It's hard to tell but these cupcakes are the color chartreuse, made to match the walls of the Buttersweet Bakery in Atlanta...a funky little shop with a hip vibe. Cupcakes are so "in" right now and it's fun to play with all the possibilities. Cupcakes are not just for kids anymore!
These are also PERFECT for St. Patrick's Day.
Anyway, it was really difficult to photograph and show the real neon color these Key Lime Cupcakes take on. In person there is no mistaking their shade of green. They are very fun looking.
I love the unique flavor key limes give, more of a tart-bitterness, which is a good thing when it comes to baking and cooking with them. They do pack a flavor punch but in a pinch you could get away with using regular lime for these cupcakes. Just remember the key lime boasts a higher acidity and stronger aroma than regular limes, so it might change the overall limey-ness of this recipe.
So get your leprechaun on and make these...they are good...
Here's what you will need for the cupcakes: All-purpose flour, self-rising flour, unsalted butter, granulated sugar, eggs, fresh key lime juice and zest, neon green food coloring and buttermilk.
Sift and whisk 1 cup all-purpose flour and 3/4 cup self-rising flour in a medium bowl. Don't have self-rising flour? You can make your own by adding 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt to 1 cup all-purpose flour, mixing well.
Beat 1/2 cup unsalted butter until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar and beat to blend. Beat in 2 eggs, one at a time. Add 2-1/2 Tablespoons lime juice, 1 Tablespoon lime zest and 1/4 teaspoon neon green food coloring. Continue mixing until all ingredients are well combined.
Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions alternating with 3/4 cup buttermilk in 2 additions. DO NOT OVER MIX! Your cupcakes will not be light and airy if you mix too much.
Spoon equal proportions of batter into a standard 12 cup muffin pan lined with paper liners. Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. (Mine took 20 minutes.)
Remove the cupcakes immediately from the pan, letting them cool on a rack.
While waiting for them to cool down, make the frosting.
You will need: Cream cheese, powdered sugar, unsalted butter, lime zest and vanilla extract.
Beat 8 ounces cream cheese, 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1 Tablespoon lime zest and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract on medium until smooth.
Spread the frosting over the cupcakes. Like you didn't know that.
The green color is more apparent here.
But I had to go back inside to take a bite. Delicious!
Key Lime Cupcakes
Adapted from Buttersweet Bakery courtesy of Bon Appetit
Cupcakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup self-rising flour (make your own--add 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder & 1/2 tsp. salt to 1 cup all-purpose flour)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2-1/2 Tablespoons key lime juice (about 10 key limes) or regular lime juice
1 Tablespoon key lime zest (about 10 key limes) or regular lime zest
1/4 teaspoon neon green food coloring
3/4 cup buttermilk
Frosting:
1 8 - ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 Tablespoon key lime zest (about 10 key limes) or regular lime zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sift and whisk all-purpose flour and self-rising flour in a medium bowl. Don't have self-rising flour? You can make your own by adding 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt to 1 cup all-purpose flour, mixing well.
Beat butter until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and beat to blend. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add lime juice, lime zest and food coloring. Continue mixing until all ingredients are well combined.
Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions alternating with buttermilk in 2 additions. DO NOT OVER MIX! Your cupcakes will not be light and airy if you mix too much.
Spoon equal proportions of batter into a standard 12 cup muffin pan lined with paper liners. Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. (Mine took 20 minutes.)
Remove the cupcakes immediately from the pan, letting them cool on a rack.
While waiting for them to cool down, make the frosting.
Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, lime zest and vanilla extract on medium until smooth.
What I Was Drinking One Year Ago Today: Because I Like It, That's Why
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Oh these look so good. I love lime. That tart flavor pairs so well with cake and cream cheese frosting. Your presentation is delightful, and I can only imagine how good those cupcakes taste!
Now those look fun and delicious! I’m totally going to have to do the cupcakes and I’m on my way over to check out your dinner. I can feel the ole’ blarney building in me already!
Question for ya Cathy. What kind of bread would be good to serve with that Irish Beef Stew? Any ideas?
Just yeasterday I was looking at those neon baking colorings! They’re very cute the cupcakes, I think Shreck would like them!
ooooh these look wonderful! I’m happy to eat these kind of greens
thanks for the recipe.
Love that color…and the zest over the fluffy white frosting!
yummmmmmm…lime is just the best flavor and they are too cute!!!! Our second daughter had just the cutest cupcakes for her wedding reception…they are just fun and yes they are in!!!!!
