Fresh Lime Cupcakes with Coconut & Lime Frosting

As anyone who knows me or follows my blog knows...I love chocolate.  That will never change (at least I don't think so!).  But,  recently I have been very inspired by the lighter flavor of citrus...orange, lemon, and lime.  There is just something so fresh and appealing about these flavors.  I want to add citrus to everything I make these days!

A couple of weeks ago, I was thumbing through a cupcake cookbook by Primrose Bakery and found a recipe for vanilla cupcakes with lime and coconut frosting.  I immediately couldn't rest until I had made some!  Now,  I wasn't really sold on the idea of vanilla cake.  I was thinking a white cake would go along with the lime/coconut combination better,  so I went with that.  The cupcake recipe I used is the same one I used for the Margarita Cupcakes, which I will be posting next week...just in time for Cinco de Mayo!  I just eliminated the tequila for this recipe.

Fresh Lime Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
zest/juice of 2 limes
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.  Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.  Beat the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer for about 5 minutes on medium-high.  Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition.  Alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the mixing bowl, starting and ending with the flour, until all the ingredients are well blended.  Give it one last good mixing.  Divide the batter into the paper liners.  Bake for 18-20 minutes.  Cool completely before frosting.

Lime and Coconut Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 T fresh lime juice
zest of 1 lime
Shredded coconut

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until creamy.  Add the powdered sugar gradually, until reaching your desired consistency.  Add the lime juice and zest and mix well.  Frost cooled cupcakes as desired and then sprinkle tops with coconut.