~Bona Vita~

Lime juice, limeade, key-lime pie, lemon-meringue pie, lemonade, lemon cookies, orange slushies, lime marinades, tangerine sauces – summer tables are brimming with delicious dishes and fresh citrus fruits.  You certainly can enjoy citrus fruits all year long. However, there is something delightfully refreshing about their taste and fragrance that particularly lends citrus fruits to summer menus.

I recently made lime cupcakes that were just the right ending to a very spicy and flavorful salmon dinner.  The cupcakes were light, brightly flavored and not too sweet. I was inspired by a Bon Appetit recipe from the September 2008 issue. I utilized the frosting recipe with only a few minor changes. I eliminated the lime zest as I was serving the cupcakes to adults and children and I have found that children do not usually prefer visible zest in their frosting. I sprinkled large, beautiful sugar crystals over the top of each cupcake, giving them a more festive air.

Lime Cupcakes

1 White cake mix

1 cup of water

1 5.9 ounce package lime flavored gelatin

1/2 cup (1cube) melted butter

4 large whole eggs

1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring

Line 24 muffin tins with paper liners. In a large mixing bowl combine the cake mix, water, gelatin butter and almond flavoring. Add the eggs one at a time mixing on medium high after each addition. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes scraping the bowl occasionally. Fill the liners about 3/4 full for large cupcakes and 2/3 full for petite cupcakes. If you are making large cupcakes you will only have enough batter for about 18 cupcakes.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 18 minutes or until the top springs back when gently pressed down. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Lime Frosting

2 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened

2 sticks ( 1 cup) butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons lime juice

Large sugar crystals for garnish (India Tree makes lovely sugars)

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl and blend until  you achieve the correct consistency for frosting your cupcakes. You may have to add additional powdered sugar.

Remove the paper liners from the cupcakes (unless you utilize festive liners) and place the cupcakes on an attractive tray. Generously  spread the cupcakes with the frosting and sprinkle each with the sugar crystals.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”  – Galatians 5:22-23

Tags: cake, dessert, icing

This entry was posted on Monday, August 25th, 2008 at 7:16 am and is filed under Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.