and it is being hosted by Carrie at Frugal Foodie Momma and Julie from This Gal Cooks.  The challenge is to create a recipe – anything other than a drink recipe – using the chosen liquor of the month.  Entrants can use other recipes as inspiration, but must make them their own somehow.

I must admit, I am nervous!  I checked out the competition and everyone has such lovely blogs full of fabulous recipes and pictures.  Meanwhile, I’m over here doctoring cake mixes and snapping pics with my point and shoot camera.  Don’t get me wrong -I love my camera, but it apparently does not help me in taking Foodgawker worthy photos.

I thought doing this challenge would be a perfect way to expand a bit on my usual repertoire of cookies, cupcakes and cocktails (again, don’t get me wrong – I LOVE my cookies, cupcakes and cocktails!).  The ingredient for this month is tequila and it just so happens that a few weeks ago I had a very awesome mango margarita at Chili’s.  I loved the mango/tequila combination so much that I made my own version of the cocktail for Cinco de Mayo weekend.  However, the rules say no drink recipes so I spent some time trying to come up with ways to translate those flavors into a baked good of some sort.

I think I managed to come up with something pretty different (for me anyway!).  Drum roll please!!!

I am always eyeballing the alcohol infused whipped cream cans at the liquor store, so I thought it would be fun to make my own tequila whipped cream – especially after I recently discovered the existence of 1800 Coconut Tequila.  Everything is better with coconut, right?

When I think of whipped cream and baked goods I think of strawberry shortcakes – the kind made with a biscuit like my mom used to make.  However, I had originally wanted to go mango and not strawberry so I decided on making a mango shortcake with coconut tequila whipped cream.  Since I really don’t know how to invent a recipe from scratch (how do you decide what measurements you need of all the ingredients?  how do you know what ingredients you need?!) I adapted two different recipes and combined them to come up with my dish.

I made the shortcakes using the traditional strawberry shortcakes recipe from the good old box of Bisquick.  It can be found here on Betty Crocker’s website.  For the whipped cream, I adapted this Tequila Lime Whipped Cream recipe from Domestic Fits.

This is a pretty simple recipe to make if you don’t count trying to get the stopper out of the tequila bottle.  After several attempts I finally wrenched it loose only to end up soaked in tequila.  At least I smelled like coconut…

Mango Shortcakes with Coconut Tequila Whipped Cream

Mango Shortcakes

2 1/3 cups Original Bisquick mix
1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk)
3 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon sugar, divided
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
3 mangoes, diced
2 tablespoons agave nectar

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  In a bowl combine diced mango, 1 teaspoon of sugar and agave nectar; set aside.

In another bowl stir Bisquick mix, milk, 3 tablespoons of sugar and the butter until soft dough forms.  On an ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by 4 or 5 spoonfuls, depending on how many you want to make.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes.

While the shortcakes are baking, prepare the whipped cream:

Coconut Tequila Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon lime zest (optional)
2 tablespoons 1800 Coconut Tequila

Combine all ingredients in a chilled metal bowl and beat on high until soft peaks form.

Once shortcakes have been baked and slightly cooled, cut in half and fill with mangoes and whipped cream.