Lime Cupcakes With Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting Food

LIME CUPCAKES WITH STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. In medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
• In large bowl, beat shortening with electric mixer on medium speed 30 seconds. Gradually add granulated sugar, about 1/3 cup at a time, beating after each addition and scraping bowl occasionally. Beat 2 minutes longer. Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lime peel and vanilla. On low speed, alternately add flour mixture, about 1/3 at a time, with milk, about 1/2 at a time, beating just until blended. Stir in lime juice. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, fill each about 2/3 full.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden brown and toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth and fluffy. Beat in strawberries until well blended. On low speed, beat in powdered sugar until smooth and spreadable.
• Frost cooled cupcakes. Refrigerate 1 hour. Before serving, garnish each cupcake with strawberry. Store in refrigerator.

CRANBERRY STUFFED CUPCAKES WITH CRANBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cupcake pans with 15 cupcake liners, spacing them out evenly between the two pans.
• Sift together the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl, then lightly stir in the salt and set aside. Combine the heavy cream and 1/2 cup corn in a food processor and puree until smooth, being careful not to overblend so the cream doesn't turn into butter. Add the sour cream and blend just to combine, then set aside.
• Cream together the butter, coconut oil and granulated sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed, scraping down the sides occasionally with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is incorporated evenly, until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla. Reduce the mixer to medium-low and add the dry mixture and corn puree mixture in 3 alternating additions, then fold in the remaining 1/2 cup corn kernels with a rubber spatula. Using an ice cream scoop, distribute the batter evenly among the cupcake liners.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pans and continue to bake until the cupcakes are thinking about starting to turn brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs on it, 6 to 10 minutes more. If the cupcakes need more time, continue to bake and check them frequently (like every 30 to 45 seconds). Let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the buttercream: If desired, press the cranberry sauce through a fine-mesh sieve to get rid of the cranberry skins, which will yield a smoother buttercream. This step is not necessary, though. Beat together the cranberry sauce, butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, salt and vanilla and continue beating until combined. Beat in the heavy cream. Transfer to a piping bag.
• To assemble: Use an apple corer to extract the centers of the cupcakes. Transfer the thick cranberry sauce to a piping bag or resealable plastic bag with the corner snipped off, then pipe it into the centers of the cupcakes. Pipe a blob of frosting onto the cupcakes and decorate with sliced cranberries and rosemary sprigs. Enjoy! These are best enjoyed within a day or two.

STRAWBERRY-LIME STUFFED CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the muffin tin with cupcake liners.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.
• In another medium bowl, beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until light and foamy, about 2 minutes. While beating, gradually pour in the butter and then the vanilla.
• While mixing slowly, add half the dry ingredients, then add all the milk, and follow with the rest of the dry ingredients. Take care not to over mix the batter. Divide the batter evenly in the prepared tin.
• Bake until a tester inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove. Cool on the rack completely.
• For icing: Mix the confectioners' sugar and lime zest in a medium bowl. Add the lime juice and mix with an electric mixer to make a firm but pourable icing. (If needed, add up to 1 teaspoon more juice, but take care if the icing is too loose it doesn't set properly.) Add food color to make a pale pastel green icing.
• To assemble: Remove cupcake from its liner. Cut and remove a strawberry (coned) shaped portion of cupcake from the top of each cupcake, leaving about 1/2 to 1-inch of cake in the bottom. Stuff each cake with a strawberry and cover with a little bit of cake. Spoon and spread icing over the top of the cupcakes. Sprinkle with green sanding sugar. Top with small mint leaves or candied leaves.

KEY LIME CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners or spray with cooking spray.
• Mix cake mix, water, eggs, and vegetable oil together in a bowl using an electric mixer until batter is smooth, about 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons lime zest, lime juice, and food coloring; mix well. Pour batter into the prepared muffin cups.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a wire rack.
• Beat butter and cream cheese together in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add 2 tablespoons lime zest and vanilla extract to creamed butter mixture; mix well. Mix confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, into creamed butter mixture until frosting is smooth; chill in refrigerator until frosting is thickened, about 30 minutes.
• Spread frosting onto each cupcake and top with sprinkles.

STRAWBERRY AND CREAM CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Make, bake and cool cake mix as directed on box for 24 cupcakes, substituting soda pop for the water.
• Stir 1 or 2 drops food color into frosting. Frost cupcakes.
• In small resealable food-storage plastic bag, place sprinkles and 1 drop food color; seal bag. Gently shake and massage sprinkles until mixture is various shades of pink; sprinkle around edges of frosted cupcakes. Garnish with fresh strawberries. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.

EASY STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• Puree strawberries in a blender or food processor until smooth.
• Combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until creamy and smooth. Blend in vanilla extract. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Fold in strawberry puree until frosting is desired flavor and consistency.

STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• Blend together the cream cheese and butter using an electric mixer on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds.
• Add 3 cups powdered sugar, gradually, and the mashed strawberries; blend frosting again on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 1 minute.
• Increase mixer speed to medium and blend frosting until fluffy, 30-45 seconds more, adding up to 1/2 cup more sugar to make desired spreading consistency.
• Use as desired.

KEY LIME CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line 16 muffin cups with paper or foil liners., In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl, whisk cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition., Fill prepared cups two-thirds full. Bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely., For frosting, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and lime zest until blended. Beat in lime juice and vanilla. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Pipe or spread onto cupcakes. Refrigerate until serving.