Key Lime Cupcakes with key lime buttercream

I love anything and everything lime. The only problem is that every time I make something lime  I get  a wimpy lime taste that in no way satisfies my craving.  Then I made these. These cupcakes are amazingly soft textured with a bold citrusy lime flavor. If you want to impress your friends with a delicious and beautiful cupcake these are perfect! (nobody needs to know how easy they are)

  Cupcakes adapted from Heather Palmer

The Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

1 cup + 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 (8 oz.) block of cream cheese
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 Tablespoons lime juice
3-1/4 cups cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons lime zest

Key Lime Buttercream:


1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons Key lime zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (16-oz.) package powdered sugar

3 tablespoons Key lime juice ( or until desired consistency)

Directions:

For Cupcakes:
Soften the butter and cream cheese to room temperature.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Gradually add sugar and beat for 5 minutes** while scraping the sides. Add eggs, then vanilla and lime juice. Add dry ingredients, beat, then fold in the lime zest.

Spoon batter into cupcake liners and bake in preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes.

**5 minutes seems like a long time, but without this step the cupcakes will not have their great fluffy texture (I speak from experience)**

For Frosting:
Beat butter on high speed until pale and creamy. Add zest and vanilla. Add powdered sugar then mix in key lime juice.

 

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

This sweet, refreshing treat is perfect for a hot summer's day! Using the dried strawberries gives it great flavor and vibrant pink color. This frosting is simple, beautiful, and has a great consistency for piping. This frosting can be eaten on most cupcake flavors(or with a spoon),  but is especially good on chocolate cupcakes.

 Adapted from Veg SF

 The Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 Tablespoon whipping cream
1 bag (1.2 oz.)(2 cups) freeze-dried strawberries
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla 


Directions:

For crushed strawberries:

  

I used Trader Joe's freeze dried strawberries:

Pour the entire bag (2 cups) into blender, and pulse until powdered.

For Frosting:

Beat butter until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.Slowly add whipping cream in a small stream into the bowl while beating. Continue to beat on medium until fully combined and fluffy.Add crushed strawberries and powdered sugar.  Mix until combined. Add vanilla. Beat on medium speed until very fluffy(about 5 minutes) Adjust the consistency to your liking by adding more powdered sugar or a bit of milk (1/2 teaspoon at a time).

    Enjoy!

Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting

My mom can sometimes be kind of obsessive when it comes to food, so when she started randomly hinting at how much she hoped I would make this for a Mother's Day treat for her, I knew better than to deny her.  :) I was glad I did...this frosting is the perfect balance of sweet and salty. It has great peanut flavor, without being overwhelming, and is paired perfectly with the garbanzo bean chocolate cupcakes. This frosting holds it's shape and pipes beautifully, it's great for any peanut lover!

The ingredients:

1 jar (7-oz.) marshmallow cream
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 Tbs. milk (I used heavy cream instead)
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 cups powdered sugar

Directions: In a medium bowl beat marshmallow cream, creamy peanut butter, and butter until smooth.  Increase speed to medium and beat in milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until desired consistency and sweetness level is reached.   Pipe or spread over cooled cake or cupcakes.  Enjoy! 

Peppermint Buttercream Frosting

If you like mint chocolate ice cream, you will LOVE this frosting. It is creamy, cool, and absolutely perfect to round out a rich chocolate cupcake, like the garbanzo bean cupcakes. I was in a rush to make these for a bake sale, but the frosting also holds beautifully when piped. Speaking of the bake sale, these cupcakes were very eye catching and were among the first items to sell out. I drizzled melted mini chocolate chips over the top using a spoon, but I thought it would also be pretty to sprinkle a few unmelted ones on top. This frosting is fun and different, and I strongly recommend it for any occasion.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups (1 lb.) powdered sugar

2-3 teaspoons peppermint extract

green food coloring
mini chocolate chips (for garnish)

Directions:

Whip butter with electric mixer until pale and creamy.(about 2 minutes) Add powdered sugar and mix until combined. Add vanilla and peppermint extract.* Finally add green food coloring until desired color.

**Note: Start with less peppermint extract, then add more as needed