The cupcakes are cute and who can resist a cupcake, why they’re so teeny tiny I am sure there are practically no calories in them…..just one or three or so won’t hurt my waistline….
Awesome yumminess!
Love the colour! The zest adds a nice touch to the cupcakes!
How cute! And cream cheese icing – oh my!
I actuall ripped this page out of the very same magaine just to make these. AND I was going to do it for St Pattys Day.. how coincidental. Its because we are both Polish, you know;)
They look even better here. I am so making them.
You have green grass there? That cupcake looks awesome in the outside shot with the grass.
And cream cheese frosting to boot! I love lime in my desserts, more so than lemon. These will be great for St. Pats. Will check out your other St. Pats recipes in the mag.
Beautiful! I love key lime anything and these cupcakes look great!
I knew you’d find something new to add to your St. Paddy’s Day repertoire! These look great. Maybe I’ll make some and share with MIL who adores key lime anything.
Shirley
I cannot keep up with you!! You think up these things as quick as you can blink your eyes. But these cupcakes look so limeylicious. I agree that the key limes are more “potent” than regular limes. I can just smell and taste them as I look at your photos. Thanks for this one! I will check your Davis Magazine entree now. I bet it is a bell ringer!
I love the little bit of zest on the frosting-a little tease of what is to come!
Who doesn’t love a cupcake? And lime?
YUM!
My taste buds are twanging already! These look delightful!
nothing like cream cheese and butter to make a perfect frosting!
Have you ever had key lime from the Keys in Florida? So good.
These key lime cupcakes are very unique and look just delicious! I love your Irish Beef Stew recipe in the Davis magazine. Yum!
Yummmmy! Cupcakes!! Those sound delightful!
What gorgeous color! Lime is one of my favorite flavors. And with St. Paddy’s day coming, I have an excuse to put my dessert ban aside.
Great timing! Today is Read Across America Day and students in our schools across the country are celebrating literacy and the long lasting contributions of Dr. Seuss. After our green eggs and ham we should have these yummy cupcakes!
Want.
Love the color of these delectable little cakes. Love the cream cheese frosting too or course.
looks yummy!
My third son loves green, and when he was about 6, I came up with the bright idea of tinting his birthday cake green. All the kids loved it, but the adults couldn’t quite wrap their heads around green cake. The reactions were priceless.
Having just come from the land of the Key Lime – MMMMMM!!! Wish I’d thought to bring some lime’s back.
Wow. I love key lime, they far out do regular limes in any sense of the word.
I love your St. Patty’s meal at Davis Life too!
The cupcakes look super….I also checked out the Irish stew recipe. If I’m St. Patrick’s day I’m totally making that.
Mmmmm, I want a big scoop of that frosting!!
These are GORGEOUS in all the GREEN (chartreuse) glory…
Mmmmmm…yummytime!
What a delicious looking cupcakes Cathy!
Cheers,
Elra
First of all–I didn’t realize those food dyes came in neon–cool!
Those cupcakes look and sound delicious and so does your Irish stew recipe!!
I am so hungry right now I’m trying to restrain myself from licking my computer monitor. These. Look. Awesome.
Cupcakes rule! I love lime and these look awesome! I’ve never seen key limes at my local stores, but I’ll keep looking.
Thanks for the tip on how to make self rising flour!
Those look incredible. I have been craving lime lately. Today is grocery day, just have a few more items to add to my list!
Being colorblind I wouldn’t be able to appreciate the color no matter what, but I do think I would like the flavor! You could send me some if you liked.
Fantastico! Brava Cathy – these look divine – or can I say Divaliscious? Absolutely! yummers
Yum these look terrific. I have strep throat right now and I love citrus when I am sick. Too bad my husband does not do cupcakes.
Or any baking.
those are awesome!!! how fun to eat something so bright green especially for st. patricks day.
I am not a huge fan of frosting but those cupcakes are to die for!
These look so good! I love Key Lime Pie so I just bet these could become a fav.
Yum! These look so tasty – I love the neon green color and the frosting is making me drool.
Oooooh, those swirls of green are SO my favorite color. Doesn’t even have to taste good when it looks that pretty!
(But I’m betting they taste good too…and count as one of the fruit servings of the day, yes?
)
Cathy those are out of this world!!!
These are amazing and my hubby would LOVE the key line zest!
I’ve never done any St. Pat’s baking (usually just drinking).
Time to release my inner leprechaun and send him on a mission to find key limes
We could eat that frosting by the spoonful!
Oh my gosh, those are sooooo cute! They are just perfect for all the little Leprechauns that will be running around here soon. The frosting peaks on those cupcakes are beautiful! Love the photo with the bite taken out! YUM! I’m off to read your magazine article!
Delish! I HATE HATE HATE sqeezing Key Limes. So itty bitty!
i almost forgot that st. patties day was coming up. these look so good – i’ll make sure not to be wasted when i eat them!
I need to get some of that Neon Food Coloring! How fun is that?!
That is the perfect dessert to have after corned beef and cabbage!!!
Simply beautiful. I love to make cupcakes. As you said they are so popular.
Your photos of ingredients are so fun, always a new package, never a drippy bottle. Mine stuff looks like a hurricane came through sometimes.
I like these, they remind me of lemon tea loaf a little. I think men like lime more than lemon also. I put lime on so many things, it comes from the Hispanic influence in California. Taco, chips, fruit, meat, corn, etc..
Your first photo is so tempting I wish I could make them, but I can’t get off my butt and go to the store. Come visit me with some. It is only a couple hours. Bring the kids. And a nice single doctor. Okay?
awesome!! these look fun and tasty!
those look so yummy and pretty, the chocolate drink too. Someday your gonna get fat. It just ain’t right that you can eat all this good stuff AND BE SO CUTE.
It ain’t natural I tell ya!
That frosting looks too good to be true, like a cloud. Have to try it!
How did you know I’ve been craving cupcakes?
Between the Key Lime cupcakes and your Serendipity post, I’m literally drooling while reading. These desserts look amazing!
These are gorgeous! I love key lime pie, but I’ve never had key lime cupcakes before – something to try soon!
I love the color! Now, I just need a St. Patty’s day party to bring these to.
Perfect for Saint Patrick’s Day! Or just for a spring party.
I LOOOOOOVE KEY LIME!!!! Can’t imagine confining it to St. Patty’s Day. Looks like summertime fun to me! YUM!!
p.s.
Paying for you about the dishwasher thing — sounds like a miserable way to spend your time . . . arguing with BIG NAME. : (
Holy cow, those cupcakes look wonderful! My mouth was watering!!!
Wow, lime cupcakes with cream cheese frosting!My mouth is watering!
OK I’m making these. Now.
I have never tried the taste of a key lime,I hear they are wonderful. I would really like to try this cupcake, they look so good and the frosting very nice and creamy.
These are so cute! It’s like an adult cupcake with the lime zest in the frosting and all. These are absolutely perfect for St. Patrick’s Day
Those babies look delicious!
My mom’s favorite dessert is anything with Key Lime…I have to find these so I can make these delicious, and politically correct colored, cupcakes for St. Patrick’s Day! Perfect!
Citrus desserts are my favourite – next time I have some buttermilk around, I’m definitely making these!
Well-Hush My Mouth!…..The World’s Greatest Key Lime Pie Is At Kutchie’s Key West. It Must Be Awfully Hot Over There,
Baking All Those 1000′s Of Pies. Boy-O-Boy, I Just Can’t Wait To Order My Next One……Honey Rider
So far all the comments say how delicious they look, which is true, but they don’t taste that great. I actually made them.
Just made a batch tonight! Boy, were they amazing!!! Couldn’t believe how much the true key lime flaver came through! Thanks for the recipe!
You can get a lot more juice out of each lime if you microwave them for a few seconds, then squeeze them before cutting by rolling them against your counter or cutting board. Just make sure you zest the limes before softening them, because it is much harder to do when the lime won’t hold its shape.
I thought I had died and went to heaven. That’s what best describes the first bite of eating a slice of Anita and Kutchie’s famous Key Lime Pies. We had heard about them for years. When visiting the Biltmore House a couple years back a little lady recommended that before leaving Asheville that we drive about 10 minutes south of the house and go straight to Kutchie and Anita’s Key West, Key Lime Pie Factory and we would pleasantly surprised there. She Must Have Been an Angle? Anita and Kutchie’s pie had to have been baked in heaven. While there we had the opportunity to meet the wonderful married working team of the Pelaez’s. They informed us that they have been a team for over 3-decades as well as the proprietors of the establishment ever since it was first built. Awesome folks and an awesome place. If you find yourself anywhere around the area, take a tip from us and stop by and pay Anita and Kutchie a visit. You’ll be damn glad you did! You can thank latter.
Bruce
I can’t wait to make these for St. Pat’s! I love limes and am so glad I found your site. I read through all the comments but where would I find/buy the neon green color? I live in the midwest and have never seen those colors here. I will check out an online option. Thanks for the great recipe.