Bright Green Key Lime Cupcakes Food

KEY LIME CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the cupcakes:
• Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Line a 12-muffin tin with liners.
• To a bowl add the butter and sugar and beat until light and pale using an electric mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat until mixed. Add the milk, key lime, zest and juice, beat until well mixed.
• Add the flour, baking powder and salt a little at a time and beat on low until well mixed and smooth. Don't overmix once you add the flour. If the mix is too thick, add a little more milk. You want a pourable consistency, but not too runny.
• Use an ice cream scoop to add divide the batter between all the cups, a little over halfway filled.
• Bake for 20 minutes until golden. When a toothpick inserted in the center it should come out clean.
• Remove from the oven and cool the cupcakes on a wire rack.
• For the frosting:
• Beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer. Slowly add powdered sugar while beating. Add lime juice zest. Don't overmix or it will be too soft to pipe.
• To get the two-tone piping, transfer 2 tablespoons of the frosting to a separate bowl and mix with the green and yellow coloring until it is lime green.
• Refrigerate the frosting for 30 minutes to make it firm for piping
• Add the piping tip of choice to a piping bag (I used a start tip). Hold the tip and turn the bag inside out over your hand, paste the green frosting to the side of the bag, close to the tip. Use a separate spoon to add the white frosting to the other side of the bag. Whatever ratio you use, you want more white than green. Pipe onto the cupcakes.

KEY LIME CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Make the lime curd: Combine the granulated sugar, egg and egg yolk, lime juice and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking, until thick enough to coat a spoon, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, a little at a time, until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, then stir in the lime zest and salt. Set in a larger bowl of ice and stir until the curd is completely cool. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface; refrigerate until ready to use.
• Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners. Pulse the wafer cookies in a food processor until finely ground. Melt 2 tablespoons butter; add to the processor and pulse until the mixture comes together. Press about 1 tablespoon crumbs into each muffin cup.
• Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. Combine the remaining 10 tablespoons butter and the granulated sugar in a large bowl and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to low; beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla, lime zest and juice and beat until well combined. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Increase the speed to medium high and mix until combined.
• Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters of the way. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes. Remove to a rack; let cool completely.
• Make the frosting: Beat the butter in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and beat in the confectioners' sugar. Increase the speed to medium high; add the sour cream, lime juice and salt and beat until fluffy, 2 more minutes.
• Place the lime curd in a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch tip. Insert the tip into the center of each cupcake and squeeze to fill. Frost the cupcakes, then pipe more lime curd on top. Top with lime slices and zest.
• Cook's Note: Key limes are smaller and more tart than regular limes. If you can't find them, look for bottled Key lime juice and use regular lime zest.

BRIGHT GREEN KEY LIME CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. In large bowl, beat cake mix and gelatin with electric mixer on low speed for about 30 seconds. Add remaining cupcake ingredients. Beat with electric mixer on low speed for about 30 seconds; beat on medium speed additional 2 minutes, scraping bowl as necessary. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full.
• Bake 17 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan around 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack. With toothpick or wooden skewer, pierce tops of cupcakes in several places.
• In small bowl, mix 1 cup powdered sugar and enough of the 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons lime juice until glaze is smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle and spread glaze over cupcakes. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. On low speed, beat in vanilla and 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar until mixed; beat on medium speed until fluffy and frost cupcakes. Will want to store covered in refrigerator.

KEY LIME CUPCAKES

Steps:

• To make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard muffin pan with 12 paper liners. Whisk both flours in a medium bowl. Beat butter in a large bowl until smooth. Add sugar; beat to blend. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then next 3 ingredients (batter may look curdled). Beat in flour in 3 additions, alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions. Spoon scant 1/3 cup batter into each liner.
• Bake cupcakes until tester inserted in center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool.
• To Make the frosting: Beat all ingredients together in a medium bowl until smooth.
• Spread frosting over cupcakes